Bay Area Park

A 64-acre Harris County park on the bank of Armand Bayou, right where Bay Area Boulevard crosses it and just across the water from Armand Bayou Nature Center. It's a busy family park, with ball fields, playgrounds and a dog park, but photographers come for the bayou edge: a boardwalk over the water, a floating fishing pier, a duck pond and the shady Oasis garden. It's also the most popular launch for the Armand Bayou Paddling Trail, the easiest way to get a kayak-level view of herons, egrets, ospreys and the odd alligator. Free, and open long hours, so it's good for a quick sunrise or sunset session.