2026 Trash Bash at Armand Bayou
by Tom Douglas
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Date
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March 28, 2026
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Meet-up
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Bay Area Park, 7500 Bay Area Blvd. in Pasadena, TX
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Put-in
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Bay Area Park, 7500 Bay Area Blvd. in Pasadena, TX
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Take-out
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Bay Area Park, 7500 Bay Area Blvd. in Pasadena, TX
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Paddling Miles
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1.6 Miles
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Fees or Permits
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Waiver Forms for HCC and Trash Bash 2026
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Gage
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8771013 Eagle Point, Galveston Bay
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Temperature
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62-71°F at Park Shadows Station KTXPASAD21
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Sky
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Partly Cloudy to Cloudy
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Moon Phase
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waxing gibbous
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Sunrise/Sunset
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Sunrise 7:15 AM / Sunset 7:37 PM
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Precipitation
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None
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Wind
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14-18 mph from the NE
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Coordinator
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Tom Douglas
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HCC Participants
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Tom Douglas, Ellen Shipman, Natalie Wiest
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Shuttle
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None
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Craft
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1 Tandem Canoe, 1 Solo Canoe
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HCC Club Miles
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4.8 miles (1.6 miles x 3 HCC Members)
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Road Miles
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30 miles Each Way – From Home to Bay Area Park in Pasadena, TX
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Guide Book
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https://tpwd.texas.gov/boating/paddling-trails/gulf-coast/armand-bayou/
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Photos, Map
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Photos by Tom Douglas and 2026 Trash Bash Staff; Map by Tom Douglas
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Food
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Lunch Catered by 2026 Trash Bash
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Water
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It was low tide (0.0 to 0.4 ft.), but there was plenty of water to paddle up into Big Island Slough.
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Our group met up at Bay Area Park at 8:00, where we were greeted by Galveston Bay Foundation staff who confirmed that our waiver forms were in order. With help and encouragement from the staff, we were on the water at 8:30.
Ready to Launch by 2026 Trash Bash Staff (note the clean canoes!)
A cold front had passed through overnight, so conditions were cool and breezy, making a lightweight wind shell just the ticket for comfort. With the wind coming from the northeast, we elected to paddle upstream so that it would be at our backs during the return leg of our run.
Almost as soon as we passed by the Bay Area Boulevard bridge, we spotted plentiful trash that had been pushed up onto the bayou’s eastern shore by the wind. Here, much of the debris had washed up into blown-down vegetation.
Lots of Wind-Deposited Floatables by Tom Douglas
A little farther along, there were several clusters of items up on the bank, which Natalie was quick to collect.
Action Up on the Bank by Tom Douglas
We figured that Big Island Slough might provide more protection from the wind than the main channel of Armand Bayou. When we headed up into the slough, we found that there was quite a bit of trash all along its east side. We continued gathering trash until our watches told us that it was time to turn back to join the larger group at Bay Area Park.
Our Route up Armand Bayou and Big Island Slough by Tom Douglas
Having filled our available bags with trash, we had to resort to dropping the rest of what we collected into our boats as a jumble of loose items. Once we were ashore, we got this sorted out, weighed, and deposited in the waiting dumpster.
Tom’s Treasures by 2026 Trash Bash Staff
Natalie’s and Ellen’s Haul by Tom Douglas
Finally, it was time to enjoy conversation with new-found friends over lunch at a picnic table overlooking the bayou.
This had been a good chance for paddlers to “give back” to the larger community.