West White Oak Bayou Trail

The West White Oak Bayou Trail runs from W. 11th Street (South terminus) along the White Oak Bayou to Antoine Drive (North terminus).  I started my hike at W. 11th Street in the Heights and walked north to Antoine Drive in Acres Homes.

The Heights is a nice, historic neighborhood in Houston and the trail in this area is scenic, well-maintained, and safe.  When you cross Hwy 610 and go over the railroad tracks, however, it gradually becomes less scenic, less maintained, and less safe, although overall I felt it was not a dangerous hike.  You just start noticing things like graffiti, vandalized street lamps, condemned buildings, barbed wire on top of fences, abandoned shopping carts in the middle of nowhere, more trash, and high grass that isn't cut very often.  By the time you get to the northern part of the trail near W. Little York and Antoine, you can tell the surrounding neighborhoods are not that nice.  This trail is a tale of two neighborhoods - the haves and have nots.