Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve Houston TX

Houston · Vintage Park / Hwy 249 · 77070

Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve is the lake the Vintage side of northwest Houston walks to — 80 acres of Harris County Precinct 3 parkland wrapped around 40-acre Marshall Lake, with Cypress Creek running its southern edge. The land was donated to the county in January 2009 by the Kickerillo and Mischer companies as they built The Vintage next door, and it opened as a public preserve in April 2017. Since then it’s grown into one of the best fishing and strolling spots on this side of the county — and in 2024 it finally got its long-promised trail connection to 100 Acre Wood Preserve.

What you’ll find at Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve

Precinct 3 posts 2.24 miles of trails, built around the paved 1.7-mile loop circling Marshall Lake — flat, shaded in stretches, and popular with everyone from stroller pushers to cross-country teams. Fishing is the headline: Texas Parks & Wildlife stocks the lake year after year, including rainbow trout every winter (a record 3,233 in 2025, plus another 1,096 in 2026), annual channel catfish, and 45 adult largemouth bass from the ShareLunker program back in 2023 — anyone 17 or older needs a Texas freshwater license. Fishing piers, an observation pier, and a canoe launch for non-motorized boats line the shore, and Precinct 3 runs free registered paddling programs and events like Boats & Bobbers and spring family campouts — details from the Precinct 3 parks department. There’s also a volleyball court, restrooms, a pavilion and fire ring for organized groups, and pet-waste stations along the trail for leashed dogs. Hours are 7 a.m. to dusk daily; the park office occupies a converted Prestonwood Forest fire station. Houston Audubon runs a bird survey here the first Monday of every month.

What’s new at Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve

In January 2024, Precinct 3 opened a small new county park at 20022 TX-249 — boardwalk, playground, picnic area — whose trail passes under Hwy 249, ties into the D. Bradley McWilliams YMCA, and reaches 100 Acre Wood Preserve. That makes the two preserves one connected walk for the first time, and both are pieces of the county’s larger Cypress Creek Greenway vision. The preserve itself picked up a new playground, added trail mileage, and fresh trees in a 2023 round of upgrades, and the Faulkey Gully trail extension finishing in summer 2026 points the greenway’s next phases back toward the preserve.

Photo gallery of Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve

We have put together a complete photo gallery of Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve with descriptions of where the photos were taken and what they depict.

This article was authored by and all photos were taken by the staff of Houston Prime Realty.

Living near Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve

The Vintage surrounds the preserve’s north side — the HEB-anchored Vintage Park shops, St. Luke’s hospital campus, and neighborhoods like gated Vintage Lakes are all within a mile, which is exactly how the developers drew it up when they set the land aside. Browse my Houston neighborhood guides or search Houston homes for sale — and if a stocked lake in walking distance sounds like your kind of amenity, call or text me, Kevan Pewitt, at (281) 500-7077.

Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve: quick answers

Can you fish Marshall Lake?

Yes — it’s one of the most reliably stocked public lakes in the county, with TPWD rainbow trout every winter, channel catfish annually, and ShareLunker-program bass added in 2023. Anyone 17 or older needs a Texas freshwater fishing license; check lake rules with Precinct 3.

Do the trails connect to 100 Acre Wood Preserve?

Yes — since January 2024. A new connector park on the west side of the preserve carries a paved trail under Hwy 249 to the YMCA and on into 100 Acre Wood, so you can walk between the two preserves without crossing the highway.

Can you rent a kayak or canoe there?

No rentals — the launch is bring-your-own for non-motorized boats. Precinct 3 does run free registered paddling programs on Marshall Lake with equipment provided, so watch their events calendar if you want to try the water first.

Last updated: July 2026. Stocking schedules, programs, and hours change — verify current details with Harris County Precinct 3 before visiting.