City Walk Houston Medical Center - Recreational Spaces, ~7 miles

The Houston Texas Medical Center (TMC) is the largest medical complex in the world, but on today's walk, we will try to discover small nested parks within it.

We will start our walk by going down Main street toward Texas A&M University Park. Then we'll stop by MD Anderson Prairie and Grant Fay Park. Next we'll stroll around the UT Health Jogging Trail, before finally reaching Texas Medical Center Helix Park. This is a new Houston 37-acre public park, that integrates a diversity of programmed events and passive recreation and contemplation. This diverse park integrates a biodiverse experience with over 650 trees and is cooled by heat-reflecting pathways. Helix Park sits on a floodplain along Brays Bayou and is designed to manage a 200 year storm event (The Med Center has not forgotten the floods of years past) by elevating the site by 5 feet above the floodplain with a sitewide sponge that manages flash flooding across the district. The park celebrates water from waterfall benches and a series of streams that shape this public park. We will walk the DNA Helix shaped path and afterward follow Bray Bayou back to our starting point.

Wear comfortable shoes and bring plenty of water. The heat in Texas is always a concern so let someone know if you are having a hard time. For more information about hiking check out this very useful hiking website: https://www.hatsandmore.org/

Our organizers are not guides nor do we have any special training. We are here to come up with hiking ideas and get the hike started. Take the same precautions you would if hiking alone, including the fitness needed to make long hikes. Then enjoy the hike among friends.

COVID PRECAUTIONS:
Bring and wear a mask when not hiking and follow the best practices to prevent the transmission of COVID

Gathering Place:
McGovern Centennial Gardens
1500 Hermann Drive
Call or text Alan at 713 863 8038 if you need help.

The Hike:
The walk is mostly on concrete sidewalk with multiple street crossings. Trail is partially shaded and mostly sunny.

Weather Forecast:
Forecast in the Med Center area

Hike map is in the photos.

Optional After Hike Event:
Bodega's Tacos
1200 Binz St #160, Houston, TX 77004
Caroline @Binz
Directions to Bodega's