One Wrong Turn to A World of Discovery at the Big Thicket National Preserve

 

 

 

Date: April 29, 2025

Place: Big Thicket National Preserve,

Coordinates: 30.461983, -94.350857

Length: 11.5 miles

Level: moderate 

 

 

 

Big Thicket National Preserve was one of the reasons Pappa Quail wanted to take me to that part of Texas on our April trip. "You have never seen a forest like that," he told me after he returned from his first visit there in the spring of 2023 with the elder chika. What he meant was the swamp forest of baldcypress, which I did get to see on our 2024 Thanksgiving trip to South Carolina, but I was eager to see again now, in southeast Texas. We visited the preserve on the first day of our trip already, hiking two short nature trails with our friends. For our third day now, Pappa Quail planned to hike with me the Kirby Nature Trail, a mild loop of approximately 4 miles, and then drive to another unit of the preserve to hike the Carnivorous Plants loop trail there. 

Northern Catalpa, Catalpa speciosa

At the Kirby Loop Trailhead we saw a green anole lizard on a tree. These cure green lizards were quickly becoming our regular trailhead welcoming party almost wherever we went. 

Green Anole

After a quick debate we decided to hike the loop counter clockwise. We packed some food and water and promptly, we were on our way.

Our hike as captured by my GPS

We plunged right into the forest. The forest was indeed a big thicket, a thicket of many broad-leaf trees, growing thickly and so were mostly very thin. Only a few of these trees had a good size trunk, to thick for a two arms hug. 

Kirby Nature Loop Trail

Life was all around us/ The birds tweeted in the trees but weren't readily visible. The squirrels however, were a different story - they were very visible, and they were active all over the place. 

Eastern Gray Squirrel

The forest canopy was fairly thick, not letting too much sunlight through. As a result, the understory was fairly thin, comprising mostly of a few small holly and some other shrubs. I didn't expect to see many wildflowers, but I did see a few. The first one was the best - a ladies' tresses orchid. 

Grass-leaved Ladies' Tresses, Spiranthes praecox

My eyes were drawn to shiny brown blob hanging from a leaf by the trail. I stopped to check it out - it was a large conical snail of a kind I have never seen before. I saw a few of these snails on that hike, they were very cool looking. 

Rosy Wolfsnail

We moved effortlessly along the flat terrain. The forest looked very uniform and I am sure that without the trail and without any prior experience with such forests I would have lost my bearings in no time. Residents of this forest must have known every branch and protruding root, and every crease in this otherwise almost featureless ground to have found their way around.  

Kirby Nature Loop Trail

Meanwhile Pappa Quail found his first bird - a white-winged dove that was partially visible through the foliage. 

White-winged Dove

The mushrooms on the forest floor were more visible after growing through the thick layer of fallen, rotting leaves. 

There was a slight movement on the trail - a wolf spider was making its way across, one little step at a time. 

Georgia Wolf Spider

Other things were moving on the ground. We saw gulf coast toads a few times on this hike. These little amphibians were so well camouflaged that we could detect them only when they were moving. 

Gulf Coast Toad

Here too we found many of these mud tubes that intrigued me on our first hike in the Big Thicket National Preserve. I found out while writing this blog post that these mud stacks were in fact ventilation tubed for crayfish burrows. I think that is very interesting. 

A crayfish burrow ventilation tube

We arrived a part of the forest with much taller and thicker trees. Not surprisingly, many of these trees, definitely the tallest of them, were coniferous. 

Pines and friends

The trails were marked with a metal disk that was nailed to trees. Those disks were hammered on a while ago - some of them were already partially covered by new tree growth. Trees can be amazingly resilient. 

Swallowing a foreign body

We reached a forest bog and Pappa Quail turned to me and said that this is what he wanted me to see. I have seen these already on our trip to South Carolina on the previous year but there the trees were all winter-bare. Now, wearing their spring green they looked very beautiful indeed. 

The trail took us along a creek. We didn't have a map of the place so I didn't know which creek it was. I later found that it was named Village Creek. 

Village Creek 

A long-legged spider straddled a leaf of one of the trail-side bushes. The spider rose on its thin legs as I pointed my camera. I managed to get a shot before it slid away under the leaf.

Eastern Harvestman spider

We reached a trail junction where we faced a choice: going straight ahead on a trail that was labeled the Kirby Nature Trail's inner loop or turning right on the trail labeled the Turkey Creek Trail and Sandhill Loop. We wanted the Kirby Nature Trail outer loop but saw no sign for that one. On the right was a bridge that run across Village Creek and Pappa Quail spotted a bird on a tree that leaned over the creek on the other side, so he turned on that bridge and raised his camera. 

Village Creek Bridge

That bird turned out one of a pair of to be a white-eyed vireo that were busy lining a newly built nest on that tree. 

White-eyed Vireo

I followed Pappa Quail onto the bridge but something strange caught my attention - something that wasn't part of nature. A baby doll was hanged by the neck on the bridge's railing, a macabre decoration left there by I don't know who. 

The creek itself was very brown and I didn't know if that was because the water was turbid or because it was shallow and I was seeing the muddy bottom below. The flow was very mild and the trees were growing all the way up to the water, some of them in the water. 

Village Creek

We resumed the hike on the other side of that bridge, unaware that by making that choice we were leaving the Kirby Nature Loop and going off on a tangent. We walked on the Turkey Creek Trail for a little bit before I noticed a snake curled in quiet sleep on a fallen log near the trail. I didn't know what kind of snake it was but it looked snake like a viper so I asked Pappa Quail to take a magnified photo with birding camera. Turns out that was a good judgement call to keep my distance - it was one of the most venomous snakes in Texas - the one commonly called water moccasin, or officially, northern cottonmouth. 

Northern Cottonmouth

We reached another bog, one of several that we saw on that hike. Pappa Quail said this bog didn't look familiar to him - it wasn't the one he remembered from his first hike of the Kirby Nature Loop.

Still, that bog was very lovely, with all the baldcepress trees and their 'knees' poking out of the water in the flooded areas. 

Baldcypress, Taxodium distichum

The bases of the baldcypress trees looked quite unusual to - they were widened and creased like bell-bottom pants with pleats. The water was so calm that the reflections of these baldcypress trunks was perfect, and beautiful. 

Further up the trail we came across a solitary hiker who told us that up ahead there was another bridge and beyond it was the Sandhill Loop Trail. He strongly recommended that we'd hike that loop. 

I spotted a large beetle on a fallen log. I've never seen such a beetle before, it was quite cool. Many beetles eat wood as larvae, but this species eats wood that's already dead and rotting. 

Horned Passalus Beetle

Promptly we reached and crossed the Turkey Creek bridge and on the other side, just like the other hiker said, we found the beginning of the Sandhill Loop Trail. 

Whitemouth Dayflower, Commelina erecta

At first I couldn't see much difference from the trail we walked so far. Soon however, the vegetation changed completely. A look down revealed the cause - the soil here was yellowish sand. 

Sandhill Loop Trail

Pappa Quail was seeing more birds now, too. They still were not easy to photograph though, they kept moving in and out of the foliage. 

Carolina Chickadee

I was definitely seeing many more flowers on the Sandhill Loop Trail. I kept my eyes open for the milkweed that the hiker we've met told us was blooming here but so far I was seeing other things and no less happy about them. 

Hairyflower Spiderwort, Tradescantia hirsutiflora

Another plant that the Texan hiker told us about was the prickly peak. Indeed we found them, but none were blooming at the time. I honestly didn't expect to see a native cactus in this part of Texas - I assumed it was too humid for this type of plant. 

Eastern Prickleypear, Opuntia cespitosa

A few more steps into the loop trail we found one of the most interesting sightings we've had the entire trip - a piece of bird dropping that looked a bit too perfect and upon a closer look turned out to be a perfectly camouflaged caterpillar. 

Eastern Giant Swallowtail caterpillar

MAny of the wildflowers I was seeing looked similar from one another. Little by little however, I was beginning to tell them apart. 

Ohio Spiderwort, Tradescantia ohiensis

It was cloudy when we started our hike, and a bit cool. Now it was becoming hit and muggy and we were becoming wet with sweat. 

Sandhill Loop Trail

Occasionally we saw the sun, which was great for photography but heated us to more sweat. Pappa Quail thought it might be a good time to have a little break so we started looking for a suitable place to sit. 

Texas Bull Nettle, Chidoscolus texanus

Soon we entered a very different area of the forest where the trees were all pines. Signs by the trail explained that there were two species of pines in that area - longe needled and short needled pines. I couldn't tell the difference. 

We found a fallen log by the side of the trail and sat down for a snack and hydration break. After a few moments Pappa Quail heard a bird in the trees and got up to try and find it. I got up also and wandered around, looking for wildflowers.

Hairy Puccoon, Lithospermum caroliniense

The pine trees in that part of the forest were far enough apart to let plenty of sunshine through. The effect of more sunshine was that the forest undergrowth was richer. There were more wildflowers blooming there too. 

Silver Croton, Croton argyranthemus

We resumed our hike in the tall Sandhill forest, and I kept on the lookout for more wildflowers. Not all the wildflowers I've seen were colorful, but many were interesting even if not very attractive. They were attractive enough to the pollinator bugs, 

Queen's Delight, Stillingia sylvatica

On a curve of the trail I saw a plant that looked familiar to me. It wasn't blooming but the leaves looked exactly like the sensitive plant that I saw in Puerto Rico a year before. 

Little-leaf Sensitive Briar, Mimosa microphylla 

I bent over and touched the leaves. Sure enough - they collapsed to my touch. I called Pappa Quail to see but he was busy trying to photograph a bird in the trees. 

Little-leaf Sensitive Briar, Mimosa microphylla

The bird Pappa Quail saw was a pine warbler. It was indeed up high in the pine tree canopy and not easy to photograph.

Pine Warbler

The curve led us through a part of the forest that was still dominated by pine trees but included some broad-leaf trees here and there. 

Pappa Quail who was a bit ahead of me called my over - he found another wildflower. When I got to the flower he asked if it was the milkweed that the hiker we've met earlier told us about. It wasn't the milkweed, but it was a very lovely find. 

Staggerbush, Lyonia mariana

A few steps later waited for us a small, brownish butterfly on the trail, well camouflaged on the dry needles-littered sand. 

Juvenal's Duskywing

Little by little the trail curved westward and the vegetation changed again. Now we walked between tall green walls of large bushes and small broad-leaf trees. I couldn't see the soil now - it was covered in fress, lush grass and dry broad-leaf leaves. 

Sandhill Loop Trail

The wildflowers changed too. Some of them I already recognized from my previous hikes in the Big Thicket National Preserve a couple of days earlier. 

Hairy Skullcap, Scutellaria elliptica

We got very close to the trail junction with the Turkey Creek Trail when I finally spotted the coveted milkweed. It was indeed worth the excursion to the Sandhill Loop Trail. It was gorgeous. 

Redring Milkweed, Asclepias variegata

After I was done admiring the milkweed I noticed that the forest floor behind it was littered with tiny orange mushrooms that poked through the layer of dry leaves. I later saw a couple more of these muchroom patches. 

A small part of the Sandhill Loop Trail overlaps wioth the Turkey Creek Trail. We entered the loop at the south junction and we reconnected with the Turkey Creek Trail at the north Junction. At the north junction were a few benches and on one of them we spotted another interesting caterpillar which crawled slowly along the bench's edge. 

Eastern Buck Moth

Not having a map or an idea how the trail system was, we turned left to return to the south trail junction to complete the loop. At the time we believed that we were still on the outer Kirby Nature Loop. Seeing different trail markings didn't alert us to the possibility that we were on the wrong trail altogether. 

Sandhill/Turkey Creek Trail Overlap

We reached the Turkey Creek bridge again and found ourselves wondering where to go to continue the Kirby Nature Loop, which unaware of, we weren't on it at all at the time. 

Turkey Creek

Remembering having seen a third trail coming out of the north Sandhill Loop Trail junction, we decided to go back there and continue on it. 

It didn't take long - we quickly reached the north trail junction again, saw that the caterpillar was still crawling on that bench, and continued walking north on what we believed was the outer Kirby Nature Loop Trail but was in fact a continuation of the Turkey Creek Trail. 

Turkey Creek Trail

For a while we walked without comments. I didn't take many photos but I did pause for some interesting sights, especially some pretty interesting fungi. 

Fungi have a huge diversity, and many of them are really beautiful when blooming. The mushroom, which is the fungus' reproductive organ is its only part that is exposed. All the rest of the fungus is embedded inside the substrates which the fungus consumes.

Turkeytail 

I spotted a few other redring milkweed blossoms along the trail and I did pause to photograph these flowers again. 

It was when we reached an open fire lane that Pappa Quail first vocalized his concern that we may be on the wrong trail. 

The fire lane itself was home to some interesting beings, such as the beautiful jewel-like eastern pondhawk dragonfly.

Eastern Pondhawk

There were a few wildflowers blooming between the grasses in the fire lane as well. Pappa Quail waited patiently for me as I explored the local flora in that spot. 

Canadian Meadow Garlic, Allium canadense

More fugi were present too, but closer to the trees flanking the fire lane. The amanita I did recognize - their relatives grow in California as well. 

Coker's Amanita

The trail overlapped with the fire lane for a bit so for short distance we followed the cleared forest line, walking on the open grass. 

Sundial Lupine, Lupiuns perennis

We knew that the trail wasn't going along the fire lane much longer but we weren't sure where else to go - the vegetation flanking the fire lane was like an impenetrable green wall. 

Soft Greeneyes, Berlandiera pumila

It could be that we would have made the decision to backtrack at that place but all of a sudden we did see the trail splitting off from the fire lane. More over, a large sin 'Trail' was posted there with an arrow toward the trail. We didn't question it any further and moved down to where that arrow was pointing. 

Kirby Creek Trail

Turkey Creek Trail

There was a slight movement below me on the trail so I stopped and looked down. It took me a while to see what it was I was that I was looking at. 

I called Pappa Quail over and he couldn't see until I pointed it out to him - a small brown gulf coast toad, perfectly camouflaged when not in motion. 

Gulf Coast Toad

The third interesting caterpillar we saw on this hike I spotted crawling on a fallen log by the trail side. This one moved quite vigorously, possibly aware that it was quite visible where it was. 

Pipevine Swallowtail

We reached another bog where we were attacked by a swarm of ravenous mosquitoes. By then Pappa Quail was sure that we were on the wrong path - we have walked a great distance more than the entire of the outer Kirby Nature Loop Trail. Eventually using his navigator, Pappa Quail figured out where our wirst wrong turn was. Sweaty and swatting, we started back walking at our top speed. 

We had to walk over two miles just to get back to the Turkey Creek Trail. We were quite hot and sweaty and we were also hungry - we didn't plan on hiking this long so we had only light snacks with us. We could deal with the heat and the hunger but the worst part was the mosquitoes - once we were discovered they kept chasing us down the trail. 

Turkey Creek Trail

I remembered there were less mosquitoes at the fire lane and when we got there we paused a little to apply the one deet wipe that I carried with me for emergencies exactly like this one. Pappa Quail and I had to share the small wipe, hoping it'll put off the little winged bloodsuckers. 

Creeping Cucumber, Melothria pendula

Pappa Quail wanted to stop for a break but I convinced him to continue until the Turkey Creek Bridge which was still about a mile away. we kept going at a fast pace. I barely took photos on this part of the hike, pausing only for special sights such as interesting-looking galls. 

Another reason for a brief pause was one of them long legged spiders that I've been seeing resting on broad leaves. Most of these spiders run away immediately after being sighted but this one hanged on for a bit longer, allowing me to take its photo. 

Eastern Harvestman

Eventually we reached the Turkey Creek Bridge where we took off our gear and sat down for a well deserved break. We didn't have much food with us but it was enough to satisfy the hunger for a while. Whatever else Pappa Quail had planned for today would have to be pushed back - neither of us thought that we could manage any other hikes after finishing this one. 

I gazed down at the brown water that was flowing below the bridge. The people at the Big Thicket visitor center told us that there weren't any alligators in that creek. I found that hard to believe after seeing the gators pretty much in every other body of water in the area, but I for sure wasn't seeing any of these large reptiles in that creek now. 

Turkey Creek

From Turkey Creek is was a short stretch to return to the bridge across Village Creek and to the junction where we took the wrong turn. 

Village Creek

At the trail junction we saw a couple of other hikers who seemed to have the same confusion that we had when we first arrived there. Having learned it the long and interesting way we were able to direct them now to the correct trail, the one we were finally turning on ourselves. 

Kirby Nature Trail

Shortly after we took the right turn back on the Kirby Nature Trail we reached the Cypress Loop and the baldcypress bog that Pappa Quail remembered from his first visit in the area. It was that part of the forest that he wanted to show me. It was very beautiful indeed. 

Both Pappa Quail and I were already weary from the unplanned long hike in the hot and muggy conditions. We were alsi itching from the numerous mosquito bites that we acquired on the hike. We still had about a mile and a half to walk though, but now it was an easy and sure walk.

Kirby Nature Trail

The last half a mile had interpretive signs posted along the trail. Many of the signs simply stated names of prominent plants in the forest, the southern magnolia among them. 

Kirby Nature Trail

Up to the very end of the hike I was looking for unusual sightings. I spotted a tree with a spiral-shaped trunk, a shape likely caused by the constriction of a vining plant that eventually withered away, leaving behind the cork screw look. 

Twisted Tree

We arrived at the trailhead after having walked over 11.5 miles, about 6.5 miles longer than we originally intended. Upon seeing birders looking up a tree Pappa Quail found energy reserves to go and speak with them. Meanwhile I checked out the Staley Cabin - a replica model of historic settlers log cabins. 

Staley Cabin

We had originally plant to do a couple more hikes at the Big Thicket Nature Preserve that day, but those would be pushed back a couple of days later. Exhausted and hungry we drove back to our lodge in Beaumont and stopped at the first decent place we saw to eat an early dinner/ late lunch. All and all though, neither of us regretted taking the long hike - we got to see some really fascinating sights that we wouldn't have otherwise seen, especially all that we saw along the Sandhill Loop Trail. It was worth all the sweat and mosquito bites.