New Trails to Hike

Two weeks ago I had two different phone calls from friends asking me where they could hike. Of course I immediately wanted to refer them to Grand Central Park, however my friends would have to move here first! As I began thinking of fun places to hike, it crossed my mind we have several options and all within a reasonable amount of distance to Grand Central Park. For instance, Lee and I have been riding our bikes at a place called Four Notch Hunter Camp which consists of gravel roads and is perfect for hiking, biking and or trail running. We saw a Dad and his two young sons riding their bikes and we also saw a man doing some running. It’s so beautiful and affords a fair amount of shade, depending on the time of day you go out there. The other neat thing is that you can camp there and it is a trailhead for the Lone Star Hiking Trail.

Other options include Huntsville State Park and or the W. G. Jones State Forest Trail which is not such a ‘secret’ anymore. On any given Saturday or Sunday the parking lot can be packed with cars with overflow parking on the street of FM 1488.

Another gem of a place is the George Mitchell Preserve in The Woodlands. It’s perfect for hiking, running or riding your bike -  and connects with the Spring Creek Nature Trail.  It, too, can be quite crowded. If you want to go to a place that has roads less crowded, then I highly recommend Four Notch.

• Four Notch Loop -hiking loop along Lone Star Trail just Northeast of New Waverly
• Huntsville State Park - 2,083.2-acre wooded recreational area great for hiking, biking, trail running and camping
• G. Jones State Forest Trail - located on FM 1488 in Conroe, perfect for hiking and biking with family
• George Mitchell Preserve - Large, forested nature preserve offers a hiking trail loop, bike trails & a lake located on Flintridge just West of Gosling in The Woodlands.
• Lone Star Hiking Trail - 96 mile long hiking trail with an additional 32 miles of loop and crossover trails of "foot-path only" trails
• GCP residents: I highly recommend hiking around Grand Lake!

I can’t say enough good things about the above mentioned trails. There’s just something about fresh air that does the mind and body good. Happy hiking, friends.