Non-ACA participants may need to pay a fee. See below for details
Let's meet at 9:00 a.m. and put in at 9:30 a.m. to finish up around 1:00 or earlier. This will be an easy (Level 1) short paddle to see the young nesting birds and their parents on Sheldon Reservoir in northeast Houston. The put-in is 17 miles from downtown Houston. The trip is suitable for beginners and for most any type of kayak, canoe, galvanized washtub, or plastic bottle raft. Every spring there are birds nesting in the trees in the lake, including egrets, herons, ibis, spoonbills, and many others. I believe they will be there for our visit but we may be late so no guarantees. Our paddling will be a leisurely 4 - 5 miles. Bring your camera and binoculars.
Driving directions to our put-in, the boat ramp at the intersection of Pineland Road and Garrett Road at the northwest corner of the lake:
Heading northbound on Beltway 8 from I-10 East, proceed under the overpass of U.S. 90 (Crosby Freeway) for 0.25 miles and take the US 90 (Business) exit. Turn right on Business 90 (Beaumont Highway) and head east for 0.75 miles to Pineland Road. Turn left and proceed 2.7 miles to Garrett Road. Turn right the boat ramp on the right. and find the gravel parking lot for the put-in 1/4 mile on the right.
Heading southbound on Beltway 8 from US 59N, Exit for Garrett Road, turn left and head east on Garrett Rd. for 0.7 miles to the gravel parking lot for the put-in.
You can almost get to this put-in on public transportation but not quite (5 miles). Alas, Metro so far refuses to install kayak racks on their buses.
The boat ramp is located at:
Latitude N: 29 deg 52.922'
Longitude W: 95 deg 11.155'
Hazards: Busy parking lot, mucky put-in, beau coup alligators, bird droppings, fishhooks, fire ants, mosquitos, snakes