It’s Time to Take a Hike in Texas! The best way to experience Houston is by hiking it. Explore Buffalo Bayou Park, one of the top urban parks in the country. Nature-watch at the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge, or challenge yourself with a long hike on the Lone Star Hiking Trail. Local author and hiking expert Laurie Roddy has selected the best hikes within a 60-mile radius of the city. This perfect blend of popular trails and hidden gems transports you to scenic overlooks, wildlife hot spots, and historical settings that renew your spirit and recharge your body. With Roddy as your guide, you’ll learn about the area and experience nature through 60 of its best hikes. The author provides expert tips about where to go and what to expect when you get there. Plus, each hike description features key at-a-glance information on distance & configuration, hiking time, difficulty, scenery, traffic, trail surface, and accessibility, as well as details about the history and natural history of the area. GPS-based trail maps and elevation profiles, along with clear directions to the trailheads, help to ensure that you always know where you are and where you’re going. Whether you’re a local looking for new places to explore or a visitor to the area, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Houston provides plenty of options for a couple hours or a full day of adventure, all within about an hour from Houston and the surrounding communities. A native of Houston, Laurie Roddy has been writing for almost 30 years on everything from computers to sports. She started her own company, Roddy Communications, Inc., in 1997 after working as a technical writer for Compaq Computer Corporation for 10 years. Her main interests and current writing subjects include hiking, golf, and traveling. She has hiked the Rocky Mountains, Mount Olympia, Mount Rainier, the Davis Mountains, Big Bend, the Smoky Mountains, St. Johns in the US Virgin Islands, and all around the Houston area. She is the curator for an outdoor event website in Houston called Get Out Here Houston (getoutherehouston.org) and a freelance writer. SABINE TO BAGBY TRAIL DISTANCE & CONFIGURATION: 2.4-mile out-and-back - DIFFICULTY: Easy - SCENERY: Downtown Houston, bayou, Theater District, Downtown Aquarium, parkland, University of Houston Downtown, historic buildings - EXPOSURE: Sunny - TRAFFIC: Light–moderate - TRAIL SURFACE: Concrete - HIKING TIME: 1 hour - DRIVING DISTANCE: Inside the 610 Loop, approximately 4.5 miles from the intersection of Memorial Drive and the 610 Loop - ACCESS: Free; open 6 a.m.–11 p.m. - MAPS: USGS Settegast - WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes - FACILITIES: Benches, water fountains, lights, canoe/kayak launches - CONTACT: 713-752-0314; buffalobayou.org - LOCATION: 1643 Memorial Drive, Houston - COMMENTS: After heavy rains, be aware of water levels in Buffalo Bayou; it is one of the main flood-control channels in Houston, and water levels may stay high for days. There are no restrooms on this hike, but numerous restaurants and businesses in the area would appreciate your patronage. THIS URBAN HIKE offers some of the best views of downtown Houston and the Theater District. It includes hiking and biking trails on both sides of Buffalo Bayou, which link the Buffalo Bayou Park trails to Sesquicentennial Park downtown. There are 23 street-to-bayou access points, canoe/kayak launches, and a lighting system that allows hiking until 11 p.m. Much of the lighting was created with a blue-to-white color scheme, giving this section of the bayou its nickname, “Blue Bayou.” The lights change in tandem with the phases of the moon. Nearby, the Sunset Coffee building at Allen’s Landing is one of the best places to get that perfect photo of downtown Houston and Buffalo Bayou Park as it stretches out west from the city. DESCRIPTION To start the hike, from City of Houston Lot H, head east toward the Buffalo Bayou Walk sign. Hike down the paved path past a park sign. At a fork, bear left to get on the trail. There are benches to the right that overlook Buffalo Bayou. This trail is part of the 23-acre, $15-million Sabine to Bagby Waterfront Park that links Buffalo Bayou Park in the west with Sesquicentennial Park in downtown Houston. This trail is beautiful in the daytime because of native landscaping, and even more beautiful at night with blue-to-white lights that change with the phases of the moon. In 2002, the Buffalo Bayou Partnership and the City of Houston devised a 20-year master plan to bring Buffalo Bayou back to life and create a waterfront of parks, canals, and mixed-use development. The plan focuses on a 10-square-mile area that will create 850 acres of new parkland in downtown Houston. Trails now reconnect neighborhoods to the waterway, expanding access to the bayou from numerous locations. Part of the City of Houston downtown revitalization plan, the Sabine to Bagby Trail now connects the parks west of downtown to the heart of Houston. As you hike, you will go by Wortham