Park Info for Scouts
in the Houston Area!!
We have found many of the parks around Houston to be great places to take the scouts camping. Without actually going to each one, though, it is hard to know the "pros" and "cons" of the parks. We've learned some things along the way, like which park is the best to work on your Texas Badge, and the county park that we like best for campouts, and the park not to schedule a May campout at! We hope this will be useful to you as you plan your group's next camp out!
Free/County Parks
- Pct 3 Parks- scouts can camp free at these parks, you just need to call the park office and let them know you are a scout group and make the reservation. The parks office phone number is (281) 496-2177
- Bear Creek Park-Great park for Arrow of Light ceremonies, there is a fire ring and totem pole in the camping area. Scouts usually camp near pavillions 7 and 8. We have found that this is NOT a good park to schedule a May campout at because the park is also a resevior and is often flooded back where the camping area is. In dryer months it is a nice park to camp at, though. From time to time they will have more than one group camping at the same time as well.
- New Kentucky Park-This is a fairly small park, and not quite as much as an "out in the woods" feeling. We really like the park, though, because it is so small, and you are often the only ones there all day long. It's nice to have the whole place to yourself! Also, they lock the gate at 9pm and the park is small enough that we often let our boys play "flashlight tag". You can also choose to camp close together or spread out all over the park, because it is open camping in the park.
- Kleb Woods Nature Preserve-More of a "out in the woods" feeling, but less secluded. Great park with lots of fun trails to explore. Both Kleb Woods and New Kentucky are just down the street from The Show Boat Drive In Movie Theater.
- Mary Jo Peckham Park-Great park with a lake where you can fish! There is a playground and mini golf as well at this park.
- Pct 4 parks
- Fritsche Park-A 91-acre primitive nature area open by reservation only and used by area scouts for overnight camping and orienteering courses.
- Spring Creek Park-Near Tomball, and has RV hook-ups as well. Reservations are taken in advance on a scheduled basis, we recommend you view their website for schedules.
Council Parks
- Cub WorldProvided at no charge to your pack and located at Camp Strake, this is a fun place to go for a camp out. Reservations are made 3 months in advance.
- Cub Adventure Camp at Bovay-Not a free campout, fees range around $40 per scout or adult, but the meals are all provided for you and you will have to do very little to plan this campout. Check website for available weekends.
Nearby State Parks
- Lake Somerville-Only about an hour and a half from Houston, and the park is very helpful to scout groups. If you call the park and let them know that you are bringing your group they will set aside the camping spaces for you to ensure that you are all next to each other. This is the only state park that we know of that does this. The Old Hickory Camping Area is less secluded, and easier to be close to each other, but the Post Oak has great sites for Tents, many of the sites having little "coves" in the trees for tents. Not as good of an area for sites sharing more than one tent, however. The park has many great trails for hiking and other activities as well as a day use area. There is also a Group Trailer Area, but everyone would need to have an RV or Pop-Up of some type.
- Huntsville-Great park to go to to work on your Texas Badge! With many historical places surrounding the park, including the Sam Houston Memorial Park, this area is rich with Texas History. If planned well, a group could earn the Texas badge at a campout up here! Another benefit of the park is they have activities going on with the rangers, so be sure to find out what is available when you arrive. One important note about this park, however, is they will not group your campsites together prior to your arrival. Check in time is 2pm, but you can arrive earlier, just be aware that sites may not be available yet during busy times. We recommend you send someone up as early as possible (around 1 or 2pm) to check in so that your group can get their sites all together.
- Brazos Bend-A Great park to go to in the Spring when the alligators are active, but also good any other time as well. Brazos Bend is also home to the George Observatory making it a great place to earn your Astronomy Belt Loop and pin.
-
Lake Texana-About a 2 hour drive from the Houston Area, but well worth the
trip. The rangers in the park are very helpful, and will typically put all
of your campsites together for you. They are also very eager to help you
earn any belt loops or merit badges while there. Just speak to them ahead
of time and they will be happy to help you however they can!
