Situated entirely within Barker Reservoir, a large flood control structure, the park covers 7,800 acres (32 km2), most of which is undeveloped forest used for the storage of floodwater.

Since the park is entirely located within the normally dry Barker Reservoir, it is subject to routine flooding and closure during times of high rainfall.

In the 1880s, a railway named the Texas Western Narrow Gauge Railroad ran trains from Houston to surrounding areas.

Barely lasting one decade, the line was forced to shut down due to bankruptcy, yet still the park considers it a heritage.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers constructed Barker Reservoir in the 1940s to limit flooding along Buffalo Bayou in Houston.

[3] On September 13, 2011, during the 2010–13 Southern United States and Mexico drought, a significant wildfire broke out within the park.

[6] Shortly afterward, a man was arrested in connection with the blaze, but charges were dropped and the arson investigation was inconclusive.

In addition to the biking trail, there is a large wooden bridge that crosses the Buffalo Bayou, dubbed "the Boardwalk" officially.