Buffalo Bayou Park/Eleanor Tinsley Park & Sandy Reed Memorial Trail

Buffalo Bayou Park is located directly west of the central business district in downtown Houston. The lovely green space winds 160 acres along the banks of Buffalo Bayou and is one of of the most popular places to run in Houston. A $30 million urban revitalization plan has won national acclaim (More info here).  It’s also the closest route to the George R. Brown Convention Center and downtown hotels. The eastern section is Eleanor Tinsley Park and the western section is Buffalo Bayou Park.  Bonus: well-lit at night.

The Sandy Reed Trail is a paved multi-use path that runs the length of the park, alongside both sides of the Bayou. One can out together a run of varying distances, using the numerous bridges that are about 1/2 mile apart, using Allen Parkway as a guideline. The full loop is 5.6-miles, running from downtown @Sam Houston Park near City Hall west to the Shepherd Street Bridge, featuring scenic views of Houston’s downtown skyscrapers. We recommend crossing Rosemont Bridge at the halfway point of the loop for a spectacular tree-top view of Buffalo Bayou and Houston skyline. Paths feature one lane for cyclists and one for pedestrians, and several water fountains along the route. It is a little hilly, too. Note, at Waugh Dr. is a “bat bridge”, where there are reliably at sunset, thousands of bats. At the west end on the north side, there’s a good running track at St. Thomas High School.

Add-Ons: 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.  For longer run (~11.5 miles), you can combine Buffalo Bayou with the Seymour Lieberman Exercise Trail at Memorial Park. Use the underpass at Shepherd Street Bridge, which leads to a sidewalk that to Memorial Park, about 1.5 miles west of the bridge. See route here.