Terry Hershey Park: Quail Trail
Last weekend, I decided to brush off my 60 Hikes in 60 Miles guide book and rolled to try another random trail.
The result? Terry Hershey Park's Quail Trail.
This one was another solid day out. However, unlike my last urban trail, there wasn't a point of the hike that felt truly hidden away from the urban environs. Instead, the result was a fun blend of greenery and urban infrastructure. I didn't feel like I was getting lost in the woods, but it gave me the sensation of being in an oasis. That's not to say it was bad, but it was a different vibe.
I went on the Sunday before MLK Day. It was a nice, crisp morning here in Houston, though it thawed to the 60s by the mid-afternoon. As such, I went without a jacket for most of the trip, enjoying the embrace of cooler weather. It was a bright, sunny day.
The Park is located west of Houston, in the energy corridor.
I parked a bit further north of the trail on the Blue Jay Trail. Terry Hershey Park is sprawling (in a good way), flowing under streets, trailing along the Buffalo Bayou, and winding behind homes, connecting many miles of trails that make up Houston's Buffalo Bayou green corridor.
The trail was relatively busy, but not crowded. I saw someone else every few minutes, but there weren't loud groups or disruption. There's no exceptional views, but the ambience is exquisite. Lengths of the trail are sandwiched between the bayou on one side, and old, nicely kept homes with quaintly decorated back yards on the other. There's small set up of exercise equipment, plenty of benches, water fountains, at least one restroom, and decent amount of space.
Some lengths of the trail essentially are actually three paths: a paved foot path, a dirt path closer to the homes, and a semi-rugged bike path going through the middle. You can see the rise of the glass and steel buildings, and massive electrical towers peer over the grass covered ridges built up along the side of the trail. You can see the big city vibes, but the walls of earth feel as if they're keeping it at bay. Combined with the lived in homes, and it makes you feel as if you're just walking in a cozy kind of neighborhood where everyone knows everyone. You get just a taste of the city, and a taste of the homey, in one big, beautiful bite.
The gallery below contains some of the pictures I snapped during this cool hike.
Thanks for reading~