Buffalo Bayou is an overlooked playground. This central waterway runs through the main areas of the city, and is one of the most picturesque and accessible places to go kayaking in Houston. With a little back-paddling to study the snags, the obstructions are usually passable. We should be respecting the cliffs—our ancient geologic heritage. Buffalo Bayou is a state designated paddling trail. Routes vary from 1-1/4 to 3-1/2 hours depending on flow and paddling enthusiasm. Or paddle even further just past the Sabine Street Bridge and use the takeout on the north bank where there is ample parking in the  lot of the Fonde Recreation Center. Having seen many people canoeing down Buffalo Bayou — kids even! The water can be accessed from numerous places along its East/West meander across Houston. The brush and trees will collect sediment and restore the banks, and provide habitat for wildlife. There is street-side parking. Hi, But despite the listing on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Buffalo Bayou Paddle Trails map, there is no boat launch in the sanctuary, and paddlers should be respectful of this nature preserve. Stop and spend some time in what we call the middle meander—a lovely sandy marsh on your left and a sandy point on the right at a sharp bend with cliffs directly ahead of you. guest-paddler, A self-supported trip created by Patrick Feller / Flickr / CC BY 2.0. The sandy south bank of Buffalo Bayou on Oct. 6, 2014, as a thunderstorm arrives. Do try to note the difference between deposition of sediment and subsequent slumping or erosion of deposition, and slumping (caving) and erosion of the high banks from the top (runoff). Transportation also provided for personal kayaks, canoes, and cyclists. This former nature area and boat launch was closed to the public for nearly three years, and during that time paddlers had to make do by putting in under the Woodway Bridge. (Update: Access to the railroad trestle apparently has been closed. These are on the up-stream section. The Buffalo Bayou Shuttle Service is Houston's recreational shuttle. Hi! This 26-mile paddling trail is the first paddling trail in Houston. Ive seen many tracks of raccoon and possum and weve seen 2 young raccoons watching us from the overhanging foliage. This is as Houston as it gets. Buffalo Bayou does take in a great deal of water from storm drainage and is subject to the debris and cast-offs of negligent modern culture---cups, bags, cans--thrown on the roadsides. It’s a short, steep, slippery hike (remember the bayou is always changing) up to the large parking lot. Planning is best, in this and all waterways close to human settlements: Hand washing before eating, covering drinking containers and protecting from contamination. Still Focused on Outdated Ideas, Killing the Alligator Snapping Turtles in Buffalo Bayou, Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries: Virtual Town Hall with Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, Outrageous Plan to Deepen, Widen, Kill Buffalo Bayou, Deadline Extended to Comment on Proposal to Deepen, Widen Buffalo Bayou. Do note that the fenced parking lot is open only from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We used to take out after the Shepherd Bridge. Is it safe for a family of 4 (2 and 5 year olds) to boat paddle in the bayou? And just in case the gate to the recently reopened boat launch is locked (we’ve heard reports), here is how you can still launch your boat by going underneath the bridge. Share. The best thing would be to check with our board member Tom Helm, geologist and owner of Helm Canoe Guide Service. Early Morning Fall Float on Buffalo Bayou, Coral Snakes, and Other Films on Save Buffalo Bayou’s YouTube Channel, Flying Over the Flooded Bayou After Harvey, Photographs of Buffalo Bayou Flowing Past Memorial Park, Rainfall, River Flow Gauges, Flood Maps, Tree Benefits, and Other Useful Links, Books and Articles on Buffalo Bayou, Rivers, Flooding, and Nature, Podcasts: The Corps of Engineers, Flooding, and Buffalo Bayou, The Top Eleven Phony Arguments For Bulldozing Our Wild Bayou and The Right Answers, Failed Natural Channel Design in Harris County, Problems with Natural Stable Channel Design in Buffalo Bayou Park, Buy a Save Buffalo Bayou T-Shirt. Note the mud bulldozed up under the bridge and dumped there from the “erosion control” project, previously the canoe launch. Buffalo Bayou at the Woodway Bridge, formerly known as Dutchman’s Crossing. Normally we unload canoes and kayaks beforehand on the north side of the bridge just east of the bayou in the grass next to the green Buffalo Bayou sign. Links to Discussions: Corps’ Plans for Buffalo Bayou, Katy Prairie, and Coastal Barrier, Facebook Live Discussion: The Future of Houston’s Katy Prairie and Buffalo Bayou, Corps Reconsidering Flood Tunnels. Driving into the park may no longer be possible or even legal. This may change from time-to-time. Be bold. Please be aware that this south bank area was healing before the club killed the vegetation on the upper high bank in September 2015. Click to view any of these 5,335 available rental units near Buffalo Bayou Paddling Trail to see photos, reviews, floor plans and verified information about schools, neighborhoods, unit availability and more. Somehow SWA or the Parks Department or somebody forgot to include access for the public in the design, which is why the newly landscaped $1.3 million project is still was closed to the public as of until Nov. 3, 2014 Oct. 17, 2015, Dec. 24, 2015, even though it was finished [a year ago] last in the spring of 2014, according to Sarah Newbury of the Uptown TIRZ  (Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone) 16. There is ample parking for vehicles and trailers and easy access on a sloped ramp down to the bayou’s edge. Yes, the best access to the most beautiful and historic natural stretch of Buffalo Bayou is now open to the public again. Routes vary from 1-1/4 to 3-1/2 hours depending on flow and paddling enthusiasm Buffalo Bayou does take in a great deal of water from storm drainage and is subject to the debris and cast-offs of negligent modern culture---cups, bags, cans--thrown on the roadsides. This is the most famous of all the steams in Houston; the birthplace of Houston, thanks to the Allen brothers, and also the start of conservation efforts in the Houston area. After a storm, the Army Corps of Engineers will release impounded rain water from the dams in west Houston, which are undergoing repairs, and the current can be fast and dangerous. BUFFALO BAYOU. Its natural beauty is … The trail is beyond the West end of the parking area, past the Paddle-Trail Map. (For questions or updates related to Kayak and Canoe rentals you can call: 713-538-7433 or visit our facebook page for the latest announcements) _____ Surfing and Beach Stand Up Paddleboard Lessons are open!! (This young tree and associated riparian vegetation have since been destroyed by the installation of environmentally-damaging riprap by the country club.) The paddling trail of the Buffalo Bayou is the longest official paddling trail of Texas. If you dont see the turtles on the logs and banks, youll hear them as they jump in and possibly see them as they surface to check you out. Here we are fortunate to have room for the river to move. It’s a healthy process. The Parking lot will be on the right, under the overpass. The bayou here will be plugged and filled in, the thousands years old cliffs defaced and graded, and the bayou rerouted much further south into club property. Routes further up-stream are mentioned in other texts, but my scouting along the adjacent hiking path in Terry Hershey park has shown more snags and strainers, west of Kirkwood, than I was willing to run. The not-quite-finished entrance from the rebuilt parking lot to the boat launch recently reopened in Memorial Park on Buffalo Bayou at Woodway. For the record, there’s an unusable takeout slightly further downstream from Sabine on the south bank with no parking whatsoever. P.O. Difficult to know what planners were thinking there. Whether volunteering as a large or small group, or individually, your efforts will lead to a healthier environment and a more aesthetically pleasing amenity for all to enjoy. — and having gone on a boat trip with the Buffalo Bayou Partnership down the east end toward the Ship Channel a … Landscape and architectural design allegedly by SWA Group. The Harris County Flood Control District’s project would bulldoze and cut a new channel for the bayou through this forested area belonging to the River Oaks Country Club. Most of the route is navigable without portage or poling over shallows. The banks downstream from those houses all the way to just past the Bayou Bend Collection footbridge are also public land, owned by the City of Houston as part of the Hogg Bird Sanctuary. Your email address will not be published. The paddle trail is officially 26 miles long. Buffalo Bayou Park is the 160-acre greenspace that lies just west of downtown Houston. There are also pipelines and downed trees in the bayou, so watch out. There are some small rapids at the railroad trestle and the most beautiful part of the bayou begins here. A 26-mile trail that stretches from the west side of the city right to downtown, the Buffalo Bayou Paddling Trail has 10 access points to drop into the water and will land paddlers in the heart of H-town. Float Times: See map below Always remember... Be Safe Coastal waters are ever-changing dynamic systems with inherent dangers. Enjoy paddling through downtown Houston, enjoying the birds, turtles, fish and other wildlife found in this otherwise urban environment. The Woodway Not a Boat Launch is Now a Boat Launch Again! You can also put in at the railroad trestle inside the park—if they don’t decide to block that off too. Note the golf course on a steep bank above. The parking area will be on your left. Unfortunately, I quickly realized many of the jumping fish were mullet, which I only recently learned can survive in freshwater. That would depend on your paddling experience, what kind of equipment you plan to use, and the water level at the time. On March 10, 2018, we kayaked 15 miles down Buffalo Bayou in Houston as part of the 46th Annual Buffalo Bayou Partnership Regatta--and survived! Keymap 490-R, Post Oak access 610 West Loop, Exit Woodwaygo West, away from Downtown, barely a block. Or  hire paddling expert, naturalist, and geologist Tom Helm for the best, most informative river trip. The bayou runs from Katy, a western Houston suburb, all the way to Galveston Bay. The warnings of bacterial and chemical contamination, also, cannot be overlooked. The entrance is just a little sliver of a hidden passageway between the vegetation and the bridge itself. I had a great time, even with the low water levels, and hope to head out more often in the future. 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