Big Thicket National Preserve

Big Thicket National Preserve: see National Parks and Monuments (table).

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Big Thicket National Preserve

Parks Directory of the United States / US National Parks / National Preserves

Address: 6044 FM420
Kountze, TX 77625
Phone: 409-951-6700;
Fax: 409-951-6868;
Web: www.nps.gov/bith/
Size: 97,246 acres.
Established: Authorized on October 11, 1974. Designated a Biosphere Reserve in 1981. Designated a Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy in 2001.
Location: Preserve comprises 9 land units and 6 water corridors in eastern Texas. To reach information center, enter Beaumont via I-10 and then take US 69-287 north 7 miles past Kountze to FM 420, and then east for 2.5 miles.
Facilities: Picnic area, rest rooms (é), boat ramp, information center (é), backcountry campground, self-guiding tour/trail.
Activities: Hiking, camping, boating, canoeing, swimming, fishing, hunting, bird-watching, wildlife viewing, interpretive programs.
Special Features: Big Thicket was the first Preserve established in the National Park System. A convergence of ecosystems occurred here during the last Ice Age, bringing together, in one geographical location, the eastern hardwood forests, the Gulf coastal plains, and the midwest prairies. A great number of plant and animal species coexist in this "biological crossroads of North America."

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See other parks in Texas.