With 116 forested parks and 185 miles of hike and bike trails, you can bike, walk, run, or just take the dog for a leisurely stroll whenever the mood strikes you. There are large community parks in each village that include swimming pools (many have spraygrounds and other fun water features), dual playgrounds for older and younger children, lighted tennis and basketball courts, wheel friendly areas, dog parks, BMX tracks, jogging tracks, picnic pavilions and playfields.
Many of the parks have unique features:
- Rob Fleming Park has a Bluebonnet Meadow, the perfect place for family photos when the wildflowers bloom in the spring. The adjoining Rob Fleming Aquatic Center has a lazy river, two-story flume slide for tubing and interactive play structure with 150-gallon dump bucket
- Town Green Park on The Waterway includes a children’s literary labyrinth with giant books depicting modern versions of Aesop’s Fables
- Windvale Park has a butterfly garden and jogging track circling a pond
- Cranebrook Park has a large, interactive water park
- Terramont Park has a slide that is encased in a hill and a Frisbee golf course
- Bear Branch Park has a barrier-free playground and wheel friendly area
- Avalon Park in Grogan’s Forest has a bocci court
In addition to the large, village-wide parks, there are many neighborhood parks and tot lots within the residential neighborhoods. These smaller parks include playgrounds, pavilions and plenty of open green space.
Park pavilions and soccer fields can be reserved for parties and special events through The Woodlands Township Parks and Recreation. There is also a complete list of all the parks, with location maps and a detailed matrix showing features at each park on The Woodlands Township website at www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov.
Lakes & Ponds
Scattered throughout The Woodlands are many sparkling lakes and ponds. Lake Woodlands is the largest at 200 acres, and is a favorite of sculling enthusiasts and kayakers. It is also the site of the YMCA Dragon Boat races each year. Lake Woodlands and the smaller ponds throughout the community, many of which are in or near parks and golf courses, are also great places to sit and enjoy the peace and quiet and watch abundant bird life. Over 200 species of birds have been spotted in The Woodlands, including American Bald Eagles who have nested and fledged their young near Lake Woodlands since 1999. Even in Town Center, the ‘downtown’ of The Woodlands, there’s the cool beauty of The Woodlands Waterway® to relax and refresh the senses.
Riva Row Boat House
Riva Row Park and Boat House is a new scenic and recreational amenity on the west end of The Woodlands Waterway®. This 1.6-acre park was designed to connect the upper and lower levels of The Waterway to street level at Riva Row. It also provides an important pedestrian connection from parking areas used during events at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. It is within walking distance from The Pavilion, Market Street, Town Green Park and a short trolley ride from any spot along The Woodlands Waterway®.
The western edge of the park is bordered by “The Falls at Riva Row”, a waterfall feature adjacent to The Boardwalk at Town Center, a luxury apartment community on Riva Row. The primary feature of the park is Riva Row Boat House, conceived as a sculptural feature and landmark along The Waterway with a floating, curved copper roof, reminiscent of the soaring tensile roof structure of The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.
Kayak rentals are available at the Riva Row Boat House, which is open every day except Wednesday from 9 am – 7 pm. Light concessions and lockers are available. Parking is available along Riva Row and in adjacent parking lots. The Boat House is operated by The Woodlands Township Parks & Recreation Department. For more information, call 281-210-3965 or visit www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov.
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