Buffalo Bayou Park - Houston, TX
Posted by: JimmyEv
N 29° 45.698 W 095° 22.534
15R E 270302 N 3294737
A ribbon of green lining Buffalo Bayou features a hike-and-bike trail, each turn bringing a new view of the downtown skyline; an art park; a Mayan-design police officers’ memorial; and a bat colony, where you can watch clouds of bats emerge at dusk.
Waymark Code: WMYH9
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 11/12/2006
Views: 123
Buffalo Bayou Park is a focus of outdoor activity for residents near downtown. A paved hike-and-bike trail encircles the bayou between downtown and South Shepherd Drive. The trail winds through both wild patches of bottomland forest and carefully landscaped gardens, all along the bayou. Each turn of the trail brings a new view of the downtown skyline.
On the south side of the park lies Eleanor Tinsley Park, a dog park, the Waugh Bridge Bat Colony (where you can watch hundreds of bats emerge at dusk), and the cool Gus Wortham fountain (why does Wortham have so many fountains named after him?).
The Police Officers’ Memorial, a Mayan-inspired pyramid creation topped with a murky pool of bubbling water, is isolated from the rest of the park by Memorial Drive taking a dip across the Bayou. Access is only from the parking lot along Memorial Drive, or by crossing a large grassy field from the south trail along Allen Parkway and walking under Memorial Drive.
The north side of the park begins with an Art Park of temporary sculpture installations and a disc golf course. Most of this side is wild, but there is a neat pavilion (actually a sculpture called Unfinished Passage) overlooking downtown.
There are two canoe launches/take-out points in the park, one on the north side and one on the south side, in case you’re interested in a float down the Bayou.
The listed waypoint will take you to the Sabine Street Bridge entrance to the park. Street parking is available in this area. More parking is available at Eleanor Tinsley Park and near the Wortham Fountain. Additional Waypoints:
- ArtPark: N29 45.698 W095 22.534
- Disc Golf Course: N 29 45.709 W095 22.583
- Unfinished Passage: N29 45.761 W095 22.802
- Eleanor Tinsley Park: N29 45.691 W095 22.793
- Police Memorial: N29 45.761 W095 22.802
- Wortham Fountain: N29 45.714 W095 23.755
- Waugh Bat Colony: N29 45.700 W095 23.879
Canoe Launches:
- N29 45.694 W095 22.490
- N29 45.670 W095 22.443