Big Thicket National Preserve
The Big Thicket is the name given to a somewhat imprecise region of a heavily forested area of Southeast Texas in the United States. Its address puts it 7 mi northwest of Kountze. Over 2025, 228K visitors passed through.
A national preserve, 7 mi northwest of Kountze
Visits fell 16% in 2025
The National Park Service counted 228,310 visitors in 2025, down from 271,823 the year before. Visitors ↓
Rose Hill Acres is inside the park
Rose Hill Acres sits inside the park’s boundary. Where to stay ↓
Summers are hot
July and August highs run 93–93°, and about 109 days a year reach 90°. When to go ↓
Silsbee is the nearest base
Silsbee is 15 miles southeast, with 5 places to stay. Where to stay ↓
Best months: Feb and Apr
February and April are mild and quieter than average, with highs of 66–78°. When to go ↓
Written from National Park Service visitor counts, NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia. Updated when the Park Service posts a new month.
The year in visitors and weather
Here is how visitors and weather at Big Thicket change through the year.
Big Thicket National Preserve
The Big Thicket is the name given to a somewhat imprecise region of a heavily forested area of Southeast Texas in the United States. This area represents a portion of the mixed pine-hardwood forests or "Piney Woods" of the Southeast US. The National Park Service established the Big Thicket National Preserve (BTNP) within the region in 1974 and it is recognized as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO. Although the diversity of animals in the area is high for a temperate zone with over 500 vertebrates, it is the complex mosaic of ecosystems and plant diversity that is particularly remarkable. Biologists have identified at least eight, and up to eleven, ecosystems in the Big Thicket area.
- Type
- National Preserve
- Elevation
- 1,299 ft
- Wikipedia readers
- 23K a year
- Official site
- nps.gov/bith
When it is open
Bases for Big Thicket National Preserve
The nearest towns with places to stay are Beaumont (72) and Kountze (4), and Houston has the most rooms in the area (947).
- 1Spindletop
- 2Sam Houston National Forest
- 3Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum
- 4Grand Texas Theme Park
- 5Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum & Visitor Center
- 6Edison Museum
- 7Fire Museum of Texas
Beaumont
The closest town with somewhere to stay.
112,967 people
30 mi southeast of Big Thicket Visitor Center · 4 mi to the park
Houston
The most places to stay in the area, and a base for a longer trip.
2,397,315 people
76 mi southwest of Big Thicket Visitor Center · 54 mi to the park
Compare 9 towns
| Town | From the visitor center | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaumont | 30 mi southeast | 45 min | 72 54 hotels · 9 motels · 2 lodges & cabins · 1 campground · 6 RV parks | 112,967 | $166K | D− |
| Kountze | 7 mi southeast | 10 min | 4 2 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 1 RV park | 2,127 | $127K | B+ |
| Silsbee | 15 mi southeast | 20 min | 5 1 hotel · 4 RV parks | 6,613 | $148K | B |
| Woodville | 22 mi north | 35 min | 6 2 motels · 1 lodge or cabins · 3 RV parks | 2,339 | $215K | B+ |
| Lumberton | 18 mi southeast | 25 min | 3 3 hotels | 14,123 | $292K | A− |
| Ivanhoe 22% vacation homes | 15 mi north | 25 min | 2 1 hotel · 1 inn or B&B | 1,376 | $98K | — |
| Warren | 11 mi north | 15 min | 1 1 lodge or cabins | 847 | $122K | — |
| Port Arthur | 49 mi southeast | 1 hr | 51 30 hotels · 6 motels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 3 lodges & cabins · 1 campground · 8 RV parks | 55,804 | $107K | D |
| Houston | 76 mi southwest | 2 hr | 947 737 hotels · 121 motels · 32 inns & B&Bs · 19 lodges & cabins · 9 hostels · 9 campgrounds · 20 RV parks | 2,397,315 | $278K | D− |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service, from the visitor center
Worth adding to a visit
These well-known places are within 62 miles.
140 mi LandmarkSpindletop
247 mi National forestSam Houston National Forest339 mi MuseumSpindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum62 mi Zoo & aquariumEllen Trout Zoo457 mi Theme parkGrand Texas Theme Park
534 mi MuseumBabe Didrikson Zaharias Museum & Visitor Center
635 mi MuseumEdison Museum
735 mi MuseumFire Museum of TexasPhoto credits
Spindletop: i_am_jim, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sam Houston National Forest: U.S. Forest Service, Public domain · Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum: i_am_jim, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum & Visitor Center: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Edison Museum: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 · Fire Museum of Texas: R. Rothenberger, CC BY 3.0
Visitor numbers: 228,310 in 2025
Here are the yearly counts from 2016 to 2025.
Visiting Big Thicket: the answers
What town is Big Thicket National Preserve near?
Kountze, TX, about 7 miles southeast.
When is the best time to visit Big Thicket National Preserve?
February and April, with highs of 66–78°. December is the busiest month (about 23,693 visitors).
How many people visit Big Thicket National Preserve each year?
228,310 in 2025, according to the National Park Service. The record is 309,053, set in 2020.
What is the closest airport to Big Thicket National Preserve?
Jack Brooks Regional (BPT), about 41 miles away. The nearest big hub is George Bush Intercontinental (IAH), about 66 miles.
Where should I stay near Big Thicket National Preserve?
Beaumont (30 mi, 72 places to stay), Kountze (7 mi, 4 places to stay) and Houston (76 mi, 947 places to stay).
Word from Kountze
There are no tips yet, so start one in Kountze’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · National Park Service visitor use statistics · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.