So you want to get in shape. This is one place to do that…read more What can you find at the Folsom Hike & Bike Trail? * Paved trail? Yes. * Unpaved trail? Only one short spur. * Hills? Kinda sorta; a mesa that appears to be manmade, and the only hill in Jefferson County. * Trees? Nope. * Views? Nope. Unless you consider looking at Folsom Drive to be a view. * Appropriate for a road bike? Maybe; it's only 1.4 miles one-way to a dead end. * Appropriate for a mountain bike? Maybe; I didn't see any signs prohibiting mountain bikes on the mesa. It's quite boring, though. * Streams or lakes? Nope. * Dogs? Yes. * Dairy Queen? Dollar Tree? Waffle House? Nope on all three. * Parking? On the small side, but adequate for the amount of use it gets. The Folsom Hike & Bike Trail is convenient for people on the West Side. And it works for my attempts to rebuild my cardio. And that's about it. If you want scenic diversions, or a course longer than 2.8 miles, go to Tyrell Park.

1.4 mile one way, then 1.4 back. One long trail. Not a loop. Nice walking track. No trees. Bike…read morefriendly. Has a parking lot. Porta potty. Air pump. Long concrete trail. Has doggie waste bags. No outdoor equipment to play on. A few benches. There is a little dirt trail that takes you to a hill perfect for watching the sunset. Kroger, HEB, Walmart and other stores close by. Nice place to walk. No lighting so be aware. Has had thieves break into cars. Lock car doors!

When there was no other campsites available on the website for TX State parks, I kinda grew…read moreskeptical that this one being so close to East Texas that I would have issues as I'm a minority. However, nonetheless, when I tell you this state park is a gem and an underrated one too you'll be surprised to know why. Let me tell you: With the Texas Parks pass, I booked a weekend stay from Saturday to Monday at campsite 36. The original cost was going to be $36, but with the pass it was only $15 total. The campsite wasn't a drive-in and it was only a short hike in. I was a bit worried about this since the person I went with normally camps at drive up sites and not so much primitive. Rest ensure, he was fine because the parking lot to our campsite was approximately 400 ft in and the pathway was sand. The only troubles we had was our lousy portable cart that had a lame leg. Our campsite was the most primitive since most of the others were close in proximity to the others and your neighbors were either across from you or adjacent from you. Thankfully, ours wasn't. All primitive campsites are off of many hiking trails and campsite 40+ are near the creek so that's a nice view. The campsite itself has a lantern post, fire ring, picnic table, and a base spot for the tent (away from the fire ring). It is prohibited to burn or ignite firewood collected inside the parks. So, please go to the ranger station to purchase firewood. My friend and I ended up going to Home Depot, they sell it for $6 and it burned very well and too quick. Oh and please don't go to the gas station to get theirs, we made that mistake and it was not only expensive, but the wood burned too quick. The mosquitoes are absolutely terrible, make sure you bring DEET bug spray, citronella candle, or something to keep them invasive buggers off your skin and ears! I must tell y'all, the restrooms are amazingly clean. Every morning they are cleaned with Pinesol and are spotless. Once you sleep throughout the night and your body starts to feel sticky, please hit the showers!! The water pressure is perfect flowing and the water can get hot. The floors can be cold. I wore my sandals. I can say those restrooms are by far the best I've occupied in a state park or any park owned by the state! There was no dead bugs lingering around or weird mildew odor. If you like to hike, check out those trails. I hiked early morning just before anyone else was up and had a thrill exploring nature. I seen some deer, birds, another watering hole, and wildflowers. The trails are well maintained. There was some obstructed paths due to water or creeks passing through, but that was the fun part trying to maneuver to the other side. I had to get creative with where I jumped off of to get on the main trail. The main creek water was murky due to the amount of tannins in it and the water line wasn't high, so I opt out of swimming in it. The ranger station is clean and well organized. They sell the state park scratch off maps for those of you who are into exploring all state parks like me!! A true nature nerd, eh? They even sell Village Creek SP merch like stickers. The rangers were pretty nice and didn't display any form of prejudice or discrimination. Definitely a smaller state park than the others. It is settled in a residential area like most SPs are, but it's kind of a good thing especially if you forget some food, there's a Wal-Mart less than 5 minutes away. I would recommend this state park to visit.

Knew I would be in the area and wanted to check out their amenities. I was accompanied by my…read moremother, brother, and future sister-in-law. We took a rather short hike on one of the loop trails (roughly 1.2 miles). Thought the property was well maintained; however, the area seemed ripe for a proscribed burn to help prevent forest fires. The staff at the front desk were extremely friendly and helpful. Would gladly camp here in the future. If you're ever in the area, come visit.

We pulled in for a 5 night stay and this park is absolutely beautiful and quiet and a terrific…read moreTexas State Park! The sites are spacious and we stayed at Yaupon Loop with full hookups! It's Christmas season so many of the Park Hosts had Christmas decorations setup. We put lights at our sites as well.

Lake Livingston was most certainly a gem !!! I would have never known about this place if my friend…read morewouldn't have told me about it! This was a camping trip with some friends of mine and my family. The spot was really nice and it came with a lake view of lake Livingston. They have trails around this park that lead to a cabin center in which you can rent. My friend had an RV and rented two spots which has running water and a fire pit! The views are dope. Weekends are pretty busy for people glamping and camping, so definitely book in advance ! This will most definitely be a go to spot!

One of the most popular walking trails in Beaumont. It's located near their high school in the West…read moreend & the total trail is about 3.5 miles. They have 2 different entrances and plenty of signs for walkers & bikers to follow. Along the way, you'll find benches and little gazebos to rest under. Connected in the same area, is an indoor soccer range and soccer fields to the left of it. I definitely recommend if you're in the area & want to get some steps outdoors.

One of the best trails to get your run on in Beaumont, TX. Its a concrete trail with a 2 mile loop…read more If you park on the soccer field side you can get a good 3.5 miles in. There is a running group that meets there every Monday and Wednesday at 6pm. Look the up at www.facebook.com/gtstrutters Some dislikes about the park is the lack of lighting. Once it gets dark you'll probably need a headlamp.

Big Thicket National Preserve is an American treasure. It is a beautifully serene area of the…read morecountry located in East Texas that fully deserves all the attention it's due. The many ecosystems that this park encompasses is a geological mystery that starts millions of years ago with the movement of glaciers. We only had a short 2 hour time window to enjoy the exhibits at the visitors center, the short film in the theatre, and a quick hike close to the visitors center. The film is the same one you can view on their website, so if you are short on time, skip it and watch it at home. The gift shop is stocked with amazing items, so definitely save 5 minutes to browse around. My kids enjoyed speaking to Ranger Scott about his favorite animal in the preserve, the American alligator, and completing the Junior Ranger booklet for the badges. This program is targeted for 14 and under but adults can participate as well.

Nice NPS site. Small but informative visitor center with friendly ranger. Infrastructure is…read moresimple and well maintained. Nice junior ranger program. Would not go out of my way to visit but worth a stop if in area.

Sorry but I will always refer to this by it's correct and rightful name, Anahuac National Wildlife…read moreRefuge. This is a great place to go to see life in the salt marsh east of Galveston Bay. The bird are numerous and of so many species. And besides birds there are tons of alligators, both large and small. The main attraction towards the center of the refuge is Shoveler Pond. The pond is surrounded by a 6 mile one way road and you shouldn't be in any rush to get around. The road is narrow and one way but there are pull-offs where you can stop to let someone go by or just to sit and watch the wildlife. As you stare off into the cat tails and grasses, if you wait long enough you will realize there are a myriad of creatures both big and small there. Tiny wrens red winged black birds and warblers, ducks of all kinds, rails, stilts, avocets, moorhens and then the bigger birds like egrets and herons and ibis. And then there are the alligators, sunning themselves after a mud bath. It's nice when there is a slight wind blowing as the mosquitoes can be kind of bad as the weather warms up, you might want to apply some OFF. And it can be hot and humid in the winter. I like to go in the cooler months. There is also a large boardwalk and deck area for viewing farther out in the marsh but the benches are usually covered in bird poop so be aware before sitting down. There is a shop at the entrance and it is worth a visit as well as restrooms and a butterfly garden. There is a pavilion with picnic tables but last time we were there a lot of wasps and hornets had made nests so we found another spot to have our lunch. The refuge is about half way between Winnie and High Island and a good stop if you are going to or coming from Smith Oaks Bird Refuge at High Island.

What a lovely way to spend a beautiful, clear skies winter day!…read more We loaded up the bikes, backpacks with snacks, binoculars, bug spray, clothing layers, SPF, water, hand wipes, etc, and drove out to explore this 34K acre wildlife refuge an hour or so outside of Downtown Houston. There are hiking trails, biking trails, and people exploring the wetlands from their cars. I DON'T recommend that. I mean, if you have people who are elderly or people who find it challenging to bike around, by all means - you can drive around and treat it like a drive-thru wetland experience. But my biggest rec is to take your bike and explore that way. Aside from the wetlands, we went over to the bayside to watch the sunset. There were LOADS of mosquitos, so prepare for that. And a few families were harvesting oysters. We missed some of the hiking areas and oyster bayou, but looking forward to returning earlier in the day to explore.

A nice family walk! It was a little cold and windy, but it did not disappoint as we spotted a…read morecouple gators! The walk ways are disability friendly as they are mainly paved. The viewing platform has a 'closed' sign on it, but we just walked around and had the opportunity to get an elevated view, where we spotted our big-daddy gator!

This was a fun and neat stop! The board walk is in great condition, and they were replacing the…read morespindles on the overlook tower when we were there. Being as it is February and most of the gators are staying hidden, we still saw 4 and a nutria rat. I would love to come back when the cat tails are blooming and when there's more birds migrating through. It's a beautiful area and this was an excellent way to see the swamp!

A curious thing happens at Lake Houston Wilderness Park, where proximity to the city gives way to…read morereprieve. Though it is close to Houston, the park is improbably remote, as if distance were measured in mood rather than miles. The warm breeze softens, noise recedes, senses are redirected. Toward birdsong. Wind through pines. The quiet rhythm of the forest. The landscape reflects calm. Preserved through the foresight of George Mitchell, the visionary behind The Woodlands (once the largest master-planned community in the world), the park is a legacy of thoughtful design.

I'm sure I'm going to offend some people with this review but let me preface it by saying that…read morehiking in the Houston and surrounding areas tends to be a "what you make of it" proposition because we don't have any nice bodies of water (sorry, a bayou doesn't count), mountains, waterfalls, or even a real hill. I get that and I am not comparing this park to the PNW, but even in the context of "It may not be the best place to hike, but it's the best we've got", this is a pretty unremarkable and boring park for hiking. I'm sorry, it just is, and it's not worth the drive unless you happen to live in the area and have no other place to go. The name of the park is Lake Houston Wilderness Park but you don't see Lake Houston from here and in the 10.5 mile hike around the Ameritrail, I did not see one single bit of wildlife- not even a bird. How does a park with so many trees not even have birds? I mean don't get me wrong, I'm glad I didn't run into any snakes or even a single mosquito either but how is it possible that even wildlife don't come to this park? For the $3 cover charge, at least I got plenty of exercise but I might as well been at the Houston Arboretum since it's closer and they actually have turtles and birds and such to see. This was just a long walk without any bathrooms or rest stops along the way and you can get that anywhere. I guess if you are there for camping or the other activity they offer, it might be worth it but if you're going to do that, why not just go to Brazos Bend where they have some interesting stuff going on too?

Floods bad when it rains, long ways from Houston and Beaumont…read more RV sites are expensive for what you get. Didn't look at homesites. Staff wasn't really helpful.

I lived at the Preserve of Texas in a camper from 2021 to 2023. In 2024 the Preserve of Texas was…read moreflooded with 7 feet of water. To build a house there it has to be on stilts. I reported the management for several violations including not properly inspecting electrical boxes, improper boil water notices, and exposed underground cables. I was retaliated against by the management with eviction and went to court. I would like the public to be aware that the recent property management has been reported for violations. The attached photos are of old roofing materials discarded and left on the ground for weeks near a swimming pool and playground at the Preserve of Texas in August 2023 directly across from my camper's lot. I had my then 7 year old son with me every other week, and the refuse included roofing nails on the ground.