The Houston Arboretum

The Houston Arboretum

4501 Woodway Dr, Houston, TX 77024

7:00 AM - 6:30 PM

     I have to be honest, it's not always a great idea to drive aimlessly into Houston. I remember first trying to go for a drive after moving from Northern California, and I was thrown in to a panic when faced with the piles of overpasses and toll roads like beltway 8. I quickly learned Houston is a massive, sprawling, diverse city. Mansions and humble homes that have been turned into restaurants and bars, and actual ranches live in close proximity. You can easily go from driving through clustering sky scrapers to what can only be described as a miniature rainforest by going half a block down and turning right. 

     A great way to experience the jungles of Houston is to drive towards downtown, just into the 610 loop, into Memorial Park to the Houston Arboretum. The 610 loop is freeway shaped like a circle that encloses the inner part of the city, including areas like downtown and Memorial Park. Memorial is probably the most popular park in Houston, and definitely the largest (1,500 acres). The popular park surrounded by mansions and minutes from downtown, but you wouldn't know it by walking through. The trails are lines with 60' walls of  hundred year old trees, vines and grass. The natural walls block out almost all the city sounds. 

     There are two ways to enter the arboretum, one entrance from Woodway Drive, and one from the 610 feeder road. You'll have access to all the trails using either entrance. There isn't necessarily a better parking lot to use, but they will start to fill up on nice weekends. Also, there is free parking on Thursdays, or if you are a member, and $5 per vehicle any other day. It's absolutely worth it, I promise. 

    

This little guy is a Broad-banded Water Snake, and are fairly common in the arboretum. You'll also find hawks, turtles, garden spiders, and even cayotes early morning and late nights. 

     I love entering from the Woodway entrance and heading straight for the Donor Boardwalk. You'll see lots of wildlife there, for better or worse! It's absolutely gorgeous and very easy to get to from this parking lot, so a great way to start your hike. Just be careful, the boardwalk is made of wood and in direct sunlight, so it can hurt sensitive paws. 

     Crossing across the Donor Boardwalk, you'll reach the Outer Loop trail. It's a wide, flat trail that will take you all the way around the arboretum. On nice mornings, you'll find plenty of families and their dogs casually walking through with their jogging strollers in tow. From there, take the North Meadow trail. It's a short walk through a gorgeous meadow to a large pond. You'll find benches and shade at this popular spot. While it does tend to draw a crowd, I've never seen it packed or anything. Lily pads now cover the water, but you can still see fish jumping out to catch bugs and turtles sneaking close to the trail to try and catch some breadcrumbs. 

Meadow Pond

     One of newest trails is the Ravine Trail. You use the 610 entrance and park there for easiest access. It's a mile long trail with some sloping and even stairs, which my be a little more challenging for some people, compared to the other trails. 

Some stairs and platforms you won't see on other trails

Because we're still in the city.

     There's also an educational center at the Arboretum. There are several classrooms used during the week, a small gift shop aimed mainly towards kids, You'll also find a Discovery Room, with lots of little interactive exhibits to explore, along with some aquarium tanks and a library. It's the best place to go to escape the heat, and is also where you'll find the restrooms (there are none on the trails). 

     I lived in Houston for ten years, and the Arboretum was one of my favorite places to go. It's convenient and constantly evolving, so you'll feel like your walking a new trail all of the time. Definitely check it out if you ever get the chance to!