Conroe will open a free, lighted outdoor archery range at Owen Park this spring after the City Council approved a bid for the project. Officials say the range will expand recreational opportunities and support tourism, including the return of the R100 archery tour.
.jpg)
This spring, the city of Conroe will open a free, lit outdoor archery range at Owen Park. This will add a new recreational area in the flood zone of the San Jacinto River.
The City Council gave the job to AMF Management after approving a bid on January 22.
The city said the range will be on the east side of the park and have about 20 targets set up under open-air buildings. The building will be free for everyone to use, and archery games will be able to happen at night.
It is a new adventure for Conroe to bring archery here, Mikeska said. City residents feel it's their duty to give youth opportunities to try new things.
She said that people of all ages and skill levels enjoy shooting.
The project goes forward from the first R100 archery event in the city, which took place at Owen Park in April 2025. The R100 is a 3D archery tour that goes all over the country and is ideal for families. The only stops in Texas on the 2025 tour were in Conroe and Amarillo.
The R100 event will be back in Conroe from April 10th to 12th at Owen Park. The public is allowed to take part. Toby Ragsdale, a local archery expert, says that more than 250 archers came to the first game.
The city set aside $50,000 from last year's hotel room tax to help promote the event, but the actual cost was less than planned. Again, Conroe has set aside $50,000 for the event in 2026. Hotels must use occupancy taxes only to encourage tourism and support hotel and convention businesses, according to state rules.
As a member of the 2024 Texas Field Archery Association Hall of Fame, Ragsdale said that the new range meets a need in the area.
RGS said, "This public archery range is the only one like it in this area." The lighted course, which he thinks is the only one in Texas, will also give local archers new chances.
Ragsdale worked with fellow archer and city employee Greg Wells to help design the range layout. He said the targets will face away from public areas to minimize safety concerns.
Separately, the city recently demolished the former Conroe Family YMCA building at Owen Park. The multipurpose facility opened in 1988 and operated as the Conroe Family YMCA until 2020. It later served briefly as the Westside Rec Center before closing in 2024.
.jpg)
.jpg)