Trinity River NWR, Champion Lake Kayak Paddle

The Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge Champion Lake Unit is located at the end of 417 Parkway Road and is geographically just north of the Trinity River Bottom/Trinity Bay area east of Houston. There are two boat launches, one to the north into Champion Lake and the other to the south launching into Pickett’s Bayou. The paddle routes in the map above are a kind of catch-all try everything exploration the first time I was there. The lake is filled with trees and bushes and so from the map its not even clear that it is a lake at all. The routes are kind of ‘make it up as you go’ and depend in part on what areas are covered with aquatic vegetation. Because of nesting birds the west side of the refuge is only open part of the year, and there are signs indicating that. There is a numbering system for hunting spot assignments; following the signs can serve as a channel guide. I tried exploring here and there and so there a lot of yellow dot turnarounds. In another trip from this location I go south into Pickett’s Bayou.

Above: Paddling through.

Above: The lake-side boat launch at the Trinity River NWR, Champion Lake.