Lake Houston Wilderness Park
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE VISITING:
Lake Houston Wilderness Park is actually a misnomer – It’s not located off of Lake Houston, but is a large city park that offers camping, hiking, and a much smaller lake (Lake Dabney).
The park actually used to be a state park that was bought up by the City of Houston. That’s great for Houstonians because the price for entry is a little bit cheaper than state parks.
Cost is $3 per person (definitely worth it!), no reservations required
Location: Located in New Caney, TX off 59N, ~45 min from central Houston
Size: 4786 acres – The park is large, but we focused our hiking on the Peach Creek area of the park near the Nature Center.
YOUR GUIDE TO LAKE HOUSTON WILDERNESS PARK:
There are many options to choose from for camping in Houston. Check out all of our local state parks, which all offer campsites and cabins. We suggest trying Lake Houston Wilderness Preserve if you don’t want to drive too far from central Houston. You can reserve online.
They book up weeks in advance so plan early!
Options for camping include:
- Individual campsite – $7
- Screen Shelters – $25
- A-frames $35
- Rustic Cabin – $85
- Lakeside Cabins – $125
They have firewood available for purchase at the entrance for $6. Your overnight rental does not cover day use and you will still need to pay the $3 entry fee.
The Screen shelters and A-frames are similar. Both come with electric faucet, electricity (including indoor lighting and outlet) and firepit with a grill. They will provide you a code for shower access when you check-in.
We recommend trying the A-frames. They are located off of Lake Dabney and offer a more unique experience. They are also closer to restrooms and have a private parking spot. The screen shelters are near a port-a-potty but the nearest working restroom is about 5 minute walk.
This was our first time camping and overall it went well!
- For first time campers, we recommend bringing layers to sleep in. We didn’t think it would get as cold as it did on the April night we visited.
- Remember to create a thorough packing list. There’s a lot to pack, especially if you’re planning on making dinner. We decided to bring dinner in and made s’mores over a campfire for dessert.
- We thought there would be less light pollution here, but the close proximity to Houston and lights from New Caney led to minimal stargazing.
After spending a night camping, we explored the park! We thought the most exciting part of the park was the Peach Creek and Lake Dabney. To reach Peach Creek park at the Nature Center and take the Pedestrian bridge below across the creek. The overlook is located near the restrooms by the Nature Center.
To the right, you should see the Peach Creek Automobile Bridge as you cross.
Then, follow the trail right down to the creek. We tested out our new waterproof hiking shoes by stepping into the creek here. We love our Merrell Moab 2 shoes!
Next up, is visiting Lake Dabney. We found Lake Dabney via the Forest Trail. Lake Dabney is a fun spot for photos and also exposes you to the Lake Houston Wilderness Park campgrounds. Stopping by these unique cabins and tents convinced us to want to come back and camp here. It might do the same for you. You would definitely be glamping. The Lakeside A-frames come with outlets for electricity!
We recommend stopping by the Nature Center next! They have all kinds of live strange and venomous critters including an axolotl, black widow, cottonmouth and copperhead snakes.
And warning to all of those with a fear of snakes, there’s plenty of signs posted throughout the park that warn of venomous snakes at this park. We got lucky and didn’t see one during our visit.
The Nature Center offered some free brochures of the park, which provided more details about the park’s trails. We ended out the day by hiking the Magnolia Trail thinking that it would lead to a “Meadow Overlook.” This one wasn’t too well-marked and we ended up at a campground site. We didn’t find the overlook (if it does exist).
This felt like a good time to end the day, so we took the road back to our car and after this last hike headed home for the day.
Overall this a great park, and is well worth the drive out from central Houston! We will be back for camping here.
Learn more at: http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/parksites/lakehoustonpark.html
Find this park in: Best Parks for Hiking, Top Outer Loop Parks
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