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After finishing up with the Beaver Slide Trail we found we had some extra time on our hands and decided to hike the nearby Woodland Trail. The trail is about 5 miles long but has several loops that we could take if we want a shorter trip.
Woodland Trail in the Big Thicket National Preserve
The Woodland Trail is a 5.2 l to 5.4-mile loop trail will several different loop options to shorten or lengthen your hike. The trail takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes to complete and is considered to be easy.
The trail is a natural dirt service with a mixture of leaves, pine needles, and exposed roots. You will find a few wooden footbridges along the way that goes over creeks/bogs. The Trail starts on an old pine plantation. The pine trees were planted in 1963 after the area was logged. Just a short distance from the entrance you will find Collins Pond, a man-made pond.
The western portion of the trail slopes up a little and you find beech, magnolias, and loblolly pine trees. The eastern portion side slopes down slowly and winds its way through the floodplain along Big Sandy Creek. This portion has a dense canopy and shades the area nicely. You won’t find much ground vegetation here. You will find sweet gum, water oak, tupelo, and basket oak. The lower levels of the trees found will be hornbeam and holly trees.
Location
The trailhead The Woodlands Trailhead is located on FM 1276, 5.9 miles north of Dallardsville and 3.3 miles south of US 190.
Hazards
Although the trail is easy, you need to be prepared.
- If you are solo hiking, let someone know, or carry a tractor with you.
- There isn’t cell service in much of the area. Carry a map of the area, and download maps from AllTrails or other hiking sources.
- Bring plenty of bug spray. The mosquitos are bad. They will follow you around and the minute you stop they will attack. Ticks can be a problem as well. So check yourself afterward.
- Bring plenty of water. The humidity is bad in this area. You will sweat a lot and dehydrate fast. For us, all we needed were a 32oz Nalgene Bottle per person.
- Watch for hunters during hunting season and off-season. Some people who do not follow the rules will hunt year-round. Where Blaze Orange is out on the trail. If not where bright colors so won’t be mistaken for a game.
Our Hike
We started our hike during the late afternoon with temperatures in the low 90s with high humidity. During the first hike was easy, mostly dry, and the mosquitos weren’t that bad. However, that all changed when we got into the lower areas. It was muddy in spots, exposed tree roots, and a few spots were not passable and we had to go off trail and find solid ground to get around the bogs. The mosquitos were ravenous. They swarmed us and wouldn’t leave us alone when stopped to figure out where the trail was or to take a break. I was tempted to order a mosquito netting hat.
Several times we lost where the trail was and had to wander around until we found the trail again. Before we even got to the area of the loop became so boggy that we had to turn around.
Will We Hike This Trail Again?
Would we hike this trail again? The answer is no. It’s not very interesting. During the rainy season, it’s nearly impossible to complete the trail and with the swamp-like conditions, it’s a haven for mosquitoes.
Do I recommend This Trail?
The answer is maybe. It’s an easy trail and if you happen to catch the trail when it’s dry it will put you out in nature for an hour plus. Just remember to bring plenty of bug spray and water. Even in the shade it gets hot and dehydrates quickly.
About the Images
For this trip, I didn’t carry my camera with me. Too many bugs to stop and take photos. So everything was shot on the move with my Samsung Note 8. I then edited them with Adobe Lightroom CC, Topaz Labs Denoise AI and Topaz Labs Sharpen AI, and Aurora HDR.
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