The put-in to Halls Bayou is a boat ramp with dock at the hwy 2004 bridge.
Motor boats usually head downstream (south), which isn't a terribly attractive part
of the bayou anyway. The norther section of the bayou is probably the nicest
paddling destination south of Houston. It is very rural, with largely wooded
shores (beyond which is farmland and ranchland), and it is possible to travel nearly
6 miles upstream before running out of water. It is very quiet and generally
peaceful. Highly recommended.
Directions to Halls Bayou
Coming from north of Texas City (from the Clear Lake area or Houston, for
instance), get on I-45 Southbound.
Take the 1764 exit (dog track exit), and stay on the access road and go through
the light at 1764, then take the next right onto 2004 (this takes you behind the
dog track).
Hwy 2004 (heading west) will cross Hwy 6, and from there (still heading west on
2004) it will be 7.75 miles to the put-in at the boat ramp on Halls Bayou (the 2004
bridge over the bayou is elevated, and you'll see it coming from a distance).
The boat ramp is on the right (north side), and the "road" to it is paved with lime
rock. There is a wooden dock at the ramp, but it is mostly of use only when the
tide is high. The nicer part of the bayou is to the north of the boat ramp, and
you'll see Halls Bayou split to the left from Cloud Bayou just a bit north of the
ramp. Following is a snip from MapQuest with the put-in labeled (click for full-size).
Alternately, if you're deep in Kemah or Seabrook or thereabouts you may find it
easier to take 146 south to 1764, then follow 1764 west to Johnny Palmer Road (aka
Delaney Road) - the Mall of the Mainland Exit. Stay on the access road as you go
through the light (the Mall will be on your right), then take the next left onto
1764. A short distance ahead and you'll pass under I-45, take a left there onto
the access road, then that next right onto 2004. Continue as discussed above. Sounds
a little complicated, but once you've done it once it is easy.
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This trip I explored up Cloud Bayou, which is the bayou which branches off to the
right (east) just to the north of the put-in. Cloud Bayou is nice in a bucolic
sort of way, bordered on all sides by ranch land. There are water plants (rare),
and the water becomes surprisingly clear as you progress upstream, with an unsual
gravelly bottom (unusual for this area, anyway). Nice, low stress, and you
can always combine an outing on Cloud Bayou with another on the main bayou for a
really full day. Here's some pics:
