Wow, we were obsessed with this gem! I was a bit concerned with the reviews about the size. This…read morelittle private beach is just about 15 minutes from home. The parking was free, which I heard it is usually during the week, it's conveniently located near the beach. It is quite small, so I'm assuming it packs up very quick but luckily we got there early and there was not a lot of people. The beach itself was very clean and peaceful. There was even kids in there fishing. Coming from California we were very surprised to see that the water was warm. We are most definitely coming back.

Small private beach. Parking is free which is a plus. Very clean as well. Wouldn't visit again, but…read morewas good to see it while visiting the state.

This park has allot of open space. They also are doing plant restoration here with National…read moreWildlife which is cool. There appears to be a soccer field and there are a few covered picnic tables as well as bathrooms and a water fountain for those hot HTx days. I have to say, when there you forget you're in the city. Good for picnics, walks and zen.

Nice neighborhood park. I decided to check it out in between classes. It's pretty quiet during…read morelunch time on the weekdays. It offers a nice play area for kids and swing sets. It's also good for walking and staying active. A few people were walking their dogs, so it's good for pet owners. Some of the bugs can be pretty loud. I'm not sure which ones were making the annoying sound, but a good pair of headphones will help with that.

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.

Considering this just an unassuming neighborhood park, it's a nice hidden gem if you want to stop…read moreand eat your lunch of have a picnic. I'm not sure if non-residents can come here too or not but I'm sure if you don't abuse it, nobody minds. I actually just found this place on Google after hiking at Lake Houston Wilderness park and that was a huge disappointment and wanted to at least go to a park that had a view of the Lake. It may not be the best view of the lake, especially with a dead half eaten Pelican on the shore, but it's still much better than the other park I mentioned!

Randomly came across this parking looking for a new walking trail. It's clean, peaceful, relaxing,…read moresmall private access controlled park, with beautiful views of Lake Houston. They have a new restroom area, with shaded picnic tables, a playground, and gazebo's over looking Lake Houston. They have a dock(no boat ramp)great for leisure kayaking, but be prepared walk a few hundred feet (200). Overall great experience on a week day was a wonderful peaceful experience....

A wonderful little bayside park, tucked away in a neighborhood. An excellent spot for a picnic.read more

Our family found this little park while visiting the San Jacinto Battleground Historic Site. It was…read morehot and my kids were done walking around the larger historic area and wanted a place to play. Luckily, this little park was right up the road. This park offers a decent size playground, a few picnic shelters, and beautiful flower gardens. Since it is situated on a quiet point, it was not really busy at all, very quiet and secluded. A unique feature is that it sits on Buffalo Bayou which is a pretty busy port so you can sit and watch the big boats come in and dock. The one caveat to sitting on the bayou though is that there was a ton of biting mosquitos and gnats. We would have stayed longer but the bugs were terrible. Not sure if that is common or just seasonal but it was tough to stand. Besides the bugs, the park was a quiet place to take a quick break for the kids. Good place to bring a lunch or just to sit and watch the boats come in. Hopefully the bugs are not in full strength when you go!

A pretty small park - perfect for the neighborhood but not necessarily worth driving for…read more Parking: There is no parking lot - just street parking Location: Right in the middle of the Idylwood neighborhood. If you're on the bayou bike trail, there is a path to the park. Close to Gus Wortham golf course as well (and you can go between the golf course and park via the bayou trail ) Things to do: There are a few picnic tables and trash cans. There's a small jungle gym , swings, and some workout bars too. There's a pokestop and gym here if anyone still plays Pokémon go

I used to love coming here with friends. The sunshine hits perfectly and the atmosphere is…read morerefreshing. I love being in nature as a way to feel safe, relaxed, and in touch with my feelings. I liked how nobody came here because I was able to hear nature clearer. I've had no issues with any of these until recently. I am a woman. I decided to go and relax in the park by myself for the second time. The first time I came here a man parked his car and stared at me while I was sitting on the hill. I left quickly. Here's what happened the second time, about a couple weeks later: Thirty minutes into my sitting time an older man came and sat right next to me on a bench, which I thought was odd, so I just moved somewhere else. Why sit right next to me? This park is big. Then, a different man walking on the bayou kept staring at me but I had made myself comfortable on the grass and he left within a couple minutes. At this point I'm a little on edge and no longer relaxing, but I'm stubbornly committed to claiming this space instead of running away. I did end up leaving in quite a hurry because a THIRD different man (who I could clearly hear zooming down the street in a mobility scooter before reaching me) saw me, objectively slowed down, and did FIVE DOUBLE TAKES and was being so creepy!! All of these instances with different men happened within fifteen minutes. TLDR; If you are a woman and looking to relax in a park, I would not recommend this one for safety reasons.

This park is a small one along the trail system developed and maintained by the City of Seabrook…read more It's got a small parking area and a garden maintained by volunteers. The trails here go through the trees, by the creek, and lead out to the section along the road and towards Pine Gully Park. I park here often for early morning runs to take advantage of the light from the nearby neighborhood yet gives me access to the trail sections among the trees. The Coty of Seabrook should be commended for their dedication to providing a quality recreation area for their citizens and other locals

Really pretty little park that is one of the many off of the Seabrook Trails; seriously how many…read morelittle parks do they have? It's so awesome! It's not necessarily a park with a lot of amenities but a neat little place off of the Seabrook Trails right off of Todville Road with a pretty little butterfly garden. There's not a lot of parking, but the trails are nice enough to walk along to get there. Definitely stop by when you're out running the trails. It's a pretty little place that will help you forget you're only about 40 minutes from Houston!