big thicket national preserve

My parents had been complaining it is too "dry" in Houston after they moved from San Francisco Bay Area to join me. They got used to the huge red wood national parks in Bay Area. But in Houston, they are living in urban developed land. So I picked Big Thicket for the 1st family trip in Texas. I am glad to pick the right place. The forest, the hiking trails, the fresh air, and the peaceful environment made everyone happy. You will not regrest to spend a long weekends in the area. We visited Kountz and Beaumont this time. We will come back for the other sections. After the trip, I felt recharged.

This was our second visit to this area around Kuntze. Nice exhibits (a few were out of order) at the visitor center and plenty of books and brochures. Our visit was in late August and it is very hot and humid and the insects including Mosquitos are very active. In spite of the discomfort we enjoyed the Kirby trail, sundew and pitcher plant trail. The sundew trail is still partly closed for renovations. Nice pitcher plants (sarracenia alata) and a variety of summer bloomers. Many beautiful swallow tailed butterflies. We were the only people at the visitor center and on the trails on the Sunday afternoon we visited these places. We plan teo return in Spring to better enjoy the trails and to do some birdwatching.

love the area but they are improving the side trails so construction takes away from the nature loving part.

This preserve is so easy to access and you will be surprised at the diversity of the plants and trees. Easy access to all paths and the still of the forest is awesome!

Just in time, the last remnants of a once huge wild area unique in North America, are being forever preserved. For sightseers, campers, canoeists, photographers, nature enthusiasts and birders the Big Thicket National Preserve is a must see. The Preserve is well maintained, run by a dedicated and knowledgeable staff, and the facilities are top notch.

In this very developed part of Texas, it is great to find wonderful hiking in such a natural setting. The Big Thicket is what this part of Texas would look like if it wasn't for the rampant development and it is a great escape for the city-dwellers in Houston and Beaumont. I always take the Turkey Creek Trail because it is the longest, though I have yet to finish it because doing so would mean having to camp overnight (due to the length of the trail) and I usually don't have enough time since I tend to come during the week on one of my days off from work, but it is great to take a 4-8 hour hike through. I have been many times and have never seen another hiker and it is a truly great experience to be so deep in nature and to find such solitude and tranquility.Going in the winter or cooler times of the year will be easier as there are few bugs and the heat won't wear you out as quickly, but I love going in the hotter months because the place has a jungle-like feel to it and is teeming with life. However, you must beware of ticks because they are very common here when it is warm. Be sure that you are using appropriate insect repellent and that your dogs have flea/tick medication to ward these pests away.Even though it is technically not allowed, I would recommend more experienced or educated hikers to try bushwhacking and going off-trail where you can get a much better feel for how diverse this area truly is. From the trails, you often do not get a feel for how much variation there is in the topography and ecological zones, and there are some truly beautiful, serene areas that can only be reached by journey deep into the woods, off the trail. Do not do this if you are not properly educated, experienced, or do not have the proper equipment because there is a serious possibility that you could get lost since the woods are so dense that it may be hard to orient yourself. I love the Big Thicket very much. All of the trails are great but the Turkey Creek Trail is my favorite. I also love the little visitor center and all of its interesting information and cool little gifts. I am always looking forward to go back and explore more!

We took two trails, both with our dogs. The first we did was the Kirby Nature Trail, which was a very mellow and pretty walk. It was completely flat, so it was easy and not overly-strenuous for our 14 year old golden retriever. It was incredibly lush and pretty. The Kirby Nature Trail has the cypress trees the Reserve is known for, as well as a multitude of interesting plants. It has a few detours you can take if you want to see more before looping back to the parking lot. This is one of the most popular trails, and is kind of must-do trail to start with.The second trail we took was called the Woodland Trail. It was further up this road, and we ended up turning around several times in order to find it. Finally, we did. The first part of the trail was very pretty, lush as well, and very loud with the sounds of nature. It was not well kept up, but nothing so terrible you couldn't find the trail. Now, if you take this walk and make it the bench which says you are at "B"... I would not recommend most people to proceed. The trail gradually becomes even less maintained. It weaved with man-made work-arounds to=obstacles that naturally occurred in the original path and some times it became hard to see where the trail was, so there were a couple brief moments of feeling lost. There were wolf spiders the size of half dollars covering the ground. The nature sounds ceased. The trail was less pretty. We were ducking under branches, wiping spider webs from our faces. Then, the real F*** THIS moment... TICKS. TICKS EVERYWHERE. Between the dogs and the the two of us, hundreds were pulled off our skin. And we now have the uneasy feeling of wondering when we'll find new ones. I can tell this is great place to take a few nice nature walks, but be sure to ask the Visitor Center lots of question.

First you visit the Visitors Center to learn about this wonderful area. Then take a hike down the Kirby trail for an unforgetable view of the HUGE pines, magnolias, and many other trees as wellas the slough. It is an awesome and moving experience.

We did 2 walks and one hike while here for a weekend. The Sundew trail was under construction so we couldn't walk the whole thing, but there were multiple other flowers in bloom so it wS still nice. The Pitcher Plant trail was fabulous, the yellow trumpet flowers were in full bloom, very strange looking flowers indeed. Was a very peaceful trail. We did the Woodland Trail as well. It was a rainy day and no one else was on the trail, that in itself was great. The trail was very wet and muddy, but we still enjoyed the solitude. Saw a raccoon and enjoyed the stretch of trail along the creek. We will be back to explore more of Big Thicket.

I have visited the Big Thicket National Preserve and highly recommend for everyone. There is a lot of history behind this area and you can walk many different trails and experience lush forest and wildlife. Differently worth the the time visit and experience for all ages. The visitor center has numerous interactive exhibits and video and park rangers will be happy to answer any questions you might have. The small fee to take the at your leisure tour is well worth it.

For those who love nature, the Big Thicket National Preserve is a beautiful, special place. We went to the Pitcher Plant trail and amazing pitcher plants with other flowers. The visitor's center has some excellent educational displays and the young man who was there was very knowledgeable and helpful.

As retired biologists and forest preserve volunteers at home we are interested in biological diversity so found Big Thicket trails near Lumberton-Kountze extremely interesting. This early in the season (early April) no ticks or mosquitos. Turkey Creek Unit-Kirby Trail and Pitcher Plant Trail: Highlights of the trip. The ranger at the Visitor Center north of Kountze recommended the Pitcher Plant Trail. It had been burned 6 weeks prior and now was a sea of yellow sunny bells dotted with new spikes of pitcher plants up to 2 feet tall with occasional blossoms. A boardwalk kept our feet dry and the bog safe from human trampling. Gorgeous in the filtered light of approaching storm with cricket and tree frogs calling. So beautiful that we returned the next morning to see the bog under sunny skies. Now chorus frogs calling dominated and we even saw a few mating. The hike continued into the upland forest which very open since the undergrowth had been cleared by the recent burning. We continued our search for carnivorous plants at Sundew Trail. We eventually found the sundews but there were only a few and very small. The boardwalk through the bog also had pitcher plants and sunny bells but not as dramatically as Pitcher Plant Trail this year. Kirby Trail was our favorite trail as it looped through magnificent examples of different plant communities with boardwalks and bridges as needed and occasional benches. Signs provided info about major trees in these communities, as well as a brochure available at the nature center or trailhead (please return!) If you want a more intimate feel of the Big Thicket, try the Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary part of the Big Thicket which is valuable for its preservation of varied habitats in small area. There is a short nature trail through the (sandy) longleaf upland community. We also hiked the nearby River Trail. This had a few nice views of the river, however the trail never descends to the river level. Mostly one gets a feel for what "Big Thicket" means as the narrow trail (sometimes hardly more than animal track) twisted through the shrubs and some wet areas with only small logs to keep hikers out of the muck. Wear waterproof boots if it has rained recently! Although small, the trail was recently well blazed. Highway and heavy equipment noise from near the entrance was disturbing loud the entire length of the river trail (perhaps due to weekday and wind direction). We did not hike the trail that led further north to the pond. Birding, amphibian and reptile, and mammal checklists available at the trailhead were unexpected bonus. Since the Big Thicket Preserve covers a large area, note that the Village Creek State park is a convenient base for the trails mentioned here. It also has trails well maintained trails through diverse habitats.

What an easy way to get in touch with nature! My husband and I enjoyed a picnic near the visitors center and then took a relaxing hike. We are looking forward to trying other trails in the future.

The Big Thicket is a good sized area of everything good about East Texas. Cultural history here is deeply in trenches. More important is the natural history of the area. This is the last place where the Ivory Billed Woodpecker was actually SEEN. It is a unique Eco system and home to all manner of interesting wildlife. It would take a week to even scratch the surface (if you are into observing wildlife). Start with the visitors' center. Then branch out from there. Even if you're only slightly interested, it is worth a stop.

Thankfully the National Park System has preserved this wonderfully fascinating landscape from the ravages of.... well....Texas. There is little to do in Beaumont so grab a canoe rental, some binoculars and put on some sturdy shoes to head into Big Thicket.