Preserving land for wildlife, clean water, and flood control
About This Tour
Welcome to the Spring Creek Nature Trail TravelStorys EcoTour, brought to you by Bayou Land Conservancy and Union Pacific.
The trail is named after Spring Creek, which is a large natural waterway flowing along the path. As you walk along the trail, you’ll be able to see both Spring Creek and smaller waterways that feed into Spring Creek.
Spring Creek is an important waterway. Not only is it the boundary between Harris and Montgomery counties, but it’s important for our drinking water.
Spring Creek flows to the east into the San Jacinto River, which then flows into Lake Houston. And Lake Houston is a major source of drinking water for the greater Houston area. This means conserving the wetland habitats of Spring Creek directly benefits the water that lands in your drinking glass.
Bayou Land Conservancy spearheaded the creation of the Spring Creek Nature Trail alongside our community partners to provide much-needed access to local outdoor spaces. Texas’ public trails, parks, and preserves are a precious community resource.
Bayou Land Conservancy began its mission of land preservation in 1996, inspired by the example of Terry Hershey, a local environmental hero. We preserve land next to streams for flood control, clean water, and wildlife. We do this by working with willing landowners to so they can have peace of mind knowing their land will stay natural forever! To learn more about us click on the orange banner on your map screen.
Sample Stories
For more content, click the "Explore this Tour Remotely" button below.
Peter’s Path
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You are standing on Peter's Path, which was built entirely by Bayou Land Conservancy volunteers. In order to connect the 14-mile trail, BLC volunteers built 22 bridges and boardwalk crossings, totaling 2,500 hours of volunteer service! Our volunteers led every aspect of trail-building by blazing new paths, trimming branches, and clearing away stumps. Since trail construction ended, they have continued to donate their time toward trail maintenance.
To recognize individuals who contributed to the trail in an exceptional way, certain bridges are engraved with the trail volunteers' names. You can be a part of the trail, too! To support the long-term maintenance of the Spring Creek Nature Trail, Bayou Land Conservancy has personalized, engravable planks available for purchase on our website. Honor the nature lover in your life by making a lasting contribution to conservation.
Native Americans
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The lushness of Spring Creek attracted indigenous tribes prior to European settlement. One of the first known residents was the Akokisa tribe, who were in contact with 18th century Spanish explorers. The Akokisa were believed to be the westernmost tribe of the larger Atakapa population. They took advantage of the rich hunting grounds and the many wild edible plants along the vegetated shores of Spring Creek. While little is known about their language or kinship customs, we do know that the Akokisa used palmetto leaves to create thatched roofs, which provided cover while also allowing air to flow through their huts during the summer months.
As part of their rituals, the Akokisa consumed cassina tea, a black drink made from the leaves of the native yaupon holly, which you'll see in spades along the Spring Creek Nature Trail. This custom caught on with the European settlers, and cassina tea became a popular breakfast drink in the South. Its popularity has returned in recent years, and you can buy cassina tea at a number of online retailers, and even a few local restaurants in Houston. If you are looking for a yaupon holly, look for a green shrub at eye height with small green leaves that grow in an alternating pattern. Female yaupon hollies have little red berries in wintertime.
