Gulf Coast Paddling Trails

For more information on these paddling trails, please refer to our Planning Toolkit.

Armand Bayou Paddling Trail

The Armand Bayou Paddling Trail follows Armand Bayou from near its confluence with Clear Lake, upstream through the Armand Bayou Nature Center to Horsepen Bayou.

This 26-mile paddling trail is the first paddling trail in Houston. Enjoy paddling through downtown Houston, enjoying the birds, turtles, fish and other wildlife found in this otherwise urban environment

Christmas Bay Paddling Trail

Easily accessible from the Houston metropolitan area, the 19.1-mile Christmas Bay Paddling Trail offers popular, shorter loops of 3.8 and 10.3 miles with outstanding coastal angling and bird watching opportunities .

Collier's Ferry to Lake Bayou Paddling Trail (Beaumont)

This 7-mile loop trail gives you the chance to paddle through one of the remote and beautiful backwater channels of the biologically diverse Big Thicket National Preserve.

Cooks Lake to Scatterman Paddling Trail (Beaumont, cross-listed under Pineywoods, too)

This 4.8-mile loop trail offers a great diversity of birds, wildlife, and plants as you paddle through the cypress and tupelo tress of the swamp and the river corridor of the Neches River.

Galveston Island State Park Paddling Trail

Galveston Island State Park hosts three paddling trails, the 2.6-mile Dana Cove (Lake Como) trail, the 4.8-mile Oak Bayou trail and the 2.8-mile Jenkins Bayou trail. From salt marsh to seagrass beds, each of these trails has something unique to offer.

Lighthouse Lakes Paddling Trail

The Lighthouse Lakes Paddling Trail was the very first Texas Paddling Trail and is a series of four loops ranging in length from 1.25-6.8 miles. The trails meander through an extensive black mangrove estuary, into sloughs and back lakes near the historic 1857 Lydia Ann Lighthouse .

Mustang Island Paddling Trail

The Mustang Island Paddling Trail consists of the North Trail (8.5 miles), Shamrock Loop (5.24 miles) and Ashum Trail (6.8 miles), each following the western shoreline of Mustang Island in Corpus Christi Bay, covering some of the best shallow-water fishing areas in Texas.

Port O’Connor Paddling Trail

The Port O'Connor Paddling Trail consists of a series of interconnecting trails totaling about 40 miles along the shores of Espiritu Santo and Matagorda Bays and through their boundary saltwater marsh Mules Slough/Fish Pond. The Trail offers opportunities to paddle several hours, all day, or several days, as well as opportunities to bird, fish and relax.

Ron R. Smith Memorial Paddling Trail on Oso Bay

The Ron R. Smith Memorial Paddling Trail on Oso Bay offers opportunities for 2-5 miles of loop trails for a paddle right in Corpus Christi, by the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi campus. Take in the coastal birds, fishing opportunities, and scenic beauty that Oso Bay has to offer.

Seadrift Paddling Trail

The Seadrift Paddling Trail consists of 20 miles of paddling trails accessed from four access points and offers river, lake, and even some expert level bay paddling opportunities.

South Bay Paddling Trail

The South Bay Paddling Trail follows the shores of South Bay in a loop of about 8 miles. This shallow, subtropical body of water consists of approximately 3,500 surface acres, bounded on the south by the riparian edge of the Rio Grande, on the north by the Brownsville Ship Channel and associated spoil banks, and on the east by Brazos Island.

Stephen F. Austin Paddling Trail (Brazoria County)

Visit Brazoria County and enjoy 35.4 miles of paddling along four connecting trails along the Brazos River!

Columbia Bottomland Waterway: Explore a wooded river escape on this 8.3 mile stretch of the Brazos River through the impressive Columbia Bottomland forests of Texas.
Old Settlement Passage: Enjoy a longer paddle along the Brazos River with this 10.4 mile route that offers views of historic bridges along the trail amongst the Columbia Bottomlands.
Sugar Mill Stretch: This 6.9 mile section provides the shortest paddle of Brazoria County's trails, giving paddlers an easy escape from the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives.
Gulf Prairie Run: The Columbia Bottomland hardwoods open up to a section of the river with a more open coastal feel as you paddle this 9.8 mile trail heading into Freeport.

Victoria Paddling Trail

This quiet 25-mile trail on the Guadalupe River in the Coastal Region is made up of four different sections of varying lengths: Chisholm Trail, Riverside Park, Mission Espiritu Santo, and Fort Saint Louis Sections.