Thread by @CarletonGeoff

As Houstonians, we don’t always tell our story well or celebrate how much progress we have made as a more livable city. Here’s one example we should celebrate where we have made huge progress over the past decade. Let’s call it the Six Bayous Century Loop. (1)

The Loop measures 102 miles and connects trails along six of our transformative Bayou Greenways: White Oak, Hunting, Buffalo, Brays, Keegans and Sims. Think of it as our version of NYC’s 5 boroughs ride😀. You can explore in more detail here: (2) google.com/maps/d/edit?mi…

As of today, two-thirds (68 Miles) of the route follows existing trails and 3% (3 miles) follows existing, high-comfort bikeways. It is a testament to just how much progress we have made that 70% of a 100+ mile loop is already on the ground. (3)

And these are some really nice trails. They are full of people, provide access to nature, art, and are becoming centers of community. (4)

White Oak is an amazing trail from Downtown out past Jersey Village. (5)

The Loop hits Buffalo Bayou in both Terry Hershey Park and Buffalo Bayou Park with easy connections in the East End. (6)

Brays Bayou has 30 miles of trails from Barker Reservoir to the Turning Basin. (7)

Keegans links SW Houston from Brays Bayou to Fort Bend. (8)

Sims has some of the newest and nicest trail segments in the city with great views of the Botanic Garden and connection to so many neighborhoods. (9)

Hunting links parks in NE Houston neighborhoods expanding access to nature and giving people access to somewhere to walk, run or roll (10)

As the bayou trails are extensive but don’t go everywhere, the Loop links trails with protected bike lanes on streets like Polk, Blodgett, Bagby, and Hardy…(11)

...and trails and side paths along Cullen, the Columbia Tap, Spring Branch, and Willow Waterhole. (12)

450,000 people live and 340,000 jobs are within ½ mile of the Loop and many, many more have access if you include all of the connecting routes that branch off from the main Loop. (13)

Amazingly, most of the remaining gaps in this Loop have projects at some level of planning, design or construction that would close gaps in places like Energy Corridor, Spring Branch, Alief, East End, Fifth Ward, and Park Place. (14)

Here's a link to a Strava route that closely approximates the Loop if you want to give it a go. There are a few gaps that require riding with traffic, and some short sections of gravel, but these will become fewer as more projects get developed. (15) strava.com/routes/3193607…

It’s a great way to see so much of what Houston has to offer. Try all or part of it and let me know what you think. With the nice Spring weather we have been having, it could be a great training route for the upcoming MS150…. (16) events.nationalmssociety.org/index.cfm?fuse…

Or get out and enjoy a stroll in nature along major waterways and though parks where you are likely to see some of the region’s diverse wildlife. (17)

The Loop represents the collective efforts and investments by many agencies, philanthropies, and communities including the City of Houston, the Houston Parks Board, Harris County, METRO, TxDOT, and local districts. I thank them all for making Houston a better place to live. [End]