Big Thicket National Preserve · Texas

Woodlands Trail

4.3 mi of trail, end to end · Hike the Woodlands Trail: 5 mi round trip in the Service's write-up · about 200 ft of climbing · 197 ft–282 ft · hiking

Picnic areas

208 ft 261 ft · 1.1 mi high 282 ft

Along the way Woodlands Day Use Area

Trailhead Woodlands Trailhead 229 ft Drive there

Hike the Woodlands Trail 5 mi round trip · the Park Service's write-up

2-4 Hours · dogs allowed

Start Big Sandy Creek Unit | Dallardsville, TX

A leaf-covered path leads straight through shrubs and thick forest on a late fall day.
The Woodlands Trail loops through different kinds of forest. Photo: NPS Photo / Scott Sharaga

The Woodlands Trail is a pleasant loop hike through different kinds of forest scenery in the northwest corner of the Big Thicket. Short hills add a few ups and downs to this shaded hike.

Distance: 5 miles roundtrip

Type: Out-and-back and loop combination

Location: Big Sandy Creek Unit

Trailhead: Parking lot on FM 1276

Lat/Long: 30.679593, -94.699424

Overview

The Woodlands Trail has loop options of 3, 4¼, and 5 miles roundtrip.

Start at the trailhead on Farm to Market Road (FM) 1276 and follow the trail signs past the information kiosk. Near Collins Pond, cross a pipeline right-of-way and continue into the forest.

Go over a few short bridges through a floodplain until you arrive at a bench marking the beginning of the loop section. The left fork climbs through a hilly pine forest while the right fork follows Big Sandy Creek. There are 2 cutoff trails in the middle of the loop that shorten the loop to 3 and 4¼ miles.

Some of the junctions have a bench with a map that indicates your current position. When you return to the beginning of the loop, follow the out-and-back section to return to the trailhead.

More Information

Download a trail map

Explore the Big Sandy Creek Unit

Accessibility Trail surfaces include hard-packed soil, leaves, and wooden bridges. This trail has some elevation gain and loss on the west side of the loop. There are several sections there where the trail is deeply rutted. Expect muddy conditions on the portion of trail along Big Sandy Creek if it has rained recently.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 26 trails in Big Thicket National PreserveFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.