News Release

Summer 2025 Programs at Big Thicket

Ranger-led canoe trip

NPS Photo / Scott Sharaga

News Release Date: May 28, 2025

Contact: Megan Urban, 409-951-6700

KOUNTZE, Texas – Explore Big Thicket National Preserve this summer at a variety of free ranger-led programs. All ages and abilities are welcome!

• Night Hikes: Have you ever experienced the Big Thicket at night? Explore some of the stories that make Big Thicket special and mysterious on our monthly night hikes.
   
• Canoe Trips: Paddle the scenic waters of the preserve! This summer, park rangers are offering three kinds of canoe trips: daytime, sunset, and trash clean-up canoe trips. These trips require reservations, which open two weeks before the trip date.
   
• Texas Free Fishing Day: Kids and families can learn all about fishing, including knots, fishing limits, and even try fishing from the bank with a ranger. No fishing license required during this event! All gear is provided and all ages and abilities are welcome. Stop by Collier’s Ferry Park in Beaumont between 8-11 am on Saturday, June 7.
   
• Nature Walks: Big Thicket is home to four kinds of carnivorous plants that consume insects. Join a ranger on a 1-hour, 1-mile walk at the Pitcher Plant Trail to look for these unusual plants in the wild. No reservations are required.
   
• Off-The-Beaten-Path Adventures: Explore lesser-known areas of the park with ranger while learning about its history and biodiversity. Hikers should expect rugged conditions that include walking off-trail through the woods and along dirt roads. These trips require reservations.
   
• Volunteer Days: Take some time to volunteer with us and give back to Big Thicket National Preserve. Come help us clean up a launch-area or join rangers on a clean-up of the creek on a canoe trip. The canoe trip requires reservations, which opens two weeks before the trip date.
   
• Summer Stargazing at Tyrrell Park: Explore the night sky! Look for planets through telescopes and learn how to navigate using the stars. Kids can experience the wonders of space with activities inside the nature center. Meet at the Tyrrell Park Nature Center in Beaumont between 7:30-10 pm on Friday, August 15.

Check our calendar of events for more details, including dates, times, and places.

-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.