Get outdoors with this guide to 60 of the best hikes within an hour or so from Houston, leading you to scenic overlooks, wildlife hot spots, and historical settings.

A native of Houston, Laurie Roddy has been writing for almost 30 years on everything from computers to sports. She started her own company, Roddy Communications, Inc., in 1997 after working as a technical writer for Compaq Computer Corporation for 10 years. Her main interests and current writing subjects include hiking, golf, and traveling. She has hiked the Rocky Mountains, Mount Olympia, Mount Rainier, the Davis Mountains, Big Bend, the Smoky Mountains, St. Johns in the US Virgin Islands, and all around the Houston area. She is the curator for an outdoor event website in Houston called Get Out Here Houston (getoutherehouston.org) and a freelance writer.

Overview Map

Map Legend

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Preface

60 Hikes by Category

Introduction

HOUSTON (Inside Beltway 8)

• Brays Bayou Upper Bank Hike and Bike Trail


• Buffalo Bayou Park Hike and Bike Trail


• Heights Hike and Bike Trail


• Houston Arboretum and Nature Center Outer Loop Trail


• Memorial Park: East Trail


• Memorial Park: West Trails


• Sabine to Bagby Trail


• White Oak Bayou Trail

SOUTH OF HOUSTON (Including Galveston)

• Armand Bayou Nature Center: Lady Bird Trail


• Armand Bayou Nature Center: Martyn and Karankawa Trails


• Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge: Big Slough Trail


• Brazos Bend State Park: 40-Acre Lake Loop Trail/Elm Lake Loop Trail


• Brazos Bend State Park: Big Creek Loop Trail


• Brazos Bend State Park: Hale Lake Loop Trail


• Brazos Bend State Park: Red, White, and Blue Trail


• Challenger Seven Memorial Park: Boardwalk Trail


• Galveston Island State Park Trails


• Lake Jackson Wilderness Park


• San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge: Cowtrap Marsh Trail


• Seabrook Hike and Bike Trail

WEST OF HOUSTON

• Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge: Sycamore and Horseshoe Lake Trails


• Bear Creek Pioneers Park: Equestrian and Nature Trail


• Cullen Park Hike and Bike Trail


• George Bush Park: Fry Road to Barker Clodine Trail


• Stephen F. Austin State Park: Cottonwood Trail to Opossum Loop


• Stephen F. Austin State Park: Ironwood Trail to Pileated Trail


• Terry Hershey Park: Cardinal, Mockingbird, and Blue Jay Trails


• Terry Hershey Park: Quail Trail

NORTHWEST OF HOUSTON

• Burroughs Park


• George Mitchell Nature Preserve: Nature Loop


• Jesse H. Jones Park: East Trails


• Jesse H. Jones Park: West Trails


• Kleb Woods Nature Preserve Trails


• Mercer Botanic Gardens: West Trails


• W. Goodrich Jones State Forest: Middle Lake Trail

NORTH OF HOUSTON (Including Huntsville)

• Big Creek Scenic Recreation Area: Big Creek Loops


• Huntsville State Park: Chinquapin Trail


• Huntsville State Park: Coloneh Trail


• Huntsville State Park: Dogwood Trail


• Sam Houston National Forest: Kelly Hike


• Sam Houston National Forest: Little Lake Creek Loop Trail


• Sam Houston National Forest: Mercy Fire Tower Loop


• Sam Houston National Forest: North Wilderness Loop


• Sam Houston National Forest: Phelps Hike


• Sam Houston National Forest: Richards Loop


• Sam Houston National Forest: Sand Branch Loop


• Sam Houston National Forest: South Wilderness


• Sam Houston National Forest: Stubblefield North Hike


• Sam Houston National Forest: Stubblefield South Hike


• Sam Houston National Forest: Winters Bayou Hike


• Spring Creek Nature Trail

NORTHEAST AND EAST OF HOUSTON

• Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge: Shoveler Pond Trail


• Big Thicket National Preserve: Kirby Nature Trail


• Goose Creek Stream Greenbelt


• J. J. Mayes Wildlife Trace: Trinity River Trail


• Lake Houston Wilderness Park: AmeriTrail


• Lake Houston Wilderness Park: Forest Trail


• Lake Livingston State Park: Bakba and Pineywoods Boardwalk Trails


• Lake Livingston State Park: Trinity Trace Trail


• Sheldon Lake State Park: Nature Trail

APPENDIXES AND INDEX

• Appendix A: Outdoors Shops


• Appendix B: Map Sources


• Appendix C: Hiking Clubs


• Index

About the Author