Big Thicket National Preserve

10/31/2026

The Pitcher Plant Trail closure has been extended to today, Saturday, October 31. Work is expected to be completed by the end of the day.

Call 409-951-6700 for updates.

⚠️ The Pitcher Plant trailhead and parking lot will be closed on Saturday, October 31, for restoration work.

During this time, crews will be applying herbicide to invasive shrubs in the longleaf pine forest along the southeast half of the Pitcher Plant Trail loop and along County Road 4850. Herbicide application is part of a multi-step effort to restore and maintain longleaf pine savannah along with prescribed fire and mastication.

The boardwalk through the pitcher plant bog will remain open; access requires a 7-mile roundtrip hike via Turkey Creek Trail from FM 1943 in Warren.

Work is expected to be completed by the end of the day. Please call the visitor center at 409-951-6700 for updates.

NPS Photo / Scott Sharaga

10/29/2026

It’s said this road is haunted. 👻

Built over a century ago in the heart of the Big Thicket, the road first served as a railroad for oil and timber. By 1933, however, the train was no longer needed and its tracks were removed, leaving behind a narrow road through a tunnel of trees.

Now known as Bragg Road, it’s often called the “Ghost Road” due to unexplained phenomena. For decades, travelers have reported seeing ghostly lights along the road at night. Some say it’s the ghost of a railroad worker who suffered a tragic end. Others think the lights are cars’ headlights, barely visible through the trees.

So, drive the Ghost Road at night—if you dare—and imagine the whistle of a train rolling down the tracks. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll catch a glimpse of the infamous ghost light. 🚂

NPS Photo / Scott Sharaga

10/28/2026

⚠️ The Pitcher Plant trailhead and parking lot will be closed on Saturday, October 31, for restoration work.

During this time, crews will be applying herbicide to invasive shrubs in the longleaf pine forest along the southeast half of the Pitcher Plant Trail loop and along County Road 4850. Herbicide application is part of a multi-step effort to restore and maintain longleaf pine savannah along with prescribed fire and mastication.

The boardwalk through the pitcher plant bog will remain open; access requires a 7-mile roundtrip hike via Turkey Creek Trail from FM 1943 in Warren.

Work is expected to be completed by the end of the day. Please call the visitor center at 409-951-6700 for updates.

NPS Photo / Scott Sharaga

10/27/2026

What do Big Thicket National Preserve and Fossil Butte National Monument have in common?

At first glance, not much. One is a lush forest with waterways in southeast Texas. The other is a high-desert landscape of sagebrush and fossil-rich ridges in Wyoming.

Fifty-two million years ago, the landscape around Fossil Butte looked surprisingly similar to parts of Big Thicket today! The ancient Fossil Lake had a warm, wet environment home to the ancestors of modern-day plants and animals.

Fast forward to 2026: Fossil Butte National Monument is making a new park film and wanted to show viewers what their ancient landscape looked like, so they chose Big Thicket. A film crew recently spent a few days in the thicket filming some of the plants and animals found in Fossil Butte’s fossils: palmettos, sweetgums, turtles, alligators, and more.

It makes us wonder—what’s being fossilized beneath our feet?

🦴 Dig deeper into Fossil Butte:
www.nps.gov/fobu/index.htm

Photos:
1) Palmettos in Big Thicket (NPS / Scott Sharaga)
2) Fossil Butte (NPS / John Collins)
3) Turtle fossil cast (NPS)
4) Palmetto fossil (NPS)
5) Paddlefish fossil (NPS)
6) Film crew getting palmetto close-ups (NPS / Sarah Gulick)
7) Film crew on the water (NPS / Sarah Gulick)

10/11/2026

🎂 Fifty-two looks good on you, Big Thicket! 👀

🥳 October 11th marks our anniversary of becoming the first Preserve in the National Park Service. Although a lot has changed since 1974, some things in the Big Thicket are timeless: hiking through the woods with a ranger, marveling at carnivorous plants, and paddling wild waters.

🥾 Celebrate our anniversary by planning an adventure in Big Thicket! Check out our website for things to do in the preserve and our calendar of events: https://www.nps.gov/bith/planyourvisit/index.htm

NPS Photos

10/09/2026

🐛 On Friday he ate… 🍽️

Nothing! This imperial moth caterpillar is done eating after a whole summer of gorging on pine, hickory, sweetgum, elm, oak, maple, beech, or cypress foliage.

Now that it has reached maximum size, over five inches long, it crawls down from the forest canopy in search of soil. Unlike many butterflies and moths, the imperial moth doesn’t make a chrysalis to transform. Instead, this species changes, or pupates, underground during winter and early spring.

What caterpillars are you observing in Big Thicket or your own backyard?

NPS Photo / Nathan Pattee

10/05/2026

🛠️ Job Announcement:
Seasonal Maintenance Worker

Big Thicket is hiring multiple seasonal maintenance workers for the spring and summer of 2027! Job duties include routine maintenance and repair on park facilities, including minor carpentry, painting, plumbing, and electrical work.

Grade: WG-5
Pay: $22.56/hour
Length: Not to exceed 1039 hours
Deadline to Apply: Oct. 12 or when 700 applications are received, whichever happens first.

👉 Apply on USAJobs:
https://www.usajobs.gov/job/886854700

Note: This announcement includes positions for many parks in several states—please select Big Thicket or Kountze, TX, when applying!

NPS Photo / Nathan Pattee

10/05/2026

Today’s homework: thank a teacher.

National parks are places where students can learn about history by standing where it happened, explore science by observing nature, and discover stories that help us better understand the people and places that shaped our world.

Behind those experiences are teachers helping students ask questions, make connections, and learn about the world around them.

On World Teachers’ Day, we celebrate the educators who inspire curiosity, encourage exploration and remind us that learning can happen just about anywhere. (Including places with a really good view.)

Learn more at: https://www.nps.gov/teachers/index.htm

NPS Image

10/05/2026

Every day from October 12 to November 5, 2026, visit Mission San José's granary during park hours (9am-5pm) to view the mission descendant community's family ofrendas.

Ofrendas are an essential part of Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead. The word ofrenda means offering in Spanish. They are also called "altares" or altars, but not for worship. These altars are not only full of family pictures, but of symbols and meaning, honoring the ancestors who have passed, and offering them items of the celebration such a "pan de mu**to" and marigold flowers.

NPS Photo

10/04/2026

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” — Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables

And we’re rather glad there are national parks to experience them in. Fall is a great time to get outside and enjoy the spectacular spectacle (say that five times fast) of changing leaves. There is plenty of room for imagination when you find yourself surrounded by forests painted in brilliant shades of red, orange, and gold. In our experience, you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will. So consider this your invitation to find a little wonder, a little enchantment, and perhaps a kindred spirit among the trees.

Forests, woods, and shrublands in national parks put on their autumn colors from September through December. There’s a whole world of beauty waiting to be explored!

Image 1: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Image 2: Great Smoky Mountains NP
Image 3: Great Sand Dunes NPP
Image 4: Rocky Mountain National Park
Image 5: TheodoreRooseveltNPS

10/03/2026

“On October 3rd, he asked what day it was.” — Cady Heron

It’s October 3rd.

October is kind of a big deal around here. The autumn months splash many national parks with a rich array of fall colors, while cooler temperatures have wildlife getting ready for winter. Some are migrating. Some are gathering food. Some are putting on extra layers.

Same, honestly.

So whether you’re here for the foliage, the wildlife, or simply to judge the leaves on their color palette, national parks are a pretty fetch place to experience fall. Fetch? We’re making it happen.

And if you want to keep up with what’s happening in parks this season, you can find more ways to connect with your national parks at the link below.
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/fall-season.htm

Image: Red Osier Dogwood leaves stand out against aspen trunks at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. NPS/Patrick Myers

10/02/2026

10/02/2026

Wherever military life takes you, there’s likely a park adventure nearby.

Active-duty military members, Veterans, and Gold Star families can get a free America the Beautiful Pass, providing access to national parks and federal recreation sites across the country.

Active-duty military families can also find free events, nearby outdoor opportunities, and resources for exploring national parks, public lands, and waterways through the Military Families Outdoors Program, wherever military life takes them. Visit: go.nps.gov/mfo

Whether you’re PCSing, exploring near your duty station, or looking for a weekend adventure, your next park visit may be closer than you think.

NPS Photo: Rangers at Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park recently teamed up with Blue Star Families and community partners for a day of fishing, outdoor fun, and family time at Fletchers Cove.

Blue Star Families Defense Public Health

10/01/2026

Fat Bear Week has officially lumbered to a close.

What a week. As they say, a journey of roughly 3,000 to 4,500 calories begins with a single salmon. Something like that. There might be some steps involved too.

In the end, 16 bears entered. Bear 89 “Backpack” became champion. Talk about the hunger games. And several ate their way into our hearts. Figuratively. And thousands of us humans spent an unreasonable amount of time judging bears for being excellent at being, well, bears.

It was a week of big bellies, bigger appetites, and absolutely no regrets. We shared some science, learned about the Alaskan ecosystem, stood around for hours watching large mammals eat, and found multiple way to incorporate “chonk” in everyday vocabulary.

Now the bears have more important things to do, such as eating then sleeping, a bit more eating, sleeping, and finally preparing to sleep after eating. As for the rest of us, we all return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Must we?

We must.

We will miss you, Fat Bear Week. Until next year: stay chunky, stay hungry, and remember: there’s always room for one more salmon.

NPS Images

10/01/2026

10/01/2026

Now that Fat Bear Week is over, it's time for Chunky Puppy Day! Tune in to the Puppy Cam tomorrow, Thursday, October 1, at 2pm AK time to find out how big the America's Best Idea litter got this summer.

How much do you think they weigh now? Share your guesses in the comments below.

NPS Photo: Graupel from the Weather litter during a weigh-in last year.

09/30/2026

This is the ideal marmot body. You may not like it. You may not understand it. But this is what peak performance looks like.

Now that Fat Bear Week is over, we’re returning to our regularly scheduled programming: other fat mammals.

The tundra-dwelling yellow-bellied marmots have been preparing for hibernation for the last couple of months. Since marmots spend more than half their lives hibernating, they’ve developed some impressive adaptations for surviving the winter:

✅ First, they’ve been building up healthy fat reserves (sound familiar? Bears. Us too, but that’s another post) to sustain them for up to eight months. Basically, a nice winter savings account.

✅ When they finally enter hibernation, they become true hibernators, slowing their heart rate from around 200 beats per minute to as low as 30. It’s an impressive energy-saving strategy.

✅ Speaking of saving, they also save on utilities by cuddling up with the colony in a communal burrow. Because heating is expensive, and roommates are the answer. Was that on the lease?

NPS Photo: A rotund marmot standing on a rock at Rocky Mountain National Park

09/16/2026

Celebrate National Public Lands Day at Big Thicket! 🌳

We’re hosting a volunteer event on Saturday, September 26, where you can help us pick up trash, trim overgrown brush, and repaint a popular trailhead:

📍 Sundew Trail, County Road 1910, Warren, TX
🌐 30.548225, -94.409754
📅 Sat, Sep 26
🕘 9:00-11:00 am

Park staff will provide all equipment. Volunteers should wear closed-toe shoes and bring water, insect repellent, and sunscreen. All participants will receive a coupon for free entry for 1 day in a national park or other federal public land.

👉 Register here:
www.volunteer.gov/s/volunteer-opportunity/a09SJ00000PskdlYAB/national-public-lands-day-sundew-trailhead-cleanup

Questions? Call us at 409-951-6700.

NPS Photo

09/15/2026

“Why did I get up so early?” 🥱

Then it happens. The sun shines through the forest canopy, piercing the pre-dawn twilight with yellow-orange rays. The clouds glow with a warm orange hue and all is reflected in the calm waters of the bayou.

🌅 Vibrant mornings like this make an early start in the Big Thicket worth it. How often do you get up to watch the sunrise?

NPS Photo / Scott Sharaga

06/25/2026

🚧 Construction Alert:

The Kirby Nature Trail parking lot will be closed for repaving and painting July 1 and 2.

The trail will remain open during the closure; park along FM 420 for access.

For any questions, call us at 409-951-6700.

NPS Photo / Scott Sharaga