The West Houston Trails Master Plan (WHTMP) began as a partnership between the National Park Service/Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program and the Energy Corridor District/Houston, Texas in November 2007. The project’s vision is to develop a planned system of connected trails in parks and protected or preservation areas of West Houston, Harris County and the drainage corridors that serve these areas. The goal of the project is to identify the location of existing public trails and to propose prioritized connection routes for new trails that contribute to a trail network serving the greatest number of users while in all practicing good land and water stewardship.

Implemented results will include alternative transportation routes, increased commuter solutions, greater outdoor recreation opportunities, safe routes to schools, and increased options for improving innovative stormwater management and habitat restoration adjacent to the trails.

The partnership with the National Park Service and the Energy Corridor District has created a common ground for a variety of public agencies to meet, share data, provide input and develop an understanding of the urgency of the need for connectability between the existing and proposed employment centers, residential communities and the vast acreage of park and public open space in West Houston.