Lakeside Park in The Woodlands

Lakeside Park is a large village recreation area in Alden Bridge Village next to the Bear Branch Reservoir and Bear Branch Creek.

Behind the sign above is a commemorative marker where the 1000th mile of Woodlands pathways was laid.

This swimming pool is standard for The Woodlands and very modern. It was sure inviting on this hot Memorial Day weekend!

  Entrance to swimming area

There are two pairs of courts making a total of four courts. This village park has several "twin" amenities.

In the back of the park, there is a kayak and canoe launch for those interested in an outing on the reservoir. These two fishermen left the dock just as I positioned myself for taking some photographs of the reservoir.

A soccer field, baseball diamond, and  lacrosse field are available here.

Normal playground equipment for children

Wheels friendly area for skateboarding

Down this pathway are two identical twin pavilions, named "A" and "B". They can be reserved separately.

Unit "A" with four tables

There are several areas for picnics, some have twin tables and all have a grill. These are special in that they overlook the reservoir.

The kayak launch. There is often large amounts of vegetation on this reservoir, making it difficult to fish near the launch. If you plan to fish, you should be aware that the reservoir is not managed by the township, but by the state and therefore, you must have a fishing license. Perch, bass and crappie are regularly caught by fishermen in this body of water. The Texas Game and Fish Commission does enforce their laws here. They occasionally check for licenses and safety of boats, so if you plan to fish, bring your license!

Getting there:
GPS coords: 30.204512, -95.542807
Near Alden Bridge at Benton Woods Dr

Bear Branch Park, The Woodlands Texas

This large park is easily accessible from Research Forest Drive. Located adjacent to Bear Branch Creek, it features a rink for roller hockey, is wheel and dog friendly and has natural trails to the creek. This park also has a combined soccer/baseball field and a volleyball court. Entrance to the dog park. On entering the park from Research Forest Dr, turn right into the parking lot and the dog park will be to your right. This is its entrance. There are two fenced areas, the right for small dogs and the left for large dogs. The large dog area. Very spacious. Its beautiful swimming pool. Small childrens playgound. Large pavilion is ideal to rent for group events. Its skateboard facilities include two separate boarding rinks. Five tennis courts It's hockey rink provides an unique amenity for all ages. One can walk on the pathway system over Bear Branch Creek or maybe explore some natural paths in the park. The Longleaf Pine is propigating along the creek bed. Even in dry season, Bear Branch Creek normally has water flowing down it.

How to get there
It is located just west of the bridge over Bear Branch Creek, on Research Forest. The entrance is on the north side of Research Forest, between Shadowbend and The Woodlands High School, across the street from the Bear Branch sports complex.
Google Map

Tamarac Park The Woodlands Texas

I visited this park for the first time today and was pleasantly surprised at its "friendliness". The restrooms are located near the entrance, so you know where they are, from the start. Access to the normal amenities are at the front also, such as the tennis courts and the basketball courts. There are some interesting and very old trees such as those covered in vines. I noticed two pines "kissing", a phenomenon when two trees are planted or seeded too close together. The park is full of mature trees of various species. To me this place felt like an old established park, such as Herman in Houston. That is a compliment, not a criticism. Sitting on a bench and enjoying this place is quite the thing to do. In fact, if you are with your spouse or friend, there is a swing under a large old tree that you might want to visit. There is some rich history at this location as noted on this sign dated July 4th, 1984.It is in the heart of the old logging site. This sandy floor volleyball court is located up front as well. The pavilion is about in the middle, on a small pond. I counted three tables inside. There are actually two ponds located here. I like this location with two tables right on the "point" where a picnic can be assembled right in front of the fountains. One pond is rather large with tri-fountains having a high trajectory of water and producing plenty of white noise for visitors. Not all paths are concrete. This park has several dirt paths for the children to explore and even for adults to get to picnic tables. This one leads to the tri-fountains. In this pond, there are large Koi. The playground equipment here is clean and ready for the little ones. This is a skate friendly park. I saw about 10 youngsters practicing there on their skateboards while I was walking through the park.

This is also a dog friendly park. It is the newest park in The Woodlands to provide a dog social and play area. Click here for article on that part of the park. 

Creekwood Park, The Woodlands Texas

This park is genuinely a very beautiful park. Some days, I meander in the park to watch the ducks. This particular evening in the Spring of 2009, there were Mallards and Wood Ducks.

This park is widely known for its fishing (there is almost always someone fishing here like this gentleman) and its wheel friendly area.

It is located across from McCullough school. There is a place on the walk paths near the pool that has an interesting montage of leaves laid there by someone shortly after the concrete was laid. There is a variety of ducks on the pond. This pair caught my fancy. There are catfish and bass in this catch and release pond. Each year, the association provides a catfish fishing tournament here (keep what you catch) and a fishing training class for youngsters. It has the usual pool, a soccer field, basketball court, tennis court, tables, and a pavilion. Nice family park being enjoyed by father and daughter one warm, Spring day. Click on picture for larger view.

Other links: Woodlands Online

Ridgewood Park, The Woodlands Texas

Woodlands Online Link
With the amenities of a Village Park and more. There are two tennis courts, a soccer field, several groups of tables, a pavilion, swimming pool. It is located near the west side of Panther Creek on Woodrush. Easy access is provided via the hike and bike that runs behind McCullough school that runs under The Woodlands Parkway and up along Woodrush towards Panther Creek Village.

Click photo for a larger view.

Forestgate Park, The Woodlands Texas

Woodlands Online information link Forestgate is an exceptional major park in Indian Springs. It offers swimming, soccer, basketball, picnic tables, Bar-B-Que pits, Children playground equipment, and a pavilion. There are plenty of natural trees and brush retained. It provides a setting to enjoy the peace for reading a book outdoors or to have the neighborhood kids at an outdoor party.

Getting there: Access is from Woodlands Parkway or Flintridge Drive, west of HEB and Indian Springs Shopping Center (at Kuykendahl and Woodlands Parkway). Address is 7505 South Forestgate Drive The Woodlands, Tx 77382.
Google map