What is Buffalo Bayou Park in Houston TX?
Buffalo Bayou Park, labeled a "signature, verdant downtown gateway" by the Houston Chronicle, includes a dog park, broad lawns, gardens, restaurants, and an art space inside a historic disused cistern. In 2006 the Houston Cistern, managed by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, started offering historical tours and immersive art exhibits.
Can you swim in Buffalo Bayou Park?
No swimming. There are public parking areas available at Lost Lake, Eleanor Tinsley Park and The Water Works, as well as along Allen Parkway, Memorial Drive, and city streets surrounding Buffalo Bayou Park. When parking along city streets, please pay close attention to signage, be neighborly and use the pedestrian bridges to safely access the park.
Where can I Walk my Dog in Buffalo Bayou Park?
Each year, this is the site of an annual procession and wreath-laying ceremony. One of Buffalo Bayou Park’s most active destinations is the Johnny Steele Dog Park, a two-acre site located near Allen Parkway and Montrose Boulevard.
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How big is the Buffalo Bayou?
102-square-mileIts 102-square-mile (260 km2) direct drainage area contains a population of over 440,000. Including tributaries, the bayou has a watershed area of approximately 500 square miles (1,300 km2).
How long is bayou trail Houston?
150 miles of trails. 3,000 acres of greenspace.
How many acres is Buffalo Bayou Park?
160 acresSome interesting facts collected about Buffalo Bayou Park: 160 acres stretching along 2.3 miles of the bayou.
Are there alligators in Buffalo Bayou Park?
And yes, we do have alligators in Buffalo Bayou. Also catfish, which can grow to more than forty pounds. Amazing that there is room for all these massive creatures to move about in the shallow waters of the bayou.
How many miles is the Buffalo Bayou Trail?
A popular, pretty 5.6-mile loop runs from downtown to Shepherd Street Bridge to the west. The loop runs along both sides of Buffalo Bayou, offering scenic views of Houston's downtown skyscrapers.
Is Buffalo Bayou Trail Safe?
The west part of the Buffalo Bayou trail is nice, well-lit, and safe.
Why is Buffalo Bayou so dirty?
It's eroding terribly. Sediment from the banks in Memorial Park washes up on the sidewalks of Buffalo Bayou Park we built downstream in the floodway right next to the river. All that sediment carries bacteria. If we stop the banks from eroding so much sediment, we will reduce the bacteria.
Can you swim in Buffalo Bayou?
The State of Texas requires that water quality in Buffalo and Whiteoak Bayous be suitable for swimming, wading, fishing, and aquatic life. Swimming and wading are considered contact recreation in the State's standards for water quality, referring to all recreation in which people come in direct contact with the water.
How deep is Buffalo Bayou in Houston?
45-feet deepBy 1914, the Ship Channel had been dredged to a depth of 25-feet, and today, it is a thriving, fifty-two-mile, 45-feet deep water port connecting Houston to the world. An 1891 map of Houston. Photo courtesy of the author. Buffalo Bayou remains Houston's signature waterway.
Are there poisonous snakes in Houston Texas?
Not just copperhead, there's the cottonmouth or water moccasin, coral snake, and rattlesnake are common venomous species found in the greater Houston area. The good news is the likelihood of being bit by a snake is low.
Do crocodiles live in the bayou?
If you planned on seeing crocodiles during your New Orleans swamp tour, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but crocodiles don't inhabit New Orleans. However, you will find alligators as well as other fascinating wildlife when you take a guided swamp tour through the Louisiana Bayou.
What animals are in Buffalo Bayou?
Buffalo Bayou has a great diversity of flora and fauna along its banks. Egrets, herons, hawks, and other birdlife are commonly seen. Rabbits, turtles, fishes, snakes, and even an occasional alligator might also be found along the bayou and the tributaries.
How long is Braes Bayou trail?
The Brays Bayou Greenway Trail is a long, open trail that runs ~14 miles runs between the University of Texas Medical Center/Zoo area, west to the intersection of Bissonnet St.
How long is the White Oak Bayou Trail?
With over 17 miles of public green space and hike-and-bike trails within city limits, White Oak Bayou will include Watonga Parkway Park (home to one of Houston's largest bat roosts), T.C.
How many bayous are in Houston?
four majorHouston has four major bayous passing through the city: Buffalo Bayou, which runs into downtown and the Houston Ship Channel; and three of its tributaries: Brays Bayou, which runs along the Texas Medical Center; White Oak Bayou, which runs through the Heights and near the northwest area; and Sims Bayou, which runs ...
How long is TC Jester Park trail?
2.5 miTC Jester Park is a 2.5 mile (5,500-step) route located near Houston, Texas, USA. This route has an elevation gain of about 88.6 ft and is rated as easy. Find the best walking trails near you in Pacer App....TC Jester Park.Length2.5 miEst. Steps55003 more rows
When is Buffalo Bayou Park open?
Buffalo Bayou Park is open:Sun - Sat 6:00 AM - 10:00 PMBuy tickets in advance on Tripadvisor. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel at least...
Do you need to book in advance to visit Buffalo Bayou Park?
We recommend booking Buffalo Bayou Park tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before...
What's the best way to see Buffalo Bayou Park?
According to Tripadvisor travelers, these are the best ways to experience Buffalo Bayou Park: Private 2.5-Hour Houston City Tour (From $349.00) Hou...
What hotels are near Buffalo Bayou Park?
Hotels near Buffalo Bayou Park: (1.62 mi) La Maison in Midtown (0.36 mi) Unique Historic Showpiece Home 6K sq ft. 4 living/ent areas, hot tub on ba...
What restaurants are near Buffalo Bayou Park?
Restaurants near Buffalo Bayou Park: (0.07 mi) Flora (0.14 mi) Piggy's Kitchen & Bar (0.22 mi) Emmaline (0.20 mi) Pizza Birra Vino (0.20 mi) Subway...
What attractions are near Buffalo Bayou Park?
Attractions near Buffalo Bayou Park: (0.07 mi) Beth Yeshurun Cemetery (0.19 mi) Stages Repertory Theatre (0.18 mi) Guava Lamp (0.26 mi) Waugh Drive...
How many acres are there in Buffalo Bayou Park?
In 2015, the Partnership completed Buffalo Bayou Park immediately to the west of the Promenade, adding another 160 acres (65 hectares) of renovated parkland along a 2.3-mile (3.7 km) stretch. Buffalo Bayou Park, labeled a "signature, verdant downtown gateway" by the Houston Chronicle, includes a dog park, broad lawns, gardens, restaurants, and an art space inside a historic disused cistern. In 2006 the Houston Cistern, managed by the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, started offering historical tours and immersive art exhibits.
How big is the Buffalo Bayou?
As the principal river of Greater Houston, the Buffalo Bayou watershed is heavily urbanized. Its 102-square-mile (260 km 2) direct drainage area contains a population of over 440,000. Including tributaries, the bayou has a watershed area of approximately 500 square miles (1,300 km 2 ).
What was the response to the 1935 Buffalo Bayou flood?
In response to the disastrous flood of 1935, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in association with the Harris County Flood Control District, began an extensive program of reservoir construction, removal of stream-bank vegetation, and channelization to reduce Houston's flooding risk. The two most prominent flood control features in the Buffalo Bayou watershed are the Addicks and Barker reservoirs in western Harris County, which provide a combined 26,000 acres (11,000 hectares) of open land for runoff storage. In recent years, extensive suburban development upstream of the reservoirs has stressed this flood control infrastructure.
What reservoirs are in Buffalo Bayou?
The upper watershed of Buffalo Bayou is impounded by the Addicks and Barker reservoirs , which comprise a major flood control system for the region. The reservoir system plays a crucial role in delaying and attenuating the peak outflow of the river during large rainfall events. Moving eastward, the Buffalo flows under State Highway 6 and into Terry Hershey Park, a linear park which follows the bayou for approximately 6 miles (9.7 km), culminating at Beltway 8 .
Where is Buffalo Bayou located?
Buffalo Bayou is a slow moving body of water which flows through Houston in Harris County, Texas. Formed 18,000 years ago, it has its source in the prairie surrounding Katy, Fort Bend County, and flows approximately 53 miles (85 km) east through the Houston Ship Channel into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to drainage water impounded and released by the Addicks and Barker reservoirs, the bayou is fed by natural springs, surface runoff, and several significant tributary bayous, including White Oak Bayou, Greens Bayou, and Brays Bayou. Additionally, Buffalo Bayou is considered a tidal river downstream of a point 440 yards (400 m) west of the Shepherd Drive bridge in west-central Houston.
When was the Buffalo Bayou dredging project completed?
This first dredging of the Buffalo Bayou was completed in 1876 .
What fish are in the bayou?
The bayou supports a significant population of catfish, sunfish, gars, and bass for recreational fishing. It includes a population of birds and hosts the popular Waugh Bat Bridge. Alligators have also been spotted along the bayou.
How many acres are there in Buffalo Bayou Park?
Buffalo Bayou Park. Stretching from Shepherd Drive to Sabine Street between Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive, the 160-acre Buffalo Bayou Park is one of the country’s great urban green spaces. Enjoy exploring and discovering all the natural beauty Buffalo Bayou has to offer by downloading the Buffalo Bayou Guide below.
What is the Buffalo Bayou Park Field Guide?
The book also includes the Buffalo Bayou Park Field Guide (also sold separately), so you can identify the flora and fauna that call Buffalo Bayou home.
What is Buffalo Bayou Partnership?
Buffalo Bayou Partnership is working with a committee of Houston-area arts professionals and community leaders to develop and guide programming for the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern. At this time, BBP is not accepting unsolicited ideas/proposals for programming of the Cistern. Please join BBP’s email list to stay up to date on future plans.
What is the Barbara Fish Daniel play area?
Near The Water Works and the Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark, the Barbara Fish Daniel Nature Play Area and Picnic Pavilion is one of the park’s most popular destinations. Designed to inspire a love of nature within children, features of the play area include: a boulder rock scramble, a rolling lawn, a stream and waterfall, climbing logs and stones, and a 33-foot slide (temporarily closed for repairs). The most compelling component is a tri-level tree house/boat deck with climbing net.
How old do dogs have to be to go to the dog park?
Immediately leash your dog and leave the park if your dog (s) behaves aggressively. No puppies under four months of age are allowed in the dog park. No female dogs in heat are allowed in the dog park. No children age 12 or under are allowed in the dog park. Children ages 13 through 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
How wide is Sandy Reed Memorial Trail?
The Sandy Reed Memorial Trail, the ten-foot wide concrete trail located on both sides of the bayou, accommodates cyclists, walkers and joggers. The five-foot wide asphalt Kinder Footpath, located along the bayou’s banks, is designed to accommodate park visitors who want to enjoy a walk or jog.
Where is Johnny Steele Dog Park?
One of Buffalo Bayou Park’s most active destinations is the Johnny Steele Dog Park, a two-acre site located near Allen Parkway and Montrose Boulevard. Features include a pond, shade structures, dog washing areas, benches, and drinking fountains complete with spigots for dogs.
How many acres are there in Buffalo Bayou Park?
Buffalo Bayou Park is the 160-acre greenspace that lies just west of downtown Houston. Enhancement of the park was a collaboration of BBP, the Kinder Foundation, the City of Houston through Houston Parks & Recreation Department and Harris County Flood Control District. Buffalo Bayou Park includes beautiful gardens and native landscaping;
What is Buffalo Bayou Park?
Buffalo Bayou Park includes beautiful gardens and native landscaping; hike and bike trails; paddle craft and bike rentals; the go-to dog park in the city; public art; a creative nature play area; two visitor centers; and gathering places for visitors to picnic, relax and enjoy outdoor activities.
Where is Buffalo Bayou in Houston?
After passing the Barker Reservoir near Beltway 8, Buffalo Bayou runs through the 500-acre Terry Hershey Park and through the Memorial area to the Houston Arboretum and Memorial Park, and the River Oaks area. Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s jurisdiction officially begins when Buffalo Bayou hits Shepherd Drive and stretches to the Turning Basin of the Port of Houston. Enjoy exploring and discovering the numerous parks located along this waterway.
How long is the Houston water tour?
Learn about the architecture of this unique space and the history of Houston’s water system during a guided 30-minute art or history tour.
Is there parking at American General Campus?
Turn right into entrance 4, then turn left to enter the surface lot. Once parked, please use paved paths and sidewalks to proceed to the crosswalk at Studemont to safely cross Allen Parkway to Buffalo Bayou Park. All garage and parallel parking within the American General Campus is private parking and reserved for office tenants only.
What is Buffalo Bayou Park?
The centerpiece of a $30 million urban revitalization plan that has won national acclaim ( More info here ), Buffalo Bayou Park is one of the most popular places to run in Houston.
How long is the White Oak Bayou Trail in Houston?
About 1.5 miles south of the trail, there’s nice running in the Montrose neighborhood. Can also connect to the White Oak Bayou Trail. A popular, pretty 5.6-mile loop runs from downtown to Shepherd Street Bridge to the west. The loop runs along both sides of Buffalo Bayou, offering scenic views of Houston’s downtown skyscrapers.
What is the Buffalo Bayou Trail?
The Buffalo Bayou Trail, also referred to as the Sandy Reed Memorial Trail, cuts across Houston and meanders through the many parks that line the waterway, as well as the historical Glenwood Cemetery.
Where is the West End of the Trail?
Sandwiched between Memorial Drive on its north side and Allen Parkway to the south , the west end of the trail is particularly popular and easy to access. Much of this section is shaded and you’ll even find a thriving bat colony under the Waugh Drive Bridge.
How many acres are there in Buffalo Bayou Park?
A $58 million capital campaign transformed the park from a neglected drainage ditch into a citywide showpiece. Its ten acres of trails wind past seven major public art installations, three gardens of native flora, and over four pedestrian bridges; two festival lawns, a dog park, a skate park, a nature play area, a restaurant, and an art exhibit hall draw visitors from afar. Structures were carefully sited above the path of potential floods, while park elements within the valley were designed and built to be submerged during future floods—requiring cleanup, rather than reconstruction, after the inevitable floods.
When was Buffalo Bayou Park straightened?
Plans for the linear parks went down the drain. Between 1953 and 1958, the bayou was straightened through the core of what is now Buffalo Bayou Park—west of downtown, between Sabine Street and Shepherd Drive. HCFCD drew up plans to encase the channel in concrete, to further speed floodwaters toward the ocean.
What is Buffalo Bayou Partnership?
The Buffalo Bayou Partnership (BBP) was founded in 1986 as part of Central Houston Inc., a civic organization dedicated to downtown, as part of an upwelling of civic pride coinciding with the city’s 150th anniversary. From the start, Olson describes BBP as “very capital project driven, not an environmental or membership group,” as it sought funds and coordinated improvements. BBP’s first capital project was Sesquicentennial Park, a 22-acre park and riverwalk through the downtown theater district (see ULI Case Study, Bayou Place). It opened in 1989 and was expanded in 1998—and inspired work on a visionary plan for the entire corridor, convened by BBP and cosponsored by the city, county, and HCFCD. There was an implicit division of labor from the start, with BBP charged with fundraising for incremental capital improvements.
Why are the bayou banks laid back?
As part of the park updates, the slopes of the bayou banks were laid back to create both additional capacity for floodwater movement and recreational space. (SWA Group)
What happened to Buffalo Bayou?
The new city was hardly immune to disasters of its own: in 1935, days of relentless rain swept down Buffalo Bayou, killing seven and inundating downtown Houston buildings with five feet of water. The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) was quickly assembled and put on a fast track; by 1938, the federal government had appropriated funds to dam the bayou’s tributaries and to straighten long stretches of the bayou’s channel. Plans for the linear parks went down the drain.
Why was the bayou redesigned?
The water course was redesigned in order to reverse much of the streamlining that had been made in the 1950s, following intensive study of the bayou’s “flu vial geomorphopology.” Meanders were restored with “flood benches,” like speed humps where fast-moving floodwater can spread out and drop silt and debris. After high water events, cleanup crews can focus their attention on these few locations.
When was Buffalo Bayou completed?
When completed in 2002 , it outlined a vision to rehabilitate the bayou’s ecology, expand its drainage capacity, improve its value in terms of scenery and recreation, and revitalize adjacent neighborhoods.
Overview
Role of the watershed
The Buffalo Bayou watershed is central to the drainage of Houston and Harris County. Lying over relatively impervious soils and very flat topography, the bayou has extensive natural floodplains, as do most Gulf coastal rivers and streams. Urbanization of the watershed has placed thousands of people in vulnerable areas and has affected the frequency and intensity of flood events.
In response to the disastrous flood of 1935, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in association wit…
Route
The upper watershed of Buffalo Bayou is impounded by the Addicks and Barker reservoirs, which comprise a major flood control system for the region. The reservoir system plays a crucial role in delaying and attenuating the peak outflow of the river during large rainfall events. Moving eastward, the Buffalo flows under State Highway 6 and into Terry Hershey Park, a linear park which foll…
History
Along with Galveston Island and Galveston Bay itself, Buffalo Bayou was one of the focal points for early Anglo-American settlement in early Texas, first part of the Spanish Empire and then part of Mexico. Early communities began to appear at the beginning of the 19th century, including Lynchburg, Harrisburg, and Rightor's Point (modern Morgan's Point) in the 1820s. The bayou became impo…
See also
• Houston Ship Channel
• Port of Houston
• San Jacinto River
• List of rivers of Texas
External links
• Buffalo Bayou from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Buffalo Bayou Watershed (Harris County Flood Control)
• US Army Corps of Engineers Public Notice on the Memorial Park Demonstration Project
• The University of Houston Digital Library has a collection of historical photographs about Houston, nearby communities, and more. View these collections at [1]