By Brandt Mannchen
On October 22, 2026, I visited the 165-acre Cypress Park and the 40-acre Jones Road Park in north central Harris County. Both parks are owned by Harris County and are in Precinct 3.
Cypress Creek Park
Cypress Park is located at 12925 North Eldridge Parkway in the Cypress Area and is open, 7 am to dusk. This 165-acre park has 2.19 miles of walking trails. There is a playground and a picnic area with covered tables near the parking lot at the front of the park. Cypress Creek delineates the park’s southern and western boundary and Little Cypress Creek delineates its’ northwestern boundary.
Unfortunately, there are no trails that go through the floodplain forest of Cypress Creek, although there is an overlook that’s worth seeing. There’s a lake, which is the wet bottom of a detention pond with a bridge that allows you to cross the lake after you have walked about 1/3 of the asphalt trail.
While there are some trees near the walking trail there is a need for many more to shade people as they walk through the park. In addition, it would add a great deal of biological diversity if wetland plants were planted on the edge of the lake, some water tolerant trees were also planted there, and native grasses and wildflowers were also planted on the sides of the lake.
The trees I saw as I walked the trails included Green Ash, American Elm, Water Oak, Dwarf Palmetto, Common Persimmon, Sweetgum, Loblolly Pine, Winged Elm, Deciduous Holly, Sugarberry, and Water Hickory. These are mostly floodplain trees of Cypress and Little Cypress Creeks.
More upland trees, shrubs, and wildflowers include Post Oak, Canadian Goldenrod, Baccharis, Woolly Croton, Boneset, Dog Fennel, American Beautyberry (with a fuchsia-colored berries), Bitterweed, Agalinis (Gerardia), Sida, Yaupon Holly (beautiful red berries), and Blue Mistflower.
Birds were evident, particularly those that live and feed near water. Some of the birds seen include Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, cormorant species, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, American Crow, Pied-billed Grebe, Osprey, White Ibis, and Turkey and Black Vultures. Turtles lay on debris on the banks of the lake. Squirrels sat in the grass, near trees, and watched walkers pass them.
A very nice place to take a walk but this park could use additional native trees, shrubs, grasses, wetland plants, and wildflowers to give it color, reduce erosion, and provide greater diversity in this flood control detention pond.
Jones Road Park
Jones Road Park is another flood control detention pond, wet bottom, but is attached to the White Oak Bayou Floodplain. There is a 1.35-mile walking trail and a nice view from the trail of the lake throughout the walk. This 40-acre park is open 7 am to dusk.
Unfortunately, this park needs help. It has some of the densest growth of Johnson Grass and KR Bluestem Grass that I’ve ever seen in any park in Harris County. Both non-native invasive plant species spread quickly and kill-off native grasses and wildflowers and leave a monoculture of tall grass that inhibits any natural prairie or other natural habitat from growing.
In addition, there are few trees planted close to the walking trail, so you feel the greater intensity of the sun. This isn’t good for people who want a peaceful and cool stroll in the park.
There are some native trees that have been planted near the lake (Black Willow and American Sycamore) and scattered along the trail, but the overwhelming non-native plant invasion takes away from the natural landscape. In addition, on the north side of White Oak Bayou, there is a large infestation of Elephant Ears that could instead be occupied by native wetland plants.
A significant restoration of Jones Road Park is needed which includes removal of Johnson and KR Bluestem Grasses, removal of Elephant Ears, and planting of native trees close to the walking trails and native grasses, wildflowers, and wetland plants to enhance and encourage natural diversity in this park. This can be done but there needs to be concerted effort to improve this park.