Found this place on a lovely July 14th as I'm ready to drive east back to HOU. Seeing this out of…read morethe corner of my eye, I stopped here and did a walk about the lake and snapped some photos of the ducks. The views are quite lovely with the blue skies being reflected off the water. Very peaceful and overall clean, I look forward to returning here.

Great park with a playground and restrooms and fishing with paved walking and biking trails.read more

Getting back to my Sunday walks...its been a minute so I'm loving the peace and the serenity…read more Saw a deer today but didn't get a picture...so upset sad facin

Solid park in/near Katy where you can get some steps in via a jog/walk along the trail which is…read moremostly shaded by trees. Also has some playgrounds and grass areas to lay out. Most people I saw were walking pets here or taking strolls to clear their minds. Maybe I'll bring my bike here and explore the next time I'm in this area. You'll notice a sign and gate when you turn here. Don't be alarmed, some think you'll be locked in with the gate. I can assure you that won't be the case.

If you're in the west side of Houston, this park is by far the biggest area of protected wildlife,…read moreforest, bike/jog trails, outdoor shooting range, touring helicopter helipad, fishing, bird watching, taking pictures... In this park I've seen deer, feral pigs, foxes, coyotes, alligators, water moccasins, owls, hawks, herons, egrets, ducks, blue catfish, yellow catfish, channel catfish, alligator gar, needle nose gar, bowfin, buffalo carp, striped bass, sunfish...

Large park with paved and unpaved trails on the west side of Houston. Located between Katy and the…read moreloop, George Bush park is located south of the freeway and is a vast floodplain with a continuous multi use trail that is accessible to cyclists and runners/walkers. It's also connected to the Terry Hershey trail system and is next to a shooting range as well as some outdoor parks on the south side. This park is best used for cyclists and there are long stretches of pretty exposed trail that will get hot in the sun. There is more of a shaded portion of the park on the west side but the trail quality is also a bit below average in that portion. For walkers, this would be a fairly boring trail that is mostly out of the shade; Terry Hershey would be the recommended trail in that regard due to the greenery. The parking lots here are pretty unsafe on the west side; the best one is in the middle of the park once you go north from Westheimer or the parking lot next to the police station on Barker Clodine. The highway 6 parking lot / Briar Forest lot is not recommended due to break ins.

This is a really nice park to take your child too. If you live in the Katie area it's about a six…read moreminute drive from my home. It's not huge, but it's big enough for the kids to explore and have enough fun.

Such a great park for the littles! The cushion padded ground is a great alternative to mulch. The…read morelayout and size is perfect to keep eyes on multiples. Definitely recommend!

This is a great spot for a stroll if you're in the nearby area. The trees are still in the early…read morestages of growth, so the amount of shade they provide is somewhat limited at the moment. However, the park features a wonderful playground area that's well-equipped with benches and tables, making it an ideal place for families to spend time together. One of the standout features of the trail that runs throughout the park is the inclusion of metal exercise stations, allowing visitors to fit in a workout while they're out and about.

Nice size park, one lap around is .75 of a mile!…read more It has a play area and multiple benches to sit around.

This park needs more attention. Bridges needs some repairs. But the park is awesome, great place…read morefor bikes and scooters.

This is such a great park for all things! I did some research before coming and found the…read moreplayground with the zip line is the second entrance into the park. It's also where the workout machines are which is so cool! It's also covered. There are two rentable covered pavilions with a smoker/ grill and sink with water access. There are also smaller covered areas with picnic tables which are first come first served. It has a bathroom which was actually clean and nice inside. This is just one area of the park but there is a huge pond to fish, a large walking trail around the pond on the other side and I've only explored a portion of this park. My kids loved it. We will be back!

I enjoyed my time here. It's also "bike free" which is a plus. I have no issue with cyclists, but…read morethis is great if you want somewhere to take the kids and not have to continually look around for cyclists. The paths in the wooded areas are mostly natural. No concrete so it's easier on the feet and legs. I'd wear some old shoes if it's been raining.

Don't let the seemingly small size of this park fool you, because it's deceptively large and it's…read moreeasy to get turned around in it, especially when it starts getting dark, so if you go in the late afternoon, it would be good to have a flash-light and a little extra water...just in case you get lost! Part of the issue is that the official maps and what's on google maps is very incomplete. There are a lot of other paths that aren't on the map that just kind of appear. If you don't cross over any bridges, you'll be inside the official part of the park and worst case, you just circle back around, but if you do go over that Crossover bridge, you'll be treated to some nice hiking, but there is no other way to circle back around because the 2nd bridge will put you in the "uncharted" part of the park and take you to the Pumpkin Lakes and you will have to come back the same way you came. This is kind of a shame and hopefully in time, they'll add another pedestrian bridge near Red Gully Lookout, but hey, you're there to walk so this is a way to walk more! For some reason, even though this is right next to an airport and a large suburban neighborhood, the GPS keeps going wonky too so don't count on that too much. This was my first visit with some other people who had never visited the park so I think we all became experts in the park and won't get turned around next time but a few extra signs wouldn't have hurt to help newcomers.

I loved this park more than Brazos Bend SP. This SP was the first one I decided to solo camp at,…read morebut later hiked with the HWHG (Houston Women's Hiking group). I came here in October 2024 and chose campsite 045 a very short walking distance to the restrooms. I opted for a late check in and park HQ had my check in sticker hanging on a bulletin board with the other late stragglers. It was still dusk out and plenty of deer greeted me at the entrance. The park is fairly big and the campsites are close (enough to see and hear your neighbor). I stayed for the weekend Fri - Sun. The first night I pulled out my Eukera grill to cook some veggies with lentils, then out of nowhere what I thought was my dog, Sneakers, but really it was a raccoon spooked me! (Of course, it couldn't be my dog since I came alone! Ha!) The animal was relentless and tried to jump in the back of my SUV to eat what I was eating. I shooed the animal away and he stayed looking at me with it's large eyes. The animal eventually left when it knew it wasn't getting anything from me. Before bed, I made sure to lock my food supplies down and away from the site. The first night, other park goers were loud; cursing, screaming, and just acting plain belligerent up until 2AM. I think someone called park host on them since I started to tone it down by 3AM. The night was muggy hot, but okay with fans. The restroom is lit up so going to use the potty in the middle of the night was very doable. The following morning, I did some yoga at the campsite. I would suggest bringing a tablecloth for the camp table as it was filthy. Site 045 was great having two trees spaced between the two to help pitch a hammock. The following morning, I went on an early morning hike then went to check out the San Felipe Museum solo. The museum was a ton of fun learning about history. I came back to lay in my hammock to take a nap. By evening, I got up to go on a night hike with the ladies. During Halloween, the park decorates for the holiday which is so much fun!! I loved my time! The park rangers were nice and the park HQ has everything including hiking and camping gear. The purchased a bumper sticker for my car and a sticker for my laptop. By Sunday, I was ready to head back to Houston and the drive was short. Sealy is nice small town with nice people. I saw far more wildlife here than at Brazos Bend. The trails were wooded, mostly flat, and shaded. The trails are maintained. Trekking poles aren't needed, but suggested if you have bad knees. I can't wait to camp here again. I think next time I'll choose another site that isn't so close to the restrooms as the foot traffic can be very busy throughout the night, but perfect for solo female campers. If you have a chance, check out Stephen F Austin. It's a good hidden gem.

I visited Stephen F. Austin State Park and overall had a good experience. Just make sure to bring…read morebug spray because the mosquitoes were intense, I felt like I got swarmed the entire time. There are definitely a lot of bugs throughout the park. Unfortunately, I visited after heavy rain, so most of the trails were closed during my trip. I'll definitely have to come back another time when the trails are fully open so I can experience more of the park.