It is no secret, Kayaking is my absolute favorite outdoor activity! I go as often as I can, and look for new paddling trails all the time. In June, my Dad, Winter, and I traveled about an hour west of Downtown Houston, to the Columbus Paddling Trail, on the Colorado River.
The Trail
This trail is just over 6.5 miles of easy going paddling, and usually takes my dad and I about 2 hours from start to finish. No major hazard areas are present to navigate on this section of the Colorado River. Though depending on the water level, and weight in your boat, you might have to stop and get out of your boat at a few shallow spots. I had to because Winter added about 60 pounds to my kayak!
A majority of the property along the rivers edge is private from the put-in to the take-out. However, the “Colorado River is classified as navigable, which permits public use of the stream bed and, if necessary, the banks to portage any hazard (TPWD).”
Kayaking with a dog is always an adventure, and Winter is no different. This was one of her first trips, and she was almost impossible to keep in the boat. She wanted to swim and run along the river banks, which is what she ended up doing for nearly the entire 6.5 miles. She slept the ENTIRE rest of the day!
Stopped along the Columbus Paddling Trail 
Rest Stop
The Put-In and Take-Out
When we paddled the trail in June there was ongoing construction on the SH 71 bridge. The put-in location is under the bridge! We might have broken a few rules and jumped a slit fence to get to the river. BUT the paddle was so worth it!
Howell Canoe Livery is located across the river from this put-in site, which is listed by TPWD and in this post. They have a dock for Canoe and Kayak put-in, but it requires a fee to use. They also offer rentals.
The take-out location took us a few minutes to find. The last time we had paddled the Columbus Paddling Trail was prior to a few major flooding events. Anyone remember the little gem called Hurricane Harvey? The take-out was previously at Beason’s Park. Now it is officially located just across the river.
Before You Go
TPWD maintains information on some paddling trails across the state here. The Columbus River Paddling trail is listed on their site under “Prairies and Lakes” trails.
For this paddling trail there are a few options to coordinate vehicles at the put-in and take-out locations.
- Two vehicles: drop off vehicle #1 at the take-out location and drive to the put-in location. Leave vehicle #2 at the put-in location and paddle to the take-out. Go get vehicle #1 from the put-in location with vehicle #2, load kayaks and go home.
- One vehicle + someone who is not paddling: drive to the put-in location in vehicle. Paddle to the take-out location and call person who did not paddle to come get you. Be sure to buy them a beer afterwards.
- Howell Canoe Livery offers rentals and pick-up for the Columbus Paddling trail, information can be found on their website, here.
Leave No Trace
I always kayak with a dry bag or two, plenty of water, and occasionally a snack. I make sure to keep my trash at a minimum. It is always contained in my boat, and usually I place smaller trash items in my dry bag. The Columbus Paddling Trail does not have trash bins at the end of the paddle, so keep your trash to throw away at home. My dad and I always try to do our part to leave the river better than we found it by picking up a few pieces of trash on each paddle. This makes the trail more enjoyable for future users, which include us!
Check the blog archives and the outdoor page for more kayaking posts!
Well said… the hwy 71 bridge is still under construction… Don’t let it stop ya.
It was a great paddle!
2glimmered