Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barker Dam USACE flood-control dam; top of this sheet | Dam / hazard | 29.76969, -95.64655 | km 0 and the top of this sheet. The Corps dam at the head of the reach, 109 m off the centreline measured to its own geometry. Above it is the Barker Reservoir flood pool, dry most of the year and not a float. Put in below the outlet. |
| 2 | TX 6 crossing State Highway 6, west Houston | Bridge crossing | 29.76943, -95.64327 | km 0.5. The first crossing below Barker Dam, 6 m off the centreline, and the usual top of the Buffalo Bayou paddle. A river-km landmark; OSM carries no ramp at the bridge itself. |
| 3 | Terry Hershey Park Harris County; linear park along the bayou | Park / conservation area | 29.76119, -95.56012 | km 10.2. A linear county park following the bayou from TX 6 down to Beltway 8, touching the centreline here. Hike-and-bike trail on both banks and several footbridges; the park itself, not a single pin, is the access for this reach. |
| 4 | Beltway 8 crossing Sam Houston Parkway / Beltway 8 | Bridge crossing | 29.76240, -95.55773 | km 10.7. The Beltway 8 crossing, 1 m off the centreline, at the downstream end of Terry Hershey Park. A river-km landmark. |
| 5 | Briarbend Park launch Unnamed slipway in OSM, inside Briarbend Park | Access / boat ramp | 29.74601, -95.50760 | km 18.9. A slipway on the centreline inside Briarbend Park, a City of Houston park whose boundary sits 39 m away - the named anchor that makes this unnamed feature placeable. A bank launch for canoes and kayaks, not a ramp. |
| 6 | Houston Arboretum and Nature Center Nature sanctuary on the Memorial Park edge | Park / conservation area | 29.75653, -95.44941 | km 30.6. Nature sanctuary on the south bank, 35 m off the centreline at its nearest point. OSM names it Houston Arboretum Park; the site's own name is the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center. Trails and a visitor centre, no launch. |
| 7 | Memorial Park City of Houston; the city's largest park | Park / conservation area | 29.75673, -95.44006 | km 31.8. Houston's largest park, touching the centreline here at 3 m, with trails along the south bank through this whole reach. OSM maps no launch inside the park. |
| 8 | USGS streamgage - Buffalo Bayou at Houston USGS streamgage 08074000 | USGS gauge | 29.76023, -95.40855 | km 36.8. Real-time flow and the reference gauge for this reach, the one the water page links. USGS names the site Buffalo Bayou at Houston, TX. Coordinate from the site roster; 33 m off the centreline. |
| 9 | Buffalo Bayou Park Buffalo Bayou Partnership; Shepherd to Sabine | Park / conservation area | 29.76176, -95.39198 | km 38.5. The restored park carrying the bayou from Shepherd Drive down to Sabine Street, 88 m off the centreline. OSM maps three unnamed slipways inside it; one of them ships below at km 40.1. |
| 10 | Eleanor Tinsley Park launch Unnamed slipway in OSM, at Eleanor Tinsley Park | Access / boat ramp | 29.76207, -95.37829 | km 40.1. A slipway on the centreline with the Eleanor Tinsley Park boundary 90 m away - the anchor that places it. Two further unnamed slipways sit 0.4 and 0.5 km downstream; this ships as one point, not three. |
| 11 | Sesquicentennial Park City of Houston; downtown theater district | Park / conservation area | 29.76417, -95.36513 | km 41.6. Downtown park on both banks below Bagby Street, 62 m off the centreline, with steps down to the water. The last green space above Allen's Landing. |
| 12 | Allen's Landing Historic head of navigation; bottom of this sheet | Access / boat ramp | 29.76389, -95.35875 | km 42.3 and the bottom of this sheet. Houston's original port at the White Oak Bayou confluence, 54 m off the centreline, and the usual take-out. Below here the bayou is bulkheaded and becomes the Ship Channel. |
Gauge: USGS 08074000 — Buffalo Bayou at Houston, TX. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Alligator Gar, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Longnose Gar, Spotted Bass
Regulations: tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/fishing/
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Houston gauge reach access in Buffalo Bayou Park - the urban flow reference and multiple bank points.
Buffalo Bayou Park paddle launch near Sabine Street - the main kayak put-in inside the loop.
Allen's Landing downtown - historic launch at the head of the ship channel.
Memorial Park and Woodway area accesses - upstream bank fishing and hand launch.
Briar Bend and Piney Point accesses - upper urban reach paddle points.
Highway 6 crossing near Addicks - access to the reach below the reservoir releases.
Katy area upper bayou crossings - small-water paddling above the reservoirs.
Spring: frequent high releases after rain; fish the falling water for gar and catfish once flow steadies.
Summer: the main season, with alligator gar active in the deeper bends and good early-morning bass fishing.
Fall: settled flows and the clearest water of the year, best for sight-fishing gar and working structure.
Winter: slower but fishable, with catfish holding in deep bends and fewer paddle