George Mitchell Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
2,129 acres24.5 mi of trail
Spring Creek Nature Trail HCBike Loop TrailRob Fleming Trail SCNT-HCFlintridge Loop Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Philcomanforterie · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in The Woodlands
The Woodlands has 146 miles of mapped trails, 3.4 for every square mile of land
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 13% of The Woodlands’ land is conserved, about 3,463 acres. The biggest trail networks: George Mitchell Nature Preserve (24.5 mi), Bear Branch Park (1.1 mi), Cattail Park (0.7 mi).
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns · #9 of 642 in Texas. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
3,463 acres · of 43.3 sq mi of land
Trails
146 mi
3.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
3,449 ac
29 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
72 mi
72 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
76
4 beaches · 2 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is The Woodlands?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does The Woodlands have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, The Woodlands is ahead of 97% of U.S. towns, #9 of 642 in Texas. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of The Woodlands’ overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical TX town 2% · U.S. 4%A−Trails3.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (146 mi) · TX 0.2 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land29 acres of park per 1,000 residents (3,449 acres) · TX 9 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · TX 69% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 97%
LessMore
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)#9 of 642
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, The Woodlands ranks #24 on Outdoors.
Few Texas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so The Woodlands’ 13% is ahead of 92% of Texas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 99% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is George Mitchell Nature Preserve, with 24.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Bear Branch Park
Park
19 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Shadowbend Park
Park
18 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Falconwing Park
Park
13 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 90 parks & preserves
George Mitchell Nature Preserve2,129 acres · 24.5 mi of trail
DirectionsBear Branch Park19 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
Cattail Park13 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsAlden Bridge Park21 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsShadowbend Park18 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Falconwing Park13 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Sawmill Park10 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsNorthshore Park7 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsLakeside Park18 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Harper's Landing Park13 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsRob Fleming Park19 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsTerramont Park14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Tupelo Park13 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
May Valley Park11 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Forestgate Park10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Sundance Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Waterway Square Park1 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsRidgewood Park10 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Clover Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Town Green Park5 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsTallowberry Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Mystic Forest Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Cochran's Green Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Ellipse Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Windvale Park21 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Wendtwoods Park13 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Creekwood Park11 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Spindle Tree Ponds Park & Jogging Trail Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMeadowlake Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Timarron Park7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Capstone Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRoy Campbell Burroughs Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsAlden Woods Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLarkwood Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Jagged Ridge Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Lake Front Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPlayer Bend Pond Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Riva Row Park & Boat House1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHazelcrest Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Hughes Landing Boardwalk1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRunning Man Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Shadow Lake Marsh Experience17 acres
Cranebrook Park12 acres
Tamarac Park11 acres
DirectionsWedgewood Park10 acres
Mel Killian Park9 acres
Pepperdale Park6 acres
DirectionsGrogan's Point Park6 acres
Pondera Park6 acres
Southshore Park5 acres
Cypress Lake Park5 acres
Pleasant Hill Park4 acres
Maplewood Park4 acres
Olmstead Park4 acres
DirectionsCopper Sage Park3 acres
Lehigh Park3 acres
High Oaks Park3 acres
Lake Overlook2 acres
Venture Tech Park2 acres
Summer Cloud Park2 acres
Spincaster Park2 acres
Chandler Creek Park2 acres
Deer Rush Pond Park2 acres
Pipers Green Park2 acres
Summer Storm Park2 acres
Spring Hill Park2 acres
Liberty Square2 acres
Trace Creek Park2 acres
Alden Place Park2 acres
Hidden Lake Park2 acres
Hidden View Pond Park2 acres
Rockwell Park2 acres
Acacia Park1 acres
Old Sterling Park1 acres
Craftwood Park1 acres
Cottage Green Park1 acres
Pachyderm Park1 acres
Montfair Park1 acres
The Cove Park1 acres
Rain Print Park1 acres
Wimberly Park1 acres
Rush Haven Park1 acres
Wilde Creek Park1 acres
Alden Trace Park1 acres
Loggers Hollow Park1 acres
Smooth Stream Park1 acres
Sunset Springs Park1 acres
Rafters Row Park1 acres
Merhorse Green1 acres
Central Park at Market Street1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,463 conserved acres
13% of The Woodlands’ land. Who manages The Woodlands’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city6,268 ac
Joint155 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits131 ac
Private owners75 ac
Other state land9 ac
Regional agency2 ac
Not recorded128 ac
Conservation Easement · 3,169 acLocal Park · 3,116 acPrivate Conservation · 185 acRecreation or Education Easement · 163 acForest Stewardship Easement · 75 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 174 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 13 of 296 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Mitchell Nature Preserve Local Park | Town or city | 2,116 | Open |
| Unknown Local Park | Town or city | 164 | Open |
| Alden Bridge Sports Park Local Park | Town or city | 88 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 80 | Open |
| Montgomery County Preserve (Spring Creek Greenway) Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 66 | Open |
| Woodlands Sports Park Private Recreation or Education | Private owners | 37 | Open |
| Bear Branch Sportsfields Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Gosling Sportsfields Park Local Park | Town or city | 26 | Open |
| Footbridge Way Pond Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Lakeside Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
64 places to go in The Woodlands
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in The Woodlands
4 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in The Woodlands
Bear Branch PoolIn Bear Branch Park
DirectionsCreekwood PoolIn Creekwood Park
DirectionsForestgate PoolIn Forestgate Park
DirectionsSawmill PoolIn Sawmill Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in The Woodlands
Bear Branch PlaygroundIn Bear Branch Park
DirectionsIGi Playground
DirectionsKids Area
DirectionsPepperdale Park PlaygroundIn Pepperdale Park
Directions45 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in The Woodlands
Bear Branch Dog ParkIn Bear Branch Park
DirectionsPlus 4 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in The Woodlands
2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in The Woodlands
1 picnic area without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Community gardens in The Woodlands
Alden Bridge Community Garden
DirectionsBear Branch Community Garden
DirectionsVeggie Village: Alden Bridge
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 52 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 13.7 miUnpaved · 21.9 mi
Spring Creek Nature Trail HC4.0 mi
Bike Loop Trail2.6 mi
Spring Creek Nature Trail MC 32.2 mi
Rob Fleming Trail SCNT-HC1.5 mi
Flintridge Loop Trail1.4 mi
West Trail1.4 mi
Spring Creek Nature Trail MC 11.2 mi
Rob Fleming Trail1.2 mi
Burroughs Extension SCNT-HC1.0 mi
Spindle Tree Jogging Trail0.9 mi
15 more trails
Bird Blind Trail
0.8 miWest Trail Extension
0.5 miRoad Runner Loop Trail
0.5 miBeaver Pond Loop Trail
0.4 miSpring Creek Crossing Trail
0.4 miMid-Loop Trail
0.3 miRacoon Loop Trail
0.3 miBig Oak Loop Trail SCNT-MC
0.3 miSpring Creek Nature Trail MC 2
0.2 miBedias Lake Trail Loop 1
0.2 miRob Fleming Recreation Center Campus Trailhead
0.2 miGray Fox Loop Trail
0.2 miLow Water Crossing #4 Boardwalk
0.2 miSpring Creet Nature Trail Bypass
0.2 miFlintridge Loop Trail SCNT-MC
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Alden Bridge PondreservoirAlden Woods PondpondBear Branch ReservoirlakeBeaver PondpondBedias LakeCamellia Pond NorthpondCamellia Pond SouthpondCapstone PondpondClear PondClover PondpondCokeberry PondpondCopper Sage PondpondCreekwood PondpondCypress LakelakeDeepdale PondpondDeer Rush PondpondEast Timarron LakelakeEntry LakepondFootbridge Way PondpondForest LakelakeGosling PondpondHamlin PondpondHeritage Mill PondpondHidden LakelakeHidden View PondHogpen PondpondHullwood PondpondJackson PondKayak Ridge Pond NorthpondKayak Ridge Pond SouthpondKirkpatrick Glen PondpondLake HarrisonlakeLake PalomaLake RobbinsreservoirLake VoyageurlakeLake WedgewoodLake WoodlandslakeLong LakelakeMagnolia PondMariposa PondMarquise Oaks PondpondMason PondMeadowlake PondMonarch PondpondMystic LakelakePepperdale PondpondPlayer Bend PondpondPondera Pond CentralpondPondera Pond NorthpondPondera Pond SouthpondPanther BranchSpring Creek
Biking & sports
72 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
72 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
119Tennis
23Soccer
19Baseball
14Basketball
11Football
11Softball
8Pickleball
5Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in The Woodlands
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.4 | 11.1 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.7 | 14.1 | 13.9 | 13.2 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.6 | 10.2 |
| High (°F) | 63 | 67 | 73 | 79 | 86 | 91 | 94 | 95 | 90 | 82 | 71 | 64 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 4.1 |
February is the driest month (3.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 95 °F). 5.2 inches fall in October, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 95 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in The Woodlands →
Next door
The Woodlands and its neighbors
The Woodlands has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Woodlands | 13% | 3.4 | 29 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Shenandoah | under 1% | 2.0 | 2 | 88% | B− |
| Conroe | 5% | 0.7 | 25 | 54% | B+ |
| Houston | 11% | 0.7 | 12 | 80% | A− |
| Oak Ridge North | 1% | under 0.1 | 2 | 99%+ | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in The Woodlands
Where can I hike in The Woodlands?
The longest trail networks: George Mitchell Nature Preserve, 24.5 miles; Bear Branch Park, 1.1 miles; Cattail Park, 0.7 miles; Alden Bridge Park, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of The Woodlands is conserved land?
13% of its land, against a typical 2% for a Texas town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on The Woodlands’ trails?
George Mitchell Nature Preserve and Bear Branch Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in The Woodlands?
72 miles of bike routes are on the map: 72 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near The Woodlands?
11,579 acres of parks and open public land lie inside The Woodlands or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,500 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does The Woodlands have?
Ahead of 97% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #9 of 642 in Texas. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from The Woodlands neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →