Bates Allen Park mixes wetlands, map reading, and Fort Bend history

Bates M. Allen Park covers 236 acres in Kendleton. Its wetlands, lake, canoe ramp, fishing pier, observation deck, and nature trails give the park several ways into the landscape.

The park also has a permanent orienteering course. Numbered markers turn a map-and-compass walk into a navigation puzzle. The same grounds hold historic sites and the Fort Bend County Heritage Unlimited Museum.

That is an unusual county-park mix: paddle or fish, find a route by compass, then step into the heritage museum. The history is part of the outing instead of a plaque added at the edge.