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?

We stayed at the Lazy Pelican for 3 nights last weekend. The park was very quiet, nestled perfectly…read morebetween Hwy 87 & the beach. Sites are immaculate with lush, green grass surrounding the concrete pads. Chris and Bunnie were very attentive, but never intrusive. Chris even came over after hours to check us in and even helped us back into our spot (we're newbies)! There's no where else that can compare, Lazy Pelican is where you'll find us from now on when we visit Crystal Beach!!

Best RV park on the peninsula! The owners are so friendly and have wonderful customer service…read more Great for camping and storing your RV for convenient return trips to the beach. They have a restroom, shower, and complimentary laundry facility while you stay. The park is walking distance to the beach - a huge bonus. They have a covered area to hang out in, and there has been a few small gatherings with music from other campers to end a great beach day. Everyone is respectful of quiet hours and each others belongings. We couldn't imagine our beach vacation anywhere else!

I love this state park! For starters, it's free, and the parking lot is a short walk from entering…read morethe trails that eventually lead to the various fishing ponds and observation tower for a spectacular view of Sheldon Lake. There is free catch and release fishing (no license needed), and the paths are easily hikeable (it's all flat land, so young kids and the elderly alike can enjoy the walk). It's fairly close to downtown Houston (maybe 20 from the city) so give it a try! Note: the total length of the trails are only a few miles, so you'll be in and out of the park within an hour or two. Enjoy!

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.

The amazing place, super amazing staff clean facilities and amazing amenities. Thank you for your…read moreamazing hospitality. Myron is a great asset to this pls and he goes over and beyond to make everyone feel special, loved and welcomed.

this place was terrible. I used to be good, but has gone…read moredownhill fast. everything was either broken or janky. staff was nice but everything was super slow. Go somewhere else.

Very pretty! I love that they have many trees and a big space to use your bicycle. The people are…read morefriendly and it's also a great spot to fish and/ or have parties! Love the green space to play sports like soccer and the courts to play volleyball and basketball!

I've always been to Deussen park from my childhood age and I still go now. They have made such a…read moregreat improvement and it's still a great park spot. We like this dog spot for our puppy. I forgot to take the picture of the river area but it's a nice relaxing spot.

Little Pond Trail:…read more Cute little hike to a small pond with benches. Definitely a quick, easy hike. Perfect to sit by the pond and listen to the birds. Right by the ranger station!

I wanted very badly to give it a better reading, but there is a significant portion of the trail…read morethat is very narrow, and you can go through here with shorts. There's lots of overgrown brush, and lots of places where a tree was just left to block the middle or the side of the path. Parking is limited, shade is not consistent, the last and first mile or so is very sunny. It crosses creeks several times so it might nice had it not been so dry this. I still prefer this over driving up to Huntsville, maybe I need to explore more of the trails around here as well

Part of the park is without power. The problem began this afternoon and won't be resolved until…read moretomorrow. Renee, the asst. manager, was a great help. She offered to help people move to different spots for the night, provided adapters and extension cords to others to ensure everyone was ok. I love this place.

Excellent location for work, 2 miles from a huge refinery. There's always new job openings near by.read more

Great experience at Village Creek State Park! The park is peaceful, beautiful, and well maintained,…read morewith plenty of nature to enjoy. The campsites were spacious and made for a relaxing stay. A great place to slow down, enjoy the outdoors, and spend some quality time away from the city. We really enjoyed our visit and would definitely stay again!

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.

Every time I go to clear lake park it's so beautiful. Perfect view. Great place to take your dogs…read more We went today to eat dinner. Stopped at wingstop and went to the park to eat. I recommend going, taking your family and enjoy. Watch the ducks, fish, or do like we do sometimes, go crabbing. We've caught a great number of crabs. Great place to go.

Clean, plenty of parking, great for events, great place to walk my pup. Sits on part of the lake…read moreclose enough to everything.