2026 Junior Ranger Day Celebration at Big Thicket National Preserve

Contact: Megan Urban, 409-554-9016

KOUNTZE, Texas - Come celebrate Junior Ranger Day at Big Thicket National Preserve on Saturday, April 11, 2026! This FREE family-friendly event will take place at the visitor center located at 6102 FM 420 in Kountze from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Visitors of all ages and abilities can learn about the different types of park rangers at Big Thicket while exploring these different stations:

• Check out some of the awesome National Park Service vehicles and tools it takes to protect the preserve, including an air boat and a fire engine.
• Learn about the different ways rangers use mapping tools in their jobs.
• Take home a longleaf pine seedling!
• Hike through the woods along the Longleaf Pine Trail.
• Earn a junior ranger badge-different badges and activity books available!

ASL interpreters will be available. View our calendar of events for more information on free ranger-led programs and activities.

-NPS-

Big Thicket National Preserve is located in Southeast Texas, near the city of Beaumont and 75 miles northeast of Houston. The preserve consists of nine land units and six water corridors encompassing more than 113,000 acres. The Big Thicket, often referred to as a "biological crossroads," is a transition zone between four distinct vegetation types - the moist eastern hardwood forest, the southwestern desert, the southeastern swamp, and the central prairies. Species from all of these different vegetation types come together in the thicket, exhibiting a variety of vegetation and wildlife that has received global interest.