Place is awesome when there are zero to very little photographers on the premises…read more Its a wonderful loop to escape the rat race of the city.

Great park to stretch your legs in! I was there today and saw a nice big buck deer near the parking…read morelot. I walked some trails, the river nearby was very calm and almost like glass. Lots of birds and other wildlife along the river bank. We had to climb over a big tree that had fallen across the raised walkway.

We came here this morning to walk and it is a nice park. I like the walking trail but I definitely…read morethink it is safer to go with someone else or while there is light. The nature scenery is beautiful and the playground is nice. I did not use the restrooms but they looked clean. I would definitely like to bring my dog to the dog park area.

This is a great park! There are two dog areas, one for large breeds and another area for small…read morebreeds, both have dog washing stations that are gated. The playground is one of a kind, my kids love it. There is a small pond with lily pads covering the top and beautiful coi fish. The pond has a railed walking path through it that has a few benches throughout. Catch and release fishing is allowed. There are several alligator warning signs however I've never seen any myself but I spoke to a couple people there that say they have in fact spotted the alligators near the water a time or two. This is a nice place to have a birthday party because there is a covered pavilion with picnic tables underneath and plenty of space for games and even to hang a piñata. There are bathrooms with water fountains and they are always clean and well-kept. Definitely recommend this park.

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?

Checked out Sheldon Lake State Park after seeing it nearby. It's not a fully developed park, rather…read moreit's a collection of former fish hatcheries that have been returned to nature + walking trails + wetlands. There is no entrance fee and you're able to fish from the shoreline without a fishing license. The park is open from 8am-5pm. There's only about 2 miles worth of easy, paved trails. The main attraction is their observation tower that has an elevator that took us to the top. Up there, we saw the Houston skyline, oil refineries, and the other areas of the park we can't get to by foot. There are occasionally some ranger programs that the park rangers host. Because this park is classified as a not for profit park, they don't sell any gifts or souvenirs. They do have a park stamp though if you're interested in adding to your Texas State Parks Passport stamp collection. Even though this place doesn't offer many of the bells and whistles of other parks, the free admission makes it accessible to anyone seeking to get away from the "busyness" of life.

This is one of the Texas State parks that is free without the TX State Park pass and doesn't allow…read moreindividual camping. They only have group camping onsite and the campsites are not private, but very close together. Located in an unincorporated community just right off of Beltway 8 and US-90 Highway is Sheldon, TX which isn't too far from East Houston. Sheldon Lake isn't as kept up as Brazos Bend State Park in Needville or Stephen F. Austin in San Felipe, TX (which are closer state parks near Houston worth checking out); I did notice that since the park is considered free, hooligans feel the need to vandalize educational outdated posters on the tower and carve their names into trees which serve no purpose. I had the pleasure of meeting one of the park rangers, Tori who mentioned that the park was special to her. She was going around the park to assessing things that needed to be completed and worked on. This is one of the underrated parks that is home to ecological habitats of wetlands, bottomland woods, and coastal prairies. Driving to the park on Garrett Road, to your right, you'll see Sheldon Reservior. Seeing the trees on the reservior reminded me of the bald cypress at Caddo Lakes State park in Karnack, TX. Big and sunken into the swampy waters. Climbing several stairs to get to the top of the 82-floor tower was exciting because the view was stunning. There are placemarkers on the floor that indicate at which area that you stand you can see the Houston Ship Channel, the San Jacinto Monument, Houston Skyline, bayous, and views of the park. The elevator looked to be out of commission for a while as it was boarded up. There were giant solar panels generating the Mitsubusi Generators behind the towers. The trails are flat and gravel based; they are easy to manever for able-bodied and handicapped accessible individuals. There aren't any traditional trail markers located through the park which can be a bit confusing if you have trouble with reading a maps or don't have a sense of direction due to a lack of spatial awareness, then you may get lost. Not to worry because the park is very small and each trail isn't too long. The main trails always lead back to the parking lot. Each trail at this park doesn't extend past 0.8 miles. Unlike many others TX State parks, the Civilian Conservation Corps didn't build anything on-site at Sheldon Lake. This is definitely not one of my favorite state parks within our state that I've visisted, but it isn't bad to come here for a quick hike and to relax. It wasn't very crowded like it would be at Enchanted Rock located in Fredricksburg, TX or even Inks Lake in Burnet, TX. The park is very simple and needs some extra work to make it shine like the other TPWD parks.

George Mitchell Preserve is an absolute gem for long, relaxed hikes. I did an 11-mile out-and-back…read moreon the Spring Creek Nature Trail, starting at the Flintridge Trailhead and hiking all the way to the Creekside West Trail, and it was a fantastic experience from start to finish. The trails are wide, well-maintained, and easy to follow, with minimal elevation gain, making it perfect for a steady, enjoyable hike without feeling punishing. It took about four hours at a comfortable pace, and the scenery stayed peaceful and scenic the entire way. If the weather is nice, this trail system is hard to beat. Great for distance hikers, casual walkers, or anyone looking for a long, calming outdoor escape without technical terrain. Highly recommend.

Beautiful, well-maintained trails! They're perfect for a relaxing walk, especially if you're…read morebringing your dog along. There are also great biking trails, so it's a solid spot for staying active. One of my favorite parts is how lively the area feels, there are always plenty of birds around, which makes the experience even more enjoyable.

A nice elevated spot that faces the downtown Houston with a few seats and table an a lawn in front…read moreof a stage and there is a restroom and water fountain at the bottom. Sometime it will be close to the public due to private party, event. When the weather is good this is a good spot for a date or just being out door as there is a parking lot and it is connected to Buffalo Bayou Park trial.

I've been running the Bayou for more than 15 years, and this has always been my start and finish…read moreline. I like this spot because it has one of the best views of the downtown skyline from the historic Sabine Street bridge. And, second, because there is always plenty of free parking in Lot H that leads directly to this pathway. When I lived at Sabine Street Lofts for a short part of 2017/2018, I was so thankful to be able to walk out my door and enjoy this promenade with my fur babes. This is def one of my happy places in Houston.

This is THE OG park for me. I've been coming here since I was in elementary school and still have…read morenot been to all the areas. It's a huge park. I love how it's connected to the library and they are always making renovations. Keeping the park up to date. Plenty of seating areas, walking trails, play areas, open fields. Hands down one of my top 2 favorite parks.

Huge, clean with multiple facilities (trails, multiple playgrounds, baseball fields, soccer fields,…read morerestrooms, covered picnic shelters, basketball courts, and skate park). I'm sure I'm missing a few amenities. We visited for my partners softball tournament, players were out with their teams, kids were out with their parents and owners were out with their dogs (on leashes of course). Unfortunately we didn't find any water fountains but always something to explore out here!

My wife and I come here about once a week to walk on the trails. The nature center itself is great…read moreand have a variety of native animals to see. Great to see them helping out injured birds that could not survive in the wild. Exhibits are educational and the staff are very helpful and willing to answer any questions. The trails themselves are nice. You have the bluegill lake and then wooded trails. The trails are different lengths so you can choose how far you want to explore. A hidden gem in the spring area.

This is My go to place when I just want to take the kiddo out somewhere close and to experience…read morenature . Been here so long ago for a walk and didn't know there was an actual center for visitors to walk in and it's free to explore. My first family visit here, we went on a walk around the trails, where we saw wild blue berry bushes and lots of turtles In the pond. We took some amazing photos. Then I kept telling people about the trails and the ponds and my nature experience. Some days I'd go here and just sit for a while listening to the sounds of the wild. Then one day I went just me and my daughter and saw parents and there kids going and coming from the building and I decided to go see what's there. It was the best idea ever. For the hot days it's so nice to be in nature but still indoors and learn about cool rocks animals and even see and real insects and animals. My daughter loves this place just as much as I do. Great for homeschoolers who wants to learn about science. There are all different types of insects you can view under microscope and some to see in real life, there is a reading nook, building blocks to resemble habitats, aquatic animals and birds. There's also some reptiles that I love to take pics of. It's like a hidden gem. So much to explore, even if you can't make it in time for the nature center which closes at 4pm Tuesday to Saturdays, you can walk or bike around the ponds and see the trail maps for different routes. There is also a kids park.