Watershed Texas

Many park destinations are along Houston’s bayous, but often you can’t follow the waterway from one destination to the next. That’s a limitation when you want to travel through the park–walking the dog, running, or biking–as opposed to settling in for a picnic or sunbath.  Happily, the Bayou Greenways 2020 program will fill the missing links between public green spaces with a continuous trail system along the major bayous. ­Bayou Greenways 2020 is the new park initiative that will be funded in part by the bonds approved in last November’s election, and matched by private funding.

TCWP has been a partner in the development of several bayou green spaces.  The stormwater wetland at Mason Park (which you can see in our banner photo above) lies along Brays Bayou. Another stormwater wetland in Buffalo Bend Nature Park, and the natural area Tapley Tributary, are on Buffalo Bayou. Although Buffalo Bend won’t be pulled into the trail system as proposed, having many such gems along the bayous strung together by a more complete chain of trails is a satisfying prospect.

I have already seen what a difference the trails and amenities along Buffalo Bayou between Bagby Street and Shepherd Drive have made. Miles of park can be explored without ever waiting for a traffic light. I’ve made discoveries and seen the city in a new way from the water side, and seen so many other people enjoying the trails too. When the Bayou Greenways 2020 initiative is complete in 7 years, literally hundreds of miles of trails along the bayous will be accessible to Houstonians.