Trail crossings, bayou greenway links and planned park connections
Where the Heights Hike and Bike Trail Runs and Connects in Houston Heights
Updated November 2026
Where does the Heights Hike and Bike Trail run in Houston Heights, and which streets and trails does it connect to?
In November 2026, the Heights MKT Hike and Bike Trail runs 4.6 miles from TC Jester Boulevard to Hogan Street and meets the White Oak Bayou Greenway three times.
Paige Martin, Houston Properties Team, Houston Heights
Source: Houston Parks Board overview of the White Oak Bayou Greenway, November 2026.
Where does the Heights Hike and Bike Trail run?
The Heights Hike and Bike Trail follows the old Missouri, Kansas and Texas rail corridor, which is why many neighbors call it the MKT Trail. It runs 4.6 miles between TC Jester Boulevard and Hogan Street.
Houston Parks Board documents use several names for it: the Heights Hike and Bike Trail, the Heights Hike-and-Bike Trail and the MKT Trail. Expect all three when you read about connections.
Where does the White Oak Bayou Greenway meet the Heights trail?
The Houston Parks Board's overview of the White Oak Bayou Greenway, dated November 2026, says the greenway trail intersects the Heights MKT Hike and Bike Trail three times. Those crossings fall where the greenway passes through the historic Heights and Woodland Heights communities.
The same overview counts over 18 miles of public greenspace and hike-and-bike trails along the greenway within city limits. For a Heights address, the MKT Trail is one piece of a longer bayou network rather than a stand-alone path.
Which streets connect to the trail where it crosses White Oak Bayou?
A Houston Parks Board project history, dated June 2020, records the completion of a new hike-and-bike trail and bridge over White Oak Bayou west of May Street. That trail connects to the Heights Hike and Bike Trail, and the new bridge replaces the former MKT Railroad Bridge.
The same project included connections to Harvard Street, Bonner Street, Patterson Street, Yale Street and Heights Boulevard. Ask which of those connections sits closest to a block you are weighing, then walk the route yourself.
Which trail links are planned near the Heights trail?
The June 2020 project history says the Houston Parks Board was in final permitting for the design of a new 10-foot-wide concrete trail and culvert crossing. That link would run between Studemont Street and the Heights Hike-and-Bike Trail. Final permitting for a design is an early stage, so ask the Parks Board where the link stands before you count on it.
A Houston Parks Board project page for Lawrence Park lists planned improvements under the Let's Play Houston initiative. They include improved access into the park, trail connections to the MKT Trail, and a fitness area near the MKT Trail. The list also names a shaded playground, a paved plaza with seating, and detention as required by the City of Houston. The Parks Board adds that the park design is preliminary and can still change.
Park design is preliminary and subject to change.
How do the trail connections fit a block search on a set move date?
Which trail connection sits within an easy walk differs block by block in Houston Heights. The City historic districts run from 4th Street north to 20th Street, and Interstate 10 forms the southern edge of that area. The grid of named north-south streets and numbered east-west streets makes the neighborhood legible on foot.
Before an offer, walk from the front door to the nearest trail connection at the hours you would use it. Book that walk during the same trip as your showings, so a set closing date does not wait on a second visit.
Trail access is one address-level check among several. White Oak Bayou borders the neighborhood, so floodplain status is decided parcel by parcel. Recorded deed restrictions and the zoned campus are also decided by address, and each answer belongs in writing before the option period ends.
Questions & answers
Houston Heights questions, answered
Which parks can I reach on the White Oak Bayou Greenway from the Heights trail?
Five parks sit along the White Oak Bayou Greenway, according to the Houston Parks Board. They are Watonga Parkway Park, T.C. Jester Park, Stude Park, White Oak Park and Hogg Park. Watonga Parkway Park is home to one of Houston's largest bat roosts, according to the same overview. Because the greenway crosses the Heights MKT trail at three points, those parks sit on one connected network.
The distance from a given Heights block to each park differs. Trace the route from the trail connection nearest the address you are weighing, not from the neighborhood name. If a park visit is part of your weekly routine, ride or walk that route once before you settle on a block.
Can I ride from the Heights trail to Buffalo Bayou Park and Memorial Park?
Yes, by way of the White Oak Bayou Greenway. The Houston Parks Board says the greenway trail was connected to the Buffalo Bayou trail in 2018, at the foot of University of Houston-Downtown. From there, the Buffalo Bayou trail heads westward to Buffalo Bayou Park and Memorial Park. The greenway crosses the Heights MKT trail at three points, so the link starts close to the neighborhood.
Downtown Houston is about four miles from Houston Heights. White Oak Bayou runs southeast from northwest Harris County to Allen's Landing downtown, where it joins Buffalo Bayou. Before you rely on the ride for a regular trip, test it at the hour you would actually make it.
Is the Heights trail paved, and who can use it?
The MKT Trail is a concrete path on the old rail corridor. Houston Parks and Recreation maintains its trails as multi-use unless posted otherwise. Walkers and cyclists therefore share one surface wherever no other rule is posted. Read the signs at the access point you plan to use, because a posted rule changes that default.
Before an offer, stand at the access point nearest the address and read the posted rules yourself. A rule that applies at one entrance may differ from the one a few blocks away.
How does the trail fit with the Heights Boulevard esplanade and 19th Street?
They are the three main walking routes in Houston Heights. The 60-foot Heights Boulevard esplanade runs down the center of the boulevard with a walking path, benches, gazebos and monuments. The 19th Street shopping row sits west of Heights Boulevard and runs to locally owned shops and restaurants. The MKT Trail adds a longer trail route that ties into the bayou greenway.
The esplanade was patterned after Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. It is listed on the National Register and falls inside the East and South historic districts. Retail concentrated early on 19th Street west of Heights Boulevard and along 11th and 20th. The original commercial blocks are north of 16th Street and west of Yale Street.
Does a METRO bus run near the trail connections?
METRO Route 40, Telephone/Heights, runs along Heights Boulevard and Yale Street between the North Shepherd Park and Ride and Hobby Airport by way of downtown. It runs roughly every 30 minutes, from before 5 a.m. to after midnight daily. Both of those streets also have trail connections, so a bus ride and a trail walk can share a corridor.
For the Texas Medical Center, METRO Route 27 Shepherd runs from the North Shepherd Park and Ride to the TMC Transit Center. It runs every 20 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on weekends. Routes and frequencies change, so check any specific trip on METRO's current system map before you count on it.
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