News Release
NPS / Scott Sharaga
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Contact: Megan Urban, 409-951-6700
KOUNTZE, Texas – Come celebrate Junior Ranger Day at Big Thicket, but at night! Join us at the Big Thicket Visitor Center on Saturday, April 19, from 6:00–9:00 pm for free, family-friendly activities. Experience the stars, animals, and stories that make Big Thicket so special after dark.
“This is the first time we have offered a junior ranger event at nighttime,” states Superintendent Wayne Prokopetz. “We are excited to showcase Big Thicket after dark, highlighting the animals and the stars that come out at night.”
Park rangers will be on-hand with free activities for all ages:
- Look for planets and stars through a telescope
- Search for bats and learn how scientists help them
- Take a night hike on the Longleaf Pine Trail
- Earn a Junior Ranger Night Explorer patch
The evening begins at 6:00 pm with presentations about the night sky and bats in the visitor center theater. Walk the Longleaf Pine Trail and learn about nocturnal animals at stations set up along the path. Once it gets dark, look for Jupiter, Mars, and the spring constellations at our telescope viewing area at the end of the trail.
Bring a flashlight! Red lights are preferred in order to protect everyone’s night vision. If you don’t have one, park staff will provide red cellophane to cover a regular flashlight. Junior rangers will be able to complete the Junior Ranger Night Explorer book and earn a patch at the end of the event.
Check our calendar of events for more information about free, ranger-led programs and events at Big Thicket National Preserve.
-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.
Last updated: April 7, 2025