On Saturday morning, October 24, sections of Bayou Wilds in Memorial Park will be reserved for mountain bike racers from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. That same morning, from 9 to 11, the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center is holding a free phenology walk. Donations are appreciated, all ages are welcome, and minors need an adult with them. At 7 p.m., Memorial Park hosts a free star party with the Houston Astronomical Society.
That one Saturday is a fair preview of the next five weeks. Memorial Park's west side is partly closed for construction, its Saturday mornings are partly booked, and its posted public programs come down to a handful of dates. Across Woodway, the Arboretum has something on its calendar nearly every week from now until Thanksgiving week. For anyone in Tanglewood or Briargrove planning the rest of the fall, the Arboretum's entrance at 4501 Woodway Drive will be the busier gate.
The Park's West Side Is Working Around Memorial Groves
Memorial Groves, the construction project on 100 acres along West Memorial Loop Drive, is the main reason the west side is limited. The Memorial Park Conservancy is targeting late 2027 for completion. About 0.7 mile of the Seymour Lieberman Trail is planned to move away from the road, and the trail is supposed to stay open while the work goes on. The western portion of the Outer Loop Trail is a different story. The conservancy's park alerts say it stays closed until 2027.
Two event reservations add to that through early November.
- Chord Energy Houston Corporate 5K. The race runs October 20 through 22, its tenth year. Parts of Clay Family Eastern Glades and some parking lots are reserved through Friday, October 23, and the conservancy expects more traffic than usual on the three-mile Seymour Lieberman Trail. It suggests the southside natural-surface trails and Picnic Loop as alternatives.
- GHORBA Race Speed Series. Races are scheduled at Bayou Wilds on October 24, October 31 and November 7. On each date, portions of the trails are reserved and some areas close to the public from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Once the 5K reservation lifts, the three remaining Saturday race mornings are the main thing to plan around. They are also the mornings when the Arboretum has its most to offer, as the weekend list further down shows.
Memorial Park's Posted Programs Thin Out After October
The conservancy runs a set of free recurring programs. For the period starting the day this post publishes, its calendar shows the following dates.
| Date | Program | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Wellness Walks with Urban Paths | 7–8:30 a.m. and 9–10:30 a.m. | Memorial Park |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Star Party with Houston Astronomical Society | 7–9 p.m. | Memorial Park |
| Tue., Oct. 27 | Yoga on the Lawn | 6–7 p.m. | Clay Family Eastern Glades |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Wellness Walks with Urban Paths | 7–8:30 a.m. and 9–10:30 a.m. | Memorial Park |
| Mon., Nov. 2 | Bird Survey with Birds Houston | 7:30–9 a.m. | North end of the Eastern Glades parking lot |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Star Party with Houston Astronomical Society | 6–9 p.m. | North Lakeside Pavilion, Eastern Glades |
All of them are free. The Wellness Walks are 90-minute guided walks led with Urban Paths, with conversation about mental and physical health along the way. The Bird Survey happens every first Monday, and beginners are welcome.
The table gets short after October. As of this week, the conservancy's calendar has two November dates for these programs: the bird survey and the November 14 star party. Yoga on the Lawn, Pilates in the Park beside Hines Lake and the Friday walks all ran in October, but none has a posted November date yet. Check the series pages before planning a weeknight around them.
Most of the evening programs, including the November star party, are in Clay Family Eastern Glades. That area covers 100 acres north of Memorial Drive, between Memorial Park Golf Course and Crestwood Drive, and includes Hines Lake and 2.5 miles of paths. On those nights, keep the hours in mind. The Running Complex and Picnic Loop lots close at 9 p.m. and reopen at 4:30 a.m. Their gates let cars leave after closing.
Across Woodway, Something Is Scheduled Every Week
The Arboretum's calendar for the same stretch is much longer. It includes free walks, weekday programs for small children, an evening hike for adults and several paid workshops.
| Date | Program | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Fourth Saturday Phenology Walk | 9–11 a.m. | Free, donations appreciated |
| Mon., Oct. 26 | Tyke Hikes | 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. sessions | |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Pumpkin Planters | 1–2:30 p.m. | |
| Mon., Nov. 2, 9, 16 | Tyke Hikes | 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. sessions | |
| Wed., Nov. 4, 11, 18 | Hatchlings | 10–11 a.m. | |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | Sip & Stroll | 5:30–7:30 p.m. | $40 members, $45 nonmembers |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Guided Nature Hikes | 10–10:45 a.m. | Free, first come, first served |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Native Plant Propagation | 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | $57 members, $72 nonmembers |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Second Saturday Bird Survey | 8–10 a.m. | |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Tree Planting Workshop | 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | $22 members, $37 nonmembers |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Yoga on the Lawn; Tyke Hikes en español | 9 a.m.; 11 a.m. | |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | DIY Paper | 1–3 p.m. | $37 members, $52 nonmembers |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | Cooking Wild: Homemade Pasta | 1–5 p.m. | $130 members, $150 nonmembers |
The paid workshops have age minimums. Native Plant Propagation and the pasta class are for ages 16 and up, and Tree Planting and DIY Paper are for ages 12 and up. The Arboretum also lists a blood drive on November 7 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Guided Nature Hikes en español on November 14, and educator workshops on the evenings of November 19 and October 22, which is publication day.
Sip & Stroll is the one adult evening on the list, and the closest match to what the park schedules after dark. It is for ages 21 and up. The ticket covers a guided twilight hike on the Arboretum trails, two glasses of wine or Saint Arnold beer, and happy hour food. The evening ends with the unveiling of the menu for Tapas on the Trails 2027, the Arboretum's Valentine's Day food and wine pairing event. The listing asks guests to dress for the weather and wear walking shoes.
How the Remaining Weekends Pair Up
The Saturday mornings that Bayou Wilds loses to racing are the mornings the Arboretum fills, and the park's star parties fall on Saturday nights, after the Arboretum programs end.
- Saturday, October 24. Parts of Bayou Wilds are closed until 1 p.m. The Arboretum's free phenology walk runs 9 to 11 a.m., and the Memorial Park star party starts at 7 p.m.
- Saturday, October 31. The GHORBA race again takes the morning at Bayou Wilds. Pumpkin Planters at the Arboretum runs 1 to 2:30 p.m., well before trick-or-treating starts.
- Friday and Saturday, November 6 and 7. Sip & Stroll fills Friday evening. Saturday is the last GHORBA morning, and the Arboretum runs free guided hikes at 10, Native Plant Propagation at 10:30 and the blood drive until 2:30.
- Saturday, November 14. This is the fullest day on either calendar. The Arboretum's bird survey starts at 8 a.m. and the Tree Planting Workshop at 10:30. The park's second star party starts at 6 p.m. at the North Lakeside Pavilion.
- November 21 and 22. The Arboretum's last two scheduled weekend programs before Thanksgiving week are DIY Paper on Saturday afternoon and the four-hour homemade pasta class on Sunday.
The Memorial Park Conservancy updates its park alerts as events change, so check that page before heading out on a race-day morning.
Living near Woodway means having both of these gates close by. When you're ready to talk about how the streets between them fit your plans, Blake Kunetka is available for a private consultation.
