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Thursday, December 28, 2006

Picnic Loop at Memorial Park


Introduction:The Picnic Loop of Memorial Park is on the south side of Memorial Drive. It is a paved road through part of the park which has many picnic tables along the side. This loop is popular with inline skaters, joggers, walkers, and cyclists. It is approximately 1.3 miles long (according to my car's speedometer) if you take the longest, outer loop.

Location:Going west on Memorial Drive, take a left on N. Picnic Lane. Immediately in the parking lot, you'll see the baseball fields to your right and if you turn left, it will take you to parking and the picnic loop road through the park. Maps to location are at http://www.memorialparkconservancy.org/index.cfm/CFID/33391157/CFTOKEN/65531864/MenuItemID/106/MenuGroup/Home.htm

Hours: Memorial Park is open from 6:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m., 365 days/year. The picnic loop is shut off by gates at night.

Scoring: Walking = 4 Nature = 3.5
Walking: For some of the way you can walk on the grass along the road, but for some you must walk on the road. The road is fairly busy with cyclists and cars. The road is paved and level. However, when you get off in the grass, it can be muddy and uneven. Still a nice walk.

Nature: Again, even though it is in beautiful Memorial Park, it is beside the trees, not among them in a totally natural setting. Noisy since it is just off Memorial Drive, a very busy street.

Background:This is a popular place to picnic in the summer and to walk or jog year round. It is part of the Memorial Park system owned and managed by the City of Houston.

Coolest Thing About Park:

Trails:This is not a trail per se, but is used as one by many. You can't get lost if you follow the road. The road goes in a large double loop. The trail is a little more than a mile and easy to walk. Map of trail is at http://www.memorialparkconservancy.org/index.cfm?menuitemid=151

Other things you'll want to know:

1. Always take ID and water when walking.
2. The loop is busy so walkers and joggers must be alert to traffic, cyclists and skaters at all times.
3. This area is a little isolated from the main road (Memorial) and not that well lighted at night. Caution is warranted.

Feel free to add any comments you think would be useful to others about this blog.

Photography by Mary Anne Fields.
All blog content is copyrighted, all rights reserved, Mary Anne Fields and Life Unfolds, 2006

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