Skyline of Houston viewed from Buffalo Bayou downstream. Photo by NW
Description: If you want to paddle through downtown Houston, you can't get more downtown than this! There's actually a nice landing area right next to the Brown Theatre, so paddle on in to the next performance. Buffalo Bayou in its dredged-out lower reaches is the Houston Ship Channel through Galveston Bay and into the Gulf of Mexico. It is navigable from the west-side city limits to the east-side, and what a contrast from start to finish. In the upper reaches it goes through some of the nicest backyards in Houston's River Oaks area. It's hard to believe you are within the city limits as you're looking at the huge trees on both sides of the bayou, and even a few spots of Class I+ whitewater if the water level is right.
Directions: There are many put-ins and takeouts for Buffalo Bayou. The Buffalo Bayou Regatta puts in at San Felipe Road just west of its intersection with Voss Road. This is west of the West 610 loop around Houston. Alternate putins are at Highway 6 and Wilcrest. This stretch of the bayou is also the most natural and scenic. The takeout is in Memorial Park, look for a dirt road heading south from Woodway Drive just before the bayou meets the road - or drag your canoe up the banks to any of the parking areas in the park. Remember of course, this is an urban area, and there are plenty of urban animals out there who could cause you grief. Take your valuable possessions with you - or leave them at home - and be sure your car is locked.
If you really want a view of the inner Houston from the water, put in at Memorial Park, and paddle on into downtown to takeout at Allen's Landing Park where Main Street crosses the Bayou, or to the Sabine Street bridge. You will probably get to see a closeup view of street people, the above mentioned landing in the theatre district, the underside of the Gulf Freeway. Hey, you have to do it at least once if you live in Houston.
Solo canoe dwarfed by merchant ship at dock. Photo by NW
From Allen's Landing Park, you are upstream of where the "improved" bayou becomes the Houston Ship Channel. You can broaden your Houston experience by looking for putins further downstream and paddling along with the oceangoing tankers and cargo carriers through the Turning Basin and Ship Channel, but this can be very DANGEROUS (stay well away from any activity on the water!) and can't be recommended for natural beauty. Post 9/11 this area is off limits to recreational boaters. Check with your local Coast Guard representative to be certain of closed or open areas.
Much farther downstream (east of the 610 East Loop, East of Beltway 8) Highway 134 (Battleground Road) cuts between the Battleship Texas State Park, and San Jacinto Monument Park. There are some easy putin places within the San Jacinto Monument Park (follow the circle around the monument, then follow the road opposite where you entered the circle, down to the water). You can paddle around the bays there, even up and around the Battleship. At the right seasons, there are large flocks of white pelicans and roseate spoonbills in the water right next to the park. Battleship Park has nice viewing areas if you want to sit and watch traffic moving by on the ship channel, and both it and the Monument park have nice picnic areas. You can also take a free ferry ride at the Lynchburg Crossing where 134 meets the water.
A natural stretch of Buffalo Bayou, downstream of downtown. Photo by John Somers
The Buffalo Bayou Partnership Web site has a nice map of canoe/kayak launches inside the 610 loop. You can see the map at: http://www.buffalobayou.org/pdf/Canoekayak_postcard.pdf
Another guide to Buffalo Bayou is published by the Bayou Preservation Association. Go to this Web site: http://www.bayoupreservation.org/projwateraccess.html and click on "Buffalo Bayou".