As someone who jogged at Memorial Park for over 25 years, I thought I knew the park well.  But after the major expansion projects completed in 2023, there is a lot more to Memorial Park than I remembered.   The expansion project was substantially funded privately by many who love the park and that is something we can be proud of as Houstonians. Memorial Park is clearly my favorite thing about Houston.

Some of the major components of the expansion project were the addition of the East Glades (a lake), the land bridge connecting the area north and south of Memorial Park, extensive green space expansion and the addition of the timing track.

With the expansion and all that it is added, this first post on the park will focus on the area north of Memorial Drive.

Jogging Loop

The jogging loop is the focal point of the park.  As someone who trained there for 25 years starting in roughly the late 80’s, it has developed a culture of its own within the running community of Houston.  There’s even a book titled “People of Memorial Park: Stories from Houston’s Favorite Trail”.   Ask any long time runner of the park about this “culture” and they will understand.   There is a strong community element to the running loop.

Having a soft track to train on makes it much easier on the knees than concrete and as such extended my illustrious marathon career.  I’ll take it even if running four or five laps around the loop for a weekend training run can get tedious. The first year or so of the annual marathon dating back to 1972 was entirely at Memorial Park.

Some who train at the park for marathons combine the park loop with the trails along Memorial Drive and Allen Parkway between Shepherd and the Sabine Bridge near downtown for an extended training run.

The three mile crushed granite track has been widened, refreshed and generally improved over the years.  The exact length of the track has been debated over the years but let’s call it three miles if you start and finish at the same spot.

A lap around Memorial Park is truly a Houston experience to try at least once.

The running loop at Memorial Park is definitely a candidate for the Mount Rushmore of Houston.

Golf Course

Sitting outside the Memorial Park golf course pro shop, I am seeing a temporary “city” being built in preparation for the golf tournament occurring March 25 – 31.   It is impressive to see the transformation that occurs at the golf course each year as the buildings are assembled for the tournament including the grandstands, hospitality and media spaces.  Shortly after the tournament, this city will be disassembled and presumably moved on for another golf tournament.

Although my golf score does not show it, I have a lot of history with the golf course.   My first round of golf there was in the early 80’s.   Prior to that, my grandfather, who was a sign painter back when signs were actually painted with a brush, would paint the various signs along the course marking pathways, etc., bartered for rounds of golf or range balls.

The course has been upgraded multiple times getting better each time.  It is an exceptional public golf course in the middle of an large urban city.   One of my fondest memories of the golf course was in the late 80’s.  I tried to find the exact date but the interwebs were just finding its legs then so not easy to find.   I was playing the course in late summer of that year and the course was going to be shut down for over a year for a major redo of the course.  As such, there was not a lot of maintenance going on for good reasons.   So the fairways were similar to pavement in the parking lot so the ball got a good roll in the fairway.   It will probably be the only time I land the green in two shots on the first hole (long par 5) of the course.  I include this bit of history to illustrate that there have been many remakes of the golf course over the years which have made it the Houston gem it is today.

Beck’s Prime

A nice spot with great outdoor sitting and views of the course.  If its on the cold side, there is a fire pit to make it comfortable.  One piece of advice, don’t leave your food unattended outside.  The birds really like the burgers and fries.

Beck’s Prime at Memorial Park golf course can be a destination to itself.

East Glades

The East Glades have become my favorite area of the park.   It’s north of Memorial Drive with its own entrance and parking.  The entrance is the most eastern entrance to the park at the traffic light.   Lots of space for picnicking or for finding a quiet spot for a book read.

On the backside of the lake (west of lake) there are a series of boardwalk type trails winding behind the lake through the trees.  Definitely take the time to meander around back there.  There is a circular sitting area behind the lake with a pier to the right.  Great spot for photos or just taking in the lake and surroundings.

The East Glades are a gem of Houston that more people are gradually becoming aware of.   Check it out.    Up there with Hermann Park for one of the best urban Houston picnic spots.

This side of the park also includes the tennis courts and an area for croquet.