Paddle difficulty, Novice
Meeting Place and Time:
Meeting location is Cedar Hill Park (see driving directions and map below). Meeting time is
9:00 a.m. Plan to return to Cedar Hill Park by about 3:00 p.m.
How to Get There:
From Houston: Drive east on Interstate-10. At Exit 810 (also marked “Anahuac / Liberty”), turn left, under the freeway, onto FM 563. Go 2.8 miles north on FM 563, then turn left onto Lake Charlotte Road, which is marked both by a green highway sign on the right and a small street sign on the left. Go 1.0 miles west on Lake Charlotte Road. About 300 yards before the road makes a 90-degree turn to the right, you will see the iron pipe gate for Cedar Hill Park on the left (south) side of the road, directly across the road from a small family cemetery. Enter the park and follow the road to the turnaround near the lakeshore. To prevent congestion in the waterfront area, please move your vehicle to a designated parking spot farther away from the shoreline once you have unloaded your gear. For those who are navigating by GPS, the coordinates for the meeting point are 29°52'36" N, 94°43'09" W.
From the Clear Lake Area: Take Highway 146 northeast to Interstate-10, then go east on I-10 and follow directions as above.
From Beaumont: Drive west on Interstate-10. At Exit 810 (also marked “Anahuac/Liberty”), turn right onto FM 563 and follow directions as above.
What to Bring:
Be sure to check the current weather forecast to determine whether rain gear will be needed. You will need a canoe or kayak, paddles, life jackets (one per person required to be worn), lunch, plenty of drinking water (1/2 gallon per person), sunscreen, and insect repellent. Participants must provide their own boats and transport them to the trip site. Because we may visit areas of the forest where maneuvering room is limited, we recommend that kayakers either use a paddle that can be broken down for temporary use as a single-blade paddle, or bring a short single-blade paddle as a spare. We recommend a hat, sunglasses with a retainer strap, sturdy shoes that will stay on your feet securely in the event of a muddy wade, and long pants. If you bring a camera and/or binoculars, we recommend some kind of waterproof, but readily accessible, container such as a small picnic cooler with a snug-fitting lid. It is also a good idea to bring a waterproof bag containing a towel and a set of dry clothes. A small daypack or duffel, lined on the inside with a plastic trash bag, is useful for keeping gear organized and dry in your boat. (Trash compacter bags make even better inside liners because they are thicker and less likely to snag.) In keeping with HCC policy, we discourage the consumption of alcohol during watercraft outings.
The only restroom facilities are the ones at Cedar Hill Park, where the trip will begin and end.
Contact Information:
The trip leaders can be reached by email at davidportzattorney@yahoo.com or by telephone at
(713) 417-9116. If you have questions the day before or on the morning of the trip, you can reach DAP on that same cell phone number.
Cost:
There is no fee for this trip, for HCC/ACA members. Waiver policy applies for non-members, if any.
Resources:
Check the current local weather forecast at http://www.intellicast.com/Local/Weather.aspx?location=USTX0031 .
You can check on current water conditions in the Cypress Wonderland at the USGS National Water Information System web site waterdata.usgs.gov/tx/nwis/uv?site_no=08067118 and find out about outdoor activities in Chambers County at http://chamberswild.com/ .
Learn how to identify and report invasive species at http://www.texasinvasives.org/invaders/toolkit.php .