Big Thicket - Turkey Creek Hike

Saturday February 14, 2026

Big Thicket National Preserve is north of Beaumont in eastern Texas near Louisiana. It a collection of areas rather than a large contiguous park like most NPS areas. It is mainly around creeks and wetlands. This area is a little east of the main visitor center.

This hike was in January, so things are a bit more brown than in most of the year. I started on the Kirby Nature Trail which goes out to Turkey Creek trail then loops back to trailhead. The Cypress Loop trail is a side loop of this trail that takes you through the swamps and near Village Creek.

Creek Swamp

Swamp by Village Creek

Swamp on Cypress Loop Trail

Village Creek

Then I crossed the Village Creek bridge and went north along the Turkey Creek trail to the Sandhill Loop which took me up higher. Little changes in elevation made a big difference in vegetation. The lower areas had more cypress trees around creeks and wetlands. The upper areas like most of the Sandhill Loop were covered mostly by pine trees.

Pine Forrest on the Higher Ground

At the end of the loop I came back to the creek and headed south back. Crossing the bridge again, I got back on the Kirby Nature Trail Loop and head back to the trailhead past some more wetlands.

Bridge Over Village Creek

Wetlands Along Kirby Nature Trail

I created a video of this hike and the one after. You can check it out here: Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas

This area has lots of hiking options. There is a cutoff in the middle of the Kirby Nature Trail if you want to take a shorter hike. If you want a long one, Turkey Creek goes north along ways with other access points that would allow for a shuttle.