Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Hike
There is no official trailhead for this hike. The trail is adjacent to the parking lot. Use the sidewalk
from the parking area and turn right when it T's into the wide, wheelchair- and stroller-accessible trail.
Ball fields are on the left. Located on Houston's east side, much of the hike is along Brays Bayou,
which enters the park at its northwest corner and then flows across the park in a southeast direction.
Brays Bayou joins Buffalo Bayou east of the park. Miles of what are called linear hike and bike
trails—linear meaning they are generally out-and-back hikes—border the bayous. Many of these trails
can be reached from the Mason Trail. US 90 passes the west side of the park and brings back the real-
ity of being in the city.
The trail has a number of Y and T junctions, but all eventually lead to the section of trail along the
bayou and complete the loop back to the parking area. The baseball and soccer fields are clustered near
the center of the park.
In 2006 the banks of Brays Bayou were widened to reduce flooding, and 3.5 acres were developed
as a series of retention ponds, creating a wetland environment. Pass the pond and bear left toward the
bayou. Depending on the amount of rainfall, the pond may be empty. Loblolly pines and southern
magnolia are to the left. Go down a slight slope to the bayou, where bald cypress trees have been
planted near the water.
Egrets and other shorebirds can be seen in the air or near the edges of the bayou. Continue walking
northwest with the bayou on the right. Watch for the place where the terrain flattens and is nearly level
with the waterway. This is a great spot to do a short out-and-back trek to investigate the bayou and its
rich assortment of insects and bugs. Seasonal wildflowers bloom in this area.
The bayou makes a lazy bend left and then right as it flows under the 75th Street bridge. Turn left
(south) at the 75th Street bridge and continue on the sidewalk to the parking area.
In 1930 Mrs. Dora Porter Mason donated 69.88 acres to Houston in memory of her husband. The
city combined this acreage with other parcels to create 104-acre John T. Mason Park.
