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Texas | Gulf Coast
Buffalo Bayou
Highway 6 to West Sam Houston Parkway
Check current paddling conditions for this Buffalo Bayou route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
Launch at Highway 6 and finish at West Sam Houston Parkway for the Terry Hershey Park section of the Buffalo Bayou Paddling Trail. Use USGS 08073500 near Addicks with a conservative 150 cfs base-flow floor, then make a same-day call on reservoir releases, urban runoff, water quality, strainers, and rough access.
Plan a shorter segmentOptional
Access planner
Pick a shorter segment
This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.
Peltier Lake to Long Lake is the full route. Shorter access pairs are useful when wind, time, or group energy changes the plan.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Highway 6TPWD publishes Highway 6, Terry Hershy Park, Dairy Ashford Road, and West Sam Houston Parkway as official access anchors, but the actual water-entry paths can be muddy, steep, or shifted by erosion.
Take-out
West Sam Houston ParkwaySave Buffalo Bayou confirms public parking at Highway 6, Dairy Ashford, and Beltway 8, but also warns that some access points require dragging or clambering.
Plan this segment
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- TPWD publishes Highway 6, Terry Hershy Park, Dairy Ashford Road, and West Sam Houston Parkway as official access anchors, but the actual water-entry paths can be muddy, steep, or shifted by erosion.
- Save Buffalo Bayou confirms public parking at Highway 6, Dairy Ashford, and Beltway 8, but also warns that some access points require dragging or clambering.
- The stored coordinates are public access anchors, not projected mid-channel launch points. Follow the signed path, visible bank condition, and current park rules on arrival.
- The bayou is navigable, but TPWD says private-bank use outside direct hazard portages can be trespassing. Do not turn visible lawns, wooded banks, or trail edges into casual stops.
- This route uses a local minimum-only threshold source. Around 150 cfs is treated as the floor, while storm or release-driven flows above about 2,000 cfs require experienced paddlers and a separate high-water judgment.
Watch for
- Flows near or below about 150 cfs, when Save Buffalo Bayou describes base flow as very low and slow and muddy launches, shallow bars, or downed trees can slow the day.
- Storm runoff, Addicks/Barker Reservoir releases, rising hydrographs, or flows over about 2,000 cfs, when the same local guidance says the bayou can be fast and dangerous.
- Log jams, strainers, pipelines, downed trees, low bridges, concrete or bank obstructions near access points, muddy banks, and the need to portage obstructions with private-bank discipline.
- Urban water quality: TPWD says Buffalo Bayou is generally unsuitable for swimming, so avoid body contact where possible, wash hands, and do not paddle after sewage, bacteria, or heavy-rain alerts.
- Heat, limited shade on open trail sections, bikes and pedestrians around launch carries, variable parking logistics, fishing lines, wildlife, and the temptation to continue past Beltway 8 without a separate downstream route plan.
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Buffalo Bayou nr Addicks, TX |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 150 cfs |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Save Buffalo Bayou upper access and flow guidance |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Official access chainHighway 6 to West Sam Houston Parkway
TPWD lists Highway 6, Terry Hershy Park, Dairy Ashford Road, and West Sam Houston Parkway as official Buffalo Bayou Paddling Trail access points with GPS coordinates and estimated segment float times.
- Practical route shapeHighway 6 through Terry Hershey Park to Beltway 8
Save Buffalo Bayou identifies public parking at Highway 6, Dairy Ashford, and Beltway 8; Harris County says Terry Hershey Park runs along roughly six miles of Buffalo Bayou.
- Live gauge supportUSGS 08073500 at 106 cfs / 46.21 ft
USGS Water Services returned same-day Buffalo Bayou near Addicks discharge and gage height at 2026-08-10 09:15 CDT during this implementation run.
- Threshold posture150 cfs minimum-only; 2,000 cfs experienced-only caution
Save Buffalo Bayou describes base flow as a very low, slow current around 150-200 cfs and says storm or reservoir-release pulses over about 2,000 cfs are for experienced paddlers only.
- Safety and water qualityUrban runoff, releases, strainers, and no swimming
TPWD says the bayou's water quality is generally unsuitable for swimming, is influenced by storm runoff and reservoir releases, and that trips should not be attempted in high and turbulent water; log jams and strainers are specifically flagged as hazardous.
- CampingNo route camping
Houston Parks says camping in the city park system is permitted only at Lake Houston Wilderness Park, and Harris County publishes Terry Hershey Park as a day-use park with daily hours rather than overnight river-camping support.
- Image decisionNo route-gallery image selected
Bounded TPWD, Save Buffalo Bayou, Commons, USGS, and same-route image review found route-context photos, including a rights-clean general Terry Hershey bayou image, but no clearly rights-clean exact Highway-6-to-Beltway-8 paddling asset selected for local reuse.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
Share your trip
Keep exploring
More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
Quick answers
Buffalo Bayou paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Buffalo Bayou?
Paddle Today watches Buffalo Bayou nr Addicks, TX and uses 150 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Buffalo Bayou route start and end?
This route starts at Highway 6 and ends at West Sam Houston Parkway, about About 6 mi on the water.
Is this Buffalo Bayou route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
Flag a change
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.