Spring Creek Nature Trail completed, ceremony scheduled for June 1

Almost exactly one year after construction began, the 13-mile Spring Creek Nature Trail has been completed. Bayou Land Conservancy (BLC) announced that there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony on June 1 to celebrate. less Almost exactly one year after construction began, the 13-mile Spring Creek Nature Trail has been completed. Bayou Land Conservancy (BLC) announced that there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony on June 1 to ... more Photo: Courtesy Of Bayou Land Conservancy / Courtesy Of Bayou Land Conservancy Photo: Courtesy Of Bayou Land Conservancy / Courtesy Of Bayou Land Conservancy Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Spring Creek Nature Trail completed, ceremony scheduled for June 1 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Almost exactly one year after construction began, the 13-mile Spring Creek Nature Trail has been completed. Bayou Land Conservancy (BLC) announced that there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony on June 1 to celebrate the achievement.

“This is a project built by the community for the community,” said Jill Boullion, executive director of BLC. “This 13-mile, natural surface trail will be a great asset and provide an entryway onto the Spring Creek Greenway, which is the longest, contiguous, urban, forested greenway in the country. We are grateful for the partnership of Texas Parks & Wildlife and the other stakeholders in this project.”

The natural-surface trail is funded by a Recreational Trails Grant of $100,000 from Texas Parks & Wildlife. Matching funds were provided by BLC, The Woodlands Township, the American Hiking Society and REI. Construction began in May 2017 on the Harris County side of Spring Creek at the George Mitchell Nature Preserve and moved eastward. The trail ends at the Montgomery County Preserve, which is owned by Montgomery County Precinct 3 and is preserved with a conservation easement held by Bayou Land Conservancy.

Suzanne Simpson, land stewardship director for BLC, said the trail was created to meet a need in the community.

“This trail sprang from increasing community desire for access to these public green spaces,” Simpson said. “This trail provides a natural surface as opposed to asphalt. So this just provides another amenity that the community can take advantage of, especially hikers and bikers.”

Much of the trail construction, including boardwalks and foot bridges, was done by volunteers trained through BLC’s Spring Creek Greenway Ambassador Program. Led by a core team of trail builders managed by Simpson, workers did more than 2,500 hours of volunteer time into the construction process.

“It’s important to note that over 2,500 hours of volunteer service went into this trail, so it really would not have been possible without the dedication of our volunteers,” Simpson said.

Simpson added that even though the trail is complete, it will need routine maintenance. The Woodlands Township will offer assistance in the event of major maintenance issues.

“They have also provided some staff and resources support and they’ll continue to support the trail. After it’s built we have to maintain it and the Bayou Land Conservancy does most of the maintenance, but for example if a tree were to fall across the trail, the township would help us with big issues like that,” Simpson said.

The ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for 9 a.m., Friday, June 1, at Montgomery County Preserve, located near 1118 Pruitt Road, The Woodlands. To RSVP to the event, email cwilson@bayouland.org.

Some of the information in this article was gathered from a press release.