The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Start off your holiday weekend with a ranger-led walk in the preserve.

Rangers will lead an exploration of the Kirby Nature Trail and Sandhill Loop Trail on Saturday, May 23, beginning at 9:30 am. This trail network winds through several ecosystems, including hardwood forests, baygalls, cypress sloughs, riparian floodplains, and longleaf pine uplands. Meet at the Trailhead for the Kirby Nature Trail located on FM 420, 2.5 miles east of the preserve visitor center, north of Kountze, Texas. All participants should come prepared with water, snacks, insect repellent, and good walking shoes. Plan to spend approximately 3 hour on the trail and cover 4.5 miles.

Big Thicket National Preserve is in southeast Texas just north of Beaumont and 75 miles northeast of Houston. The preserve consists of nine land units and six water corridors encompassing more than 112,000 acres scattered across a 3,500-square-mile area. 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 of these different vegetation types come together in the thicket, exhibiting a variety of vegetation and wildlife that has received national interest.

For general information about Big Thicket National Preserve, visit www.nps.gov/bith or call the preserve visitor center at 409-951-6700.

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