October 1, 2022 was a glorious day. The sweltering heat and humidity of summer had dissipated, temperatures were hovering in the mid 80’s and the sun was shining. It was a perfect day to introduce Kangalulu to parks.

Bear Creek Pioneers Park is on the West side of Houston, Texas. Created in the 1940s bye the US Army Core of Engineering, , the 2,154+ acre park offers something for everyone, from soccer fields, ball parks, and tennis courts to equestrian trails, nature walks and picnic sites. There are several playgrounds, a small zoo and aviary, and the Harris County War Memorial.

The park is free to enter and use, picnic tables and grills are first come first serve. The pavilions do need to be reserved before use. We found no shortage of picnic sites available. As beautiful as the day was, not many people were utilizing the park, except on the main drag, where soccer and baseball games were happening.

The Harris County War Memorial was built in 1985 to honor residents who lost their lives in World War I and the wars since. It is located near the Eldridge entrance to the park, near the aviary.

We loved this park, there’s so much for a family to do with their kids, without any cost other than the gas to get there. There are no stores in the park, so food and drinks are carry in only. There are water fountains at the restrooms, which are multiple, and clean. Many of the picnic areas are in shady spots under old oak trees, so comfortable spots to spread out and picnic.

We took the Bear Creek to Langham Creek trail to go see the Hillendahl-Eggling (also known as Bluelight) cemetery. However, the only thing there is a chain linked area with warning signs to stay out. The actual cemetery wasa moved in 1902, so all that remains is an overgrown, fenced in area.

The nature trails were mostly in the sunny areas, as far as we could tell, so these are best left to the cooler months.

The zoo and aviary are small, the bison and emu were not out. We don’t know if they were just in their pens or if they’re even there anymore. But it was still a nice little walk around the area to see everything.

All in all, we’d recommend this as a great place for a family outing on a budget.