Author Topic: Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area  (Read 26874 times)

ford

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Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area
« on: May 29, 2016, 09:14:04 AM »
I know there isn't much traffic in these regional threads, but figured it wouldn't hurt to start one for Houston. I've seen a few people post here.

Feel free to post information on where you paddle, places to put in, etc.

Obviously in Houston there is Buffalo Bayou. Here is some basic information for it.

http://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/boat/paddlingtrails/coastal/buffalo_bayou/index.phtml


In the Clear Lake area a great place to put in is Clear Lake Park. Here is the address.

5001 E NASA Pkwy, Seabrook, TX 77586

They have low floating docks that are easy to put in at. Look for the Bay Area Rowers Club building. The docks are just behind it. This lake area will take you into Armond Bayou. YOu can see alligators, turtles, birds and lots of other animals there.

You can also put in on the other side of the street though this is the bay side and will be choppier. There are three boat ramps there. Again, there is usually some chop on that side.

Here is information on the Galveston Island State Park paddling trail.

http://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/boat/paddlingtrails/coastal/galveston/

I haven't done this, but I want to this summer.


If you have information on Katy, Sugar Land, the Woodlands, Kingwood, Atascocita, Lake Jackson or any other area near Houston, feel free to post it.

If you know of regular sup meet ups that would be great also!



JakeSupNC

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Re: Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2016, 11:01:02 AM »
I lived in League City for years. Seemed like I was about the only guy around that paddled, never saw boards on cars. Hopefully things are picking up for you down there.

Walter Hall park is a decent short trip, probably 3-4 miles to the lake from there. They have a paddle trail mapped out, as well.

ford

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Re: Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2016, 06:55:01 AM »
I lived in League City for years. Seemed like I was about the only guy around that paddled, never saw boards on cars. Hopefully things are picking up for you down there.

Walter Hall park is a decent short trip, probably 3-4 miles to the lake from there. They have a paddle trail mapped out, as well.

I've been there several times for my son's Cross Country meets... I forgot there was access to the water there... I will certainly hit that up. Thanks!

There are lots of kayakers in the area but still not a lot of SUP going on as far as I can see.


Night Wing

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Re: Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area
« Reply #3 on: June 05, 2016, 04:45:28 PM »
Lake Woodlands, just north of Houston (Tx), is another nice paddling venue for both kayakers and SUPers. The launch site is at Lake Woodlands Park where there is a boat ramp and three floating docks. I've paddled this lake many times when I had my SPTW kayak. I know there is at least one person who has a sup because I've seen that person, from a distance, paddling on the lake. The link to Lake Woodlands is below and there is at least three pages of photos on the site. Once on the site, scroll on down and click on each thumbnail photo to enlarge the photo.

http://www.thewoodlandstx.com/photos/tags.php?tag=lake+woodlands
Blue Planet Duke: 10'5" x 32" x 4.5" @ 190 Liters (2 Dukes)
Sup Sports Hammer: 8'11" x 31" x 4" @ 140 Liters
SUP Sports One World: 11'1" x 30" x 4.5" @ 173 Liters
CJ Nelson Parallax: 9'3" x 23 1/2" x 3 3/16" @ 78.8 Liters (prone surfing longboard; Thunderbolt Technologies build in Red construction)

JakeSupNC

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Re: Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area
« Reply #4 on: June 05, 2016, 07:18:17 PM »
I lived in League City for years. Seemed like I was about the only guy around that paddled, never saw boards on cars. Hopefully things are picking up for you down there.

Walter Hall park is a decent short trip, probably 3-4 miles to the lake from there. They have a paddle trail mapped out, as well.

I've been there several times for my son's Cross Country meets... I forgot there was access to the water there... I will certainly hit that up. Thanks!

There are lots of kayakers in the area but still not a lot of SUP going on as far as I can see.

The whole northern boundary of League City is either creek or lake. Walter Hall is off of Hwy 3 and has great facilities to launch from. Egret Bay Blvd from Webster has a good ramp, too, and some easy paddling. The further east you get the more you take your life in your hands with the boat and jet ski crowd. I didn't spend much time on the north side of Houston so I don't have much to offer experience wise there. I hope paddling picks up for everybody down there, way too much water to not have it blow up.

ford

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Re: Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area
« Reply #5 on: June 05, 2016, 08:48:11 PM »
Lake Woodlands, just north of Houston (Tx), is another nice paddling venue for both kayakers and SUPers. The launch site is at Lake Woodlands Park where there is a boat ramp and three floating docks. I've paddled this lake many times when I had my SPTW kayak. I know there is at least one person who has a sup because I've seen that person, from a distance, paddling on the lake. The link to Lake Woodlands is below and there is at least three pages of photos on the site. Once on the site, scroll on down and click on each thumbnail photo to enlarge the photo.

http://www.thewoodlandstx.com/photos/tags.php?tag=lake+woodlands

Thanks. I'll take this information and make it up there at some point this summer to try out!


ford

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Re: Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area
« Reply #6 on: June 05, 2016, 08:52:08 PM »
I lived in League City for years. Seemed like I was about the only guy around that paddled, never saw boards on cars. Hopefully things are picking up for you down there.

Walter Hall park is a decent short trip, probably 3-4 miles to the lake from there. They have a paddle trail mapped out, as well.

I've been there several times for my son's Cross Country meets... I forgot there was access to the water there... I will certainly hit that up. Thanks!

There are lots of kayakers in the area but still not a lot of SUP going on as far as I can see.

The whole northern boundary of League City is either creek or lake. Walter Hall is off of Hwy 3 and has great facilities to launch from. Egret Bay Blvd from Webster has a good ramp, too, and some easy paddling. The further east you get the more you take your life in your hands with the boat and jet ski crowd. I didn't spend much time on the north side of Houston so I don't have much to offer experience wise there. I hope paddling picks up for everybody down there, way too much water to not have it blow up.


I put in there today. Paddled over to Heritage Park, then over to the boat ramp where lots of jet ski's were putting in... and then back to Hall Park.

Next time I'll start at the beginning at Countryside Park off of west Bay Area Blvd... then past Challenger, then past Hall and to Heritage.. it says that is over six miles for the complete paddle trail there.

Right when I was getting in the water a lady said, "I wouldn't go in, there is an alligator over there!" I thanked her but then said, we would never be able to paddle here if we couldn't paddle around alligators.  I saw him over by the bank. He paid less attention to me than most of the cows I paddled by.

I will say, I'm ready for my new touring board to get here this week... paddling an all around board for distance is slow work. Still fun and a great workout, but I'm ready for better tracking and easier speed.
« Last Edit: June 05, 2016, 09:40:50 PM by ford »

LeeBee

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Re: Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area
« Reply #7 on: June 05, 2016, 09:15:31 PM »
There are several nice spots along the Galveston Bay shore from north of Seabrook to the Texas City breakwater. Most are sandy. I would avoid Armand Bayou up stream from Bay Area Blvd. I kayaked there for many years and running into the 300 lb. (plus) gator in there would not be fun on an SUP as well as the occasional water moccasin.
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ford

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Re: Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area
« Reply #8 on: June 05, 2016, 09:42:56 PM »
Yeah, all the way up to Armond Bayou isn't  something I would do.. though I know lots of kayakers that go through there.


I'd just stick with the area of Mud Lake where it puts in at Clear Lake Park. That is where the Bay Area Rower's Club has their floating dock and I see them on the lake all the time.

Night Wing

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Re: Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area
« Reply #9 on: June 06, 2016, 04:52:45 AM »
About 30 miles north of downtown Houston is Lake Conroe in Montgomery County. Finding a free launch site on Lake Conroe is difficult, but not impossible. Just off of Hwy 105, is a place called 3rd Coast Paddle Boards. This business rents paddle boards. I went up there one Sunday afternoon and talked to the owner. Since I own my own paddle board, I asked him how much would it cost me to launch my paddle board at the dock he uses. He told me there was no charge.

Lake Conroe has lots of boat traffic on the weekends, but hardly any boat traffic during the work week (Monday-Friday). The owner told me instead of paddling on Lake Conroe, to launch my paddle board at his dock and then paddle to the small bridge which goes under Hwy 105. Once on the other side, one can paddle on Rush Creek.

The link to the location, with a map, of 3rd Coast Paddle Boards is below. Just zoom in on the map. BTW, 3rd Coast is located right next to Starbucks Coffee.

http://lakeconroepaddleboards.com/find-us-hours/
Blue Planet Duke: 10'5" x 32" x 4.5" @ 190 Liters (2 Dukes)
Sup Sports Hammer: 8'11" x 31" x 4" @ 140 Liters
SUP Sports One World: 11'1" x 30" x 4.5" @ 173 Liters
CJ Nelson Parallax: 9'3" x 23 1/2" x 3 3/16" @ 78.8 Liters (prone surfing longboard; Thunderbolt Technologies build in Red construction)

ford

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Re: Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area
« Reply #10 on: June 06, 2016, 10:34:26 AM »
I've been skiing many times on Lake Conroe. Yes, a weekend SUP trip on the lake would be quite treacherous. Lots of boats going fast out there.. weekend warriors!

But I didn't know about 3rd Coast Paddle Boards and then going under 105.  We used to live up in the area for a couple of years.

Thanks for adding this to the thread! More and more options for people in the area!

I'm sure there are places in Sugar Land/Fort Bend County and something in the Katy area also.


Night Wing

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Re: Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area
« Reply #11 on: June 06, 2016, 11:26:27 AM »
Not too far from Lake Conroe in Montgomery County is Lake Raven at Huntsville State Park in Walker County. Lake Raven is a 203 surface acre lake and there is hardly any boat traffic at all during the work week. On weekends, there are a few boats, but Lake Raven has a "no wake" rule for this lake so one doesn't have to worry about being run over by weekend warriors. There is small fee to enter the park, but if one wants to see beautiful scenery and wildlife, Lake Raven is a nice quiet lake to for that. I've paddled Lake Raven many times when I owned my SPTW kayak. Lake Raven is mostly for kayakers, canoers, and small 2 person paddle boats. Huntsville State Park is managed by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department of Texas. A link to it is below.

http://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/recreational/lakes/raven/access.phtml
Blue Planet Duke: 10'5" x 32" x 4.5" @ 190 Liters (2 Dukes)
Sup Sports Hammer: 8'11" x 31" x 4" @ 140 Liters
SUP Sports One World: 11'1" x 30" x 4.5" @ 173 Liters
CJ Nelson Parallax: 9'3" x 23 1/2" x 3 3/16" @ 78.8 Liters (prone surfing longboard; Thunderbolt Technologies build in Red construction)

ford

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Re: Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area
« Reply #12 on: June 11, 2016, 03:10:15 PM »
I put in at Lynn Gripon Park (100 Alderwood, League City, TX 77573) yesterday. Paddled past Challenger Park and over to Walter Hall Park.

Challenger Park isn't part of the paddle trail as far as having an official place to put your SUP in, but they do have full sized boat ramps so you can put in there.

Link to the Clear Creek Paddle Trail 
http://leaguecity.com/index.aspx?NID=2062

The address for Gripon park isn't right, use the one I listed above.

I didn't like the put in location at Gripon as much as Walter Hall Park. I haven't put in at Heritage but I liked the dock there the best of the three.

Night Wing

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Re: Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area
« Reply #13 on: June 11, 2016, 04:38:43 PM »
@ford

Thanks for the link. I appreciate it.
Blue Planet Duke: 10'5" x 32" x 4.5" @ 190 Liters (2 Dukes)
Sup Sports Hammer: 8'11" x 31" x 4" @ 140 Liters
SUP Sports One World: 11'1" x 30" x 4.5" @ 173 Liters
CJ Nelson Parallax: 9'3" x 23 1/2" x 3 3/16" @ 78.8 Liters (prone surfing longboard; Thunderbolt Technologies build in Red construction)

JakeSupNC

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Re: Houston/Galveston and Surrounding area
« Reply #14 on: June 11, 2016, 07:20:26 PM »
Just a heads up....I was a police officer in League City before I retired and bounced to NC. Car burglars LOVE those parks to do their shopping so don't leave anything in your ride that you want to keep. They are generally safe in other respects but protect your valuables there.  Be safe

Jake

 


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