Big Thicket National Preserve is an American treasure. It is a beautifully serene area of the…read morecountry located in East Texas that fully deserves all the attention it's due. The many ecosystems that this park encompasses is a geological mystery that starts millions of years ago with the movement of glaciers. We only had a short 2 hour time window to enjoy the exhibits at the visitors center, the short film in the theatre, and a quick hike close to the visitors center. The film is the same one you can view on their website, so if you are short on time, skip it and watch it at home. The gift shop is stocked with amazing items, so definitely save 5 minutes to browse around. My kids enjoyed speaking to Ranger Scott about his favorite animal in the preserve, the American alligator, and completing the Junior Ranger booklet for the badges. This program is targeted for 14 and under but adults can participate as well.

Nice NPS site. Small but informative visitor center with friendly ranger. Infrastructure is…read moresimple and well maintained. Nice junior ranger program. Would not go out of my way to visit but worth a stop if in area.

This is a great park. My family has been coming here for years. The amenities are good and the…read morestaff has always been very friendly and helpful.

Just got back from a camping trip here. We stayed in a screened shelter on the hen house side. We…read morewere there for 2.5 days and we managed to finish ALL of the (walkable) trails in the whole park. The park is small but gorgeous and has lots of things to do. Camping, swimming, fish, kayak/canoe... we did two evening swims, and one where it was completely secluded. Absolutely magical. Sadly didn't spot any gators during this trip, but we saw lots of deer and armadillos! The mosquitoes are wicked tho so be sure to pack loooots of bug spray. Our bug spray had DEET in it and although it detered them a bit, it didn't stop them fully. It also rained twice for a little bit over the span of two days so that was really nice considering we come from austin and we haven't seen rain in a few months. Our first shelter actually ended up flooding so staff allowed us to love our things into another available and dry shelter. So anyway - overall we had the most amazing camping trip here. Pros: everything Cons: mosquitos We definitely left here covered head to toe in bites! Haha.

I love this place! It is so quiet and such a great place to have a picnic or just sit and watch the…read moreturtles. Wish that Harvey wouldn't have displaced most of them, but still a clean and well taken care of oasis.

The Big Creek Scenic Area, Latitude : 30.5027 Longitude : -95.0833,…read more is an USDA Forest Service designated area of special scenic quality. The Big Creek Scenic Area is named after the perennial Big Creek which runs through the area. The 98.6 mile long, Lone Star Hiking Trail, travels West and North through the Scenic Area and has three concentric trails that make easy and short loops for families, bird watchers, and outdoor enthusiast. The Lone Star Hiking Trail has a white rectangular marker on trees, the Pine Trail has a silver marker with yellow stripe, White Oak Trail has a silver marker with green stripe, and Big Creek Trail has a silver marker with orange stripe. There are benches along several of the trails to allow you to sit quietly to listen. Come out on a overcast day or have a night hike to hear Barred Owls hooting back and forth to each other. Evenings or nights you might see Beavers working on their dams on Big Creek. You can hike for 5 miles on the Lone Star Hiking Trail to the Double Lake Recreation Area (Campground) and back for a 10 mile hike. Find maps at lshtcsonservancy.org

Great experience at Village Creek State Park! The park is peaceful, beautiful, and well maintained,…read morewith plenty of nature to enjoy. The campsites were spacious and made for a relaxing stay. A great place to slow down, enjoy the outdoors, and spend some quality time away from the city. We really enjoyed our visit and would definitely stay again!

When there was no other campsites available on the website for TX State parks, I kinda grew…read moreskeptical that this one being so close to East Texas that I would have issues as I'm a minority. However, nonetheless, when I tell you this state park is a gem and an underrated one too you'll be surprised to know why. Let me tell you: With the Texas Parks pass, I booked a weekend stay from Saturday to Monday at campsite 36. The original cost was going to be $36, but with the pass it was only $15 total. The campsite wasn't a drive-in and it was only a short hike in. I was a bit worried about this since the person I went with normally camps at drive up sites and not so much primitive. Rest ensure, he was fine because the parking lot to our campsite was approximately 400 ft in and the pathway was sand. The only troubles we had was our lousy portable cart that had a lame leg. Our campsite was the most primitive since most of the others were close in proximity to the others and your neighbors were either across from you or adjacent from you. Thankfully, ours wasn't. All primitive campsites are off of many hiking trails and campsite 40+ are near the creek so that's a nice view. The campsite itself has a lantern post, fire ring, picnic table, and a base spot for the tent (away from the fire ring). It is prohibited to burn or ignite firewood collected inside the parks. So, please go to the ranger station to purchase firewood. My friend and I ended up going to Home Depot, they sell it for $6 and it burned very well and too quick. Oh and please don't go to the gas station to get theirs, we made that mistake and it was not only expensive, but the wood burned too quick. The mosquitoes are absolutely terrible, make sure you bring DEET bug spray, citronella candle, or something to keep them invasive buggers off your skin and ears! I must tell y'all, the restrooms are amazingly clean. Every morning they are cleaned with Pinesol and are spotless. Once you sleep throughout the night and your body starts to feel sticky, please hit the showers!! The water pressure is perfect flowing and the water can get hot. The floors can be cold. I wore my sandals. I can say those restrooms are by far the best I've occupied in a state park or any park owned by the state! There was no dead bugs lingering around or weird mildew odor. If you like to hike, check out those trails. I hiked early morning just before anyone else was up and had a thrill exploring nature. I seen some deer, birds, another watering hole, and wildflowers. The trails are well maintained. There was some obstructed paths due to water or creeks passing through, but that was the fun part trying to maneuver to the other side. I had to get creative with where I jumped off of to get on the main trail. The main creek water was murky due to the amount of tannins in it and the water line wasn't high, so I opt out of swimming in it. The ranger station is clean and well organized. They sell the state park scratch off maps for those of you who are into exploring all state parks like me!! A true nature nerd, eh? They even sell Village Creek SP merch like stickers. The rangers were pretty nice and didn't display any form of prejudice or discrimination. Definitely a smaller state park than the others. It is settled in a residential area like most SPs are, but it's kind of a good thing especially if you forget some food, there's a Wal-Mart less than 5 minutes away. I would recommend this state park to visit.

Great food. Lovely service. Quaint. Very helpful. Desserts are delicious. Lunch foods are…read moreabsolutely fantastic. LOVE IT!​

We came to scout out the park prior to our vacation and glad we did because it is not for us. We…read moreare in our 40s and 50s with no children at home and we tent camping with 3 big dogs. The campsites offer no sense of privacy. There's no tent pads to put down tents at any site that we saw. Our dogs would be on high alert the whole time. We didnt find many spots that our dogs would even be able to get in the water, and they all love to swim and romp. No privacy for a couple to be playful or private without all your neighbors seeing. The personnel were friendly. The place has many handicap amenities that looked great for someone in a wheelchair. The lake itself was very beautiful. However I dont see us coming back, on to our next state park.

this is a lovely park for a walk, a bike ride, a picnic, or to take the kids to a playground. It is…read morevery well keep with clean restrooms, a recently reworked children's play area, and several nice ponds/lakes with restricted fishing allowed. The walking paths have recently been upgraded to asphalt rather than packed clay, and there are a couple of hiking trails through the forested areas to enjoy as well. Closes around dusk and the constables do pass through and nudge folks out before closing. Locking gates were also recently added. My dog enjoys our walks here especially when she sniffs out the occasional deer or rabbit that live along Cypress Creek. If you do the whole loops the walking path is about 2.5 miles.

Super impressed by this park!…read more They've done a really great job with adding beautiful manmade waterfalls and such. The walking trail is very pleasant. FYI: the trail is paved and stroller accessible. On the way back, we took another trail which was dirt and had no issue taking the stroller on that as well. Nice playground for kids. There are bathrooms just past the playground. I initially thought they were closed because the gate had the lock still on it (in a locked position) but luckily, someone advised me that they were actually open. So, don't go by appearances and actually tug on the door! There are two relatively small parking lots that fill up quickly but there is also street parking available.

So you want to get in shape. This is one place to do that…read more What can you find at the Folsom Hike & Bike Trail? * Paved trail? Yes. * Unpaved trail? Only one short spur. * Hills? Kinda sorta; a mesa that appears to be manmade, and the only hill in Jefferson County. * Trees? Nope. * Views? Nope. Unless you consider looking at Folsom Drive to be a view. * Appropriate for a road bike? Maybe; it's only 1.4 miles one-way to a dead end. * Appropriate for a mountain bike? Maybe; I didn't see any signs prohibiting mountain bikes on the mesa. It's quite boring, though. * Streams or lakes? Nope. * Dogs? Yes. * Dairy Queen? Dollar Tree? Waffle House? Nope on all three. * Parking? On the small side, but adequate for the amount of use it gets. The Folsom Hike & Bike Trail is convenient for people on the West Side. And it works for my attempts to rebuild my cardio. And that's about it. If you want scenic diversions, or a course longer than 2.8 miles, go to Tyrell Park.

Visited this hike & bike trail for the first time this afternoon. It's really nice! The trail is…read more1.4 miles long, so if you turn around at the end of the trail to walk back to the parking lot, you've walked almost 3 miles! There is one water fountain at the beginning of the trail (next to the parking lot) & no restrooms. There are several benches along the way. This trail is right off busy Dowlen road, but it feels so distant from there (in a good way). You'll find that you don't even hear road noise along the path. The people we encountered were friendly & would acknowledge you as you passed. There are mostly walkers, but we saw people biking, rollerblading, running, walking dogs, & flying kites. Check this place out! Glad Beaumont is adding more recreational green spaces for it's citizens!

We spent about an hour at Cattail Marsh on a recent Sunday. The marsh is at the end of a large park…read morethat also includes a botanical garden. One of the best features of the marsh is its long boardwalk, which has 2 shaded areas to sit or to escape the sun. There are also wide graveled pathways, which have no shade whatsoever. If you're a bird watcher or photographer, you'll likely enjoy the boardwalk. If you stand still for awhile, it's easier to see the ibis, egrets, gallinules, grebes, coots, and other birds. There's a purple martin house adjacent to the parking lot. We enjoyed our brief visit to the marsh, and would have taken advantage of the nearby botanical garden if it hadn't been closed on weekends.

Make at it best. There's various walking trails to accommodate all levels of athletes. The site…read moreincludes a lookout tower, a pier, seating, plants, marsh and more! Accessible parking.

If you want QUICK access to some beautiful hiking trails - this is it! Literally out the front door…read moreof the city - but it doesn't take much to get absorbed into the forest and forget the nearby town! The northern part is much more open and home to several woodpeckers.

What I love about This particular forest area is that is somehow feels so different than the Spring…read moreCreek area where I usually hike. These trails are wider and maybe a bit more maintained as I believe Texas A&M Forest Service manages it for research end education. There are a few nice ponds and picnic areas and it's a great place to hike with a group and/or ride horses (if you have them).