News Release

Big Thicket Post-Hurricane Beryl Update

Fallen tree across a bridge on the Woodlands Trail

Austin Laynor

News Release Date: July 16, 2024

Contact: Megan Urban, 409-951-6700

KOUNTZE, Texas – Big Thicket National Preserve staff continue to clean up after Hurricane Beryl impacted the area with strong wind and rain. Crews are working throughout the preserve to clear downed trees and assess other potential hazards. The following three trails have significant damage from fallen trees and washouts and are closed until crews can get them cleared:

• Birdwatchers Trail, on FM 2610 near Romayor

• Woodlands Trail, on FM 1276 near Dallardsville

• Big Sandy Trail, on Sunflower Road near Dallardsville

Visitors are encouraged to hike on other trails, like Kirby or Sundew, while crews work on cleaning up closed trails. Check current conditions for the preserve before your visit.

-NPS-

Big Thicket National Preserve is in Southeast Texas, near the city of Beaumont and 75 miles northeast of Houston. The preserve consists of nine land units and six water corridors encompassing more than 113,000 acres. The Big Thicket, often referred to as a “biological crossroads,” is a transition zone between four distinct vegetation types – the moist eastern hardwood forest, the southwestern desert, the southeastern swamp, and the central prairies. Species from all these different vegetation types come together in the thicket, exhibiting a variety of vegetation and wildlife that has received global interest.