Canoeing and kayaking Houston waterways - Wiest, Natalie H. (Texas A & M University Press, 2012)
Includes bibliographical references and index
Introduction -- The natural world -- Is the water safe? -- Do I have a legal right to be here? -- Guidelines for safe boating -- Day-paddle checklist -- What boat to float? -- Paddles -- Organization of the guide -- Paddler's vocabulary -- Notes on maps -- 1. East Bay, Eastern Trinity Bay, and the Neches-Trinity Coastal Basin. Bolivar Peninsula ; East Bay ; East Bay Bayou ; Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge ; Smith Point, East Galveston Bay, and Eastern Trinity Bay ; Lone Oak Bayou ; Double Bayou ; East Shore, Trinity Bay -- 2. Trinity River System. Above Lake Livingston: Bedias Creek ; Lake Livingston ; Double Lake Recreation Area ; Trinity River access points ; Picketts Bayou ; Champion Lake ; Turtle Bayou ; Lake Anahuac ; Old River ; Old River Lake ; Lost River and Lost Lake ; John Wiggins Bayou ; Lake Charlotte Complex ; Cotton Lake ; Trinity Bay West -- 3. Trinity-San Jacinto Basin. Cedar Bayou ; Goose Creek ; Highlands Reservoir --
- 4. San Jacinto River Basin. Lake Conroe ; Lake Raven ; West Fork, San Jacinto River ; Peach Creek ; Luce Bayou ; East Fork, San Jacinto River ; San Jacinto River below Lake Houston ; Cypress Creek ; Spring Creek ; Lake Woodlands ; Greens Bayou ; Buffalo Bayou ; Brays Bayou ; Sims Bayou ; Vince Bayou ; Sheldon Reservoir and Carpenter's Bayou -- 5. San Jacinto-Brazos Coastal Basin. Clear Creek and Clear Lake ; Taylor Bayou and Taylor Lake ; Armand Bayou complex ; Armand Bayou access points ; Dickinson Bayou ; west coast of Galveston Bay ; Highland Bayou ; Basford Bayou ; Halls Bayou ; Chocolate Bayou ; Austin and Bastrop Bayous ; Oyster Creek ; Lower Oyster Creek -- 6. West Bay and Galveston Island. Galveston Island State Park ; Pelican Island ; West Galveston Bay ; Christmas Bay ; Gulf Intracoastal Waterway -- 7. Brazos River Basin. Brazos River -- Navasota River -- 8. San Bernard River Basin. San Bernard River ; Cedar Lakes ; Caney Creek -- 9. Colorado River Basin. Colorado River --
- Appendix: Organizations that may put you on the water
Within about seventy-five miles of downtown Houston, some 1,500 miles of rivers, creeks, lakes, bayous, and bays await discovery. Canoeing and Kayaking Houston Waterways, by longtime paddler Natalie Wiest, is the perfect companion for anyone who wants to experience Houston's well-watered landscape from the seat of a kayak or canoe. Before introducing readers to the quiet, green world that lies within and around the heart of the city, Wiest gives some pointers on water safety (including swimming and boating); on weather, flood stages, and legal access; and on an often unseen but always present paddling companion-alligators. She also provides a gear checklist for a day trip, a brief guide to boats and paddles, and a "sampler" list of easy places to paddle for true beginners. Presented in nine chapters, each organized around a river system or coastal basin and comprising a "suite" of paddling trips, the excursions described by Wiest offer a general description of the destination, directions (both driving and paddling), and details about the paddling conditions and access sites, which are all publicly owned or managed. Each chapter lists mileages, USGS gauging station numbers, and GIS locations when applicable. Also including ninety color photos and more than thirty detailed maps, Canoeing and Kayaking Houston Waterways offers both novice and experienced paddlers a helpful and enjoyable reference for experiencing nature at water level, in and around Houston