Village Creek Trip

Big Thicket National Park,
near Silsbee, Texas

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Village Creek / Texas Big Thicket National Park, Silsbee, Texas.

The Road Trip:
From Beaumont, take US Highway 69/96 North; take Mitchell Road exit onto Mitchell Road (just before the US Highway 69/96 split). Go approximately .4 mile on the access road and turn east (right) onto Mitchell Road. Then turn immediately north (left) onto FM 3513 (Village Creek Parkway). Go approximately 2 miles and turn East (right) on Alma Drive. Cross the railroad tracks (veer to the left) and go .5 mile to park entrance.

Trip Highlights: Remote and secluded with sugar-white sandbars, wide variety of enjoyable wildlife and excellent light-tackle or fly fishing and photography opportunities. Also, the sandbars are primitive and plentiful, allowing for overnight and even 3 day canoe-camping all year around.

Time and distance 4-8 hours

Route: We paddled through the Nature Conservancy of Texas located here. (9 miles) We stopped on several beautiful sandbars along the way (see photos) to swim, eat lunch and play. Our kids and our family dog loved the veritable playground provided them almost the entire trip. Springtime, the flora and flauna was absolutely beautiful and I honestly felt like I was traveleing through some tropical rain forest! We saw fish jumping, birds flying, turtles sunning themselves & butterflies followed our children around all day!

Paddling Tips: In the spring, this was an easy trip. However, in the heat of the summer, our outfitter recommended we get an early start for this trip. The obstacles become more pronounced he said, and "...the lower the water level, the further you have to paddle." He recommended a shorter trip downstream when we did return (July), and we were glad he did because we were running late that day and we still got to play on a few sandbars and swim all afternoon without having to paddle as far (only 4 miles).

Watch out for The only hazards were the occasional Log Jams, most of which we were able to negotiate thanks to our friendly outfitter and his chainsaw! We could see where he had cut a path through some of the worse places where whole trees (BIG TREES) had bridged the creek. It was cool! Some we had to duck under but only one presented a real problem. One adult had to stand guard while the kids got out and climbed over a fallen tree...an adventure to be sure...but a day our family will always remember!

Landmarks:

Stretch Your Legs: Of course, the sandbars are ideal! They are plentiful and clean, white quartz beaches typically flat and easy to "camp out" on.

One Paddler's Story: Our outfitter was Eastex Canoe Trails (www.eastexcanoes.com) in Silsbee (800) 814 - 7390 and they are the BEST! We have since become a family that "plays together" and canoeing on Village Creek is our favorite outdoor activity! This activity has brought us so much closer as a family, I recommend it to anyone, regardless of age or whether or not you have children. Bring someone you LOVE, if you LOVE Mother Nature, you'll enjoy it.

A Map of the Village Creek State Park in PDF format is available at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/village/vicrfac.pdf










Mapping by MapQuest
  • For customized maps, visit MapQuest. Please note: the above maps are not intended for navigation.

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