Big Thicket National Preserve

Contact Information:
Big Thicket National Preserve
3785 Milam Street
Beaumont, TX 77701
409-246-2337
http://www.nps.gov/bith/

Size: 97,168 acres

Location: Big Thicket National Preserve comprises 9 land units and 6 water corridors in eastern Texas. To reach information center, enter Beaumont via I-10 and then take US 69-287 north 7 miles past Kountze to FM 420, and then east for 2.5 miles. 

Description: Big Thicket was the first Preserve established in the National Park System. A great number of plant and animal species coexist in this "biological crossroads of North America."

Activities: Hiking is available year-round though it is warm and humid during the summer months. Wildflower viewing is best from March to October. The Preserve is on two migratory flyways: the Central and Mississippi. Bird watching is excellent from mid-April to mid-May and less active during the fall. Boating, canoeing, fishing can be enjoyed from April to October. Hunting in specific areas is authorized by a Preserve issued permit, accompanied by a valid State of Texas Hunting License, from October to mid-January.

Operating Hours: Big Thicket National Preserve Headquarters is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday; closed on all government holidays. The Preserve Visitor Center is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., daily. Closed on Christmas and New Years.

History: Big Thicket National Preserve was authorized on October 11, 1974. Designated a Biosphere Reserve in 1981. 

See other National Preserves
See other Texas National Parks

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