Weekend Backpacking at Lake Houston Wilderness Park

Join our group of beginners and backpacking veterans for an Overnight Backpack Adventure at Lake Houston Wilderness Park, encompassing 4,786 acres of wooded parkland, approximately 45 minutes north of Downtown Houston off of Highway 59 near the town of New Caney. Entrance fee, payable at the Entrance Gate House, located at 25840 FM 1485, is $3.00 per person (ages 13 through 64).

Carpooling can be facilitated through the comments for this meetup.

1.5 miles in - 1.5 miles out. We will start at 10AM from the Lake Houston Wilderness Park Nature Center parking lot. We will hike approximately 1.5 miles through a relatively flat, scenic section of the AmeriTrail. The trail follows Peach Creek to our reserved, well maintained primitive campsites 1 and 2. I’ll carry firewood in for an evening campfire as well as several gallons of water for cooking and for topping off water bottles.

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Optional 8 mile Isabel Lake Hike. After setting up camp and taking some time for lunch, choose to lounge around camp or continue hiking, approximately 8 miles in and back along the AmeriTrail, to Isabel Lake.

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Later that afternoon, we will build a campfire. I’ll bring a couple of backpacking stoves to provide hot water for re-hydrating dinner and for breakfast and coffee the following morning. We will break camp by mid-morning and we should be back at the trailhead before noon.

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Cost of the outing for camping will be $5/person to cover the cost of campsite fees, firewood and water. We typically collect the trip fee on the trip.

If you are new to backpacking, please join us for an orientation and discussion of what to expect, on Thursday evening, June 1st at the “Houston Sierra Club Backpacking Meet and Greet” (see the meetup invite). If you can’t make the Meet and Greet, please contact me and I’ll work with you.

Make sure you understand that this is a backpacking trip. Although this trip is very short in time and distance, you still need to be 100% self sufficient and have the proper gear to get you through the night. This will be a 1.5 mile hike in, one night camping, returning the next day. You will minimally need shelter, a sleeping bag, appropriate clothing, appropriate footwear, some food for lunch, dinner, and breakfast, a flashlight or headlamp, and a pack in which to carry everything. Most of these items can be rented from REI or from http://www.ayoopa.com/. Before renting equipment, check with me; I have a few extra items I can lend to newbies.

Hope to see you there!

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