Village Creek State Park
PO Box 8565
Lumberton TX 77657
409/755-7322
01/18/09 - Repairs due to damage from Hurricane Ike are almost completed. All facilities & trails in the park are open with the exception of the Land Navigation/Map & Compass Course and the Nature Center. Please contact the park for the more detailed information.
History: Village Creek State Park, 1,090 heavily forested acres, is located in the Hardin County community of Lumberton, 10 miles north of Beaumont. Acquired in 1979 and opened April 20, 1994, Village Creek State Park takes its name from Village Creek, a free flowing stream which rises near the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation and meanders in a southeasterly direction 69 miles to a junction with the Neches River.
Village Creek is an extremely popular flat water, canoe float stream in what remains as the heart and soul of the Old Texas Big Thicket. Rainfall is abundant and the banks of Village Creek flood severely every 3 or 4 years.
Activities: Activities include camping, picnicking, swimming (1 mile hike to sandbar swimming area), hiking, fishing, nature study, and bird watching.
Tours and Interpretive Programs: Various tours, interpretive, and educational programs are offered throughout the year. These include guided nature trail hikes, a self-guided trail, night hikes, slide presentations, campfire talks, and educational programs. Most programs occur on a regular basis and are posted on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Event Calendar. This web page lists events for a three-month period and is updated regularly. Tours and programs are also available by request by contacting the park.
- Check the Calendar for events and access restrictions scheduled within the next 3 months.
- Read why Village Creek State Park was our featured park for March - April, 2009.
- More Information on outdoor activities from the Experience Texas page.
Area Attractions: Nearby attractions include Sea Rim State Park, Martin Dies Jr. State Park, the Big Thicket National Preserve, Cattail Marsh, and Pleasure Island. There are numerous museums in nearby Beaumont - The Fire Museum of Texas, John Jay French House, Spindletop Oil Museum, McFaddin-Ward House, Texas Energy Museum, and Clifton Steamboat Museum.
Facilities: Facilities for campers include campsites with water, electricity, fire rings, lantern posts, benches, and picnic tables; a trailer dump station; walk-in tent campsites with tent area, fire rings, lantern posts, picnic tables and benches (walk-in distances vary from 50 to 150 yards, water centrally located); picnic sites; a group picnic pavilion (capacity 80) with electricity and water outlets, barbecue pit, and picnic tables; ADA-accessible restrooms at the park headquarters; one large ADA-accessible restroom facility with showers (across from water and electric campsites); children's playground; sheltered water fountains; and 8 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and nature study. There is an 8 person cabin with a kitchen (a sink, a refrigerator and a range), a restroom, 2 sleeping areas (a loft and a bedroom); and a living room and dining room with furniture. The community of Lumberton can furnish picnic supplies, groceries, fishing licenses, and tackle. Canoe rental equipment and shuttle service are provided by local outfitters. Contact the park for more information.
- Fees
- Map
of Park
(PDF 126.2 KB)
Check
availability/make reservations for Village Creek S.P.
You can also make e-mail reservations,
fax reservations or phone
reservations.
Natural Features: The park is a "forest" full of cypress swamps; water tupelo, river birch, mayhaw, and yaupon trees; baygalls and blackwater sloughs in the flood plain of the Neches River. Wildlife is also abundant with snapping turtle; white tailed deer; diamond-back water snake; opossum; spring-peeper, cricket, and bull frogs; and nine-banded armadillo. Birding enthusiasts will enjoy rain-loving wood ducks, egrets, and herons, just to name a few from over 200 species of birds native to the Big Thicket. There is also fishing Village Creek with catfish, bass, perch, and panfish.
Note: About 640 acres of the park's 1,090 acres was impacted by the hurricane, and the park lost 30-80% of the trees in those areas. Therefore, it will take a long time for the forest to recover, even with the help of a reforestation plan that is being drafted.
More information on the wildlife mentioned here:
Elevation: 24 ft.
Weather: July average high is 93; January average low is
38.
Schedule: Open: 7 days a week year round. Busy Season: February to September. Check the Calendar for events and access restrictions scheduled within the next 3 months.
Note: Some trails and the Group Camping Area remain closed, for debris cleanup and repairs from Hurricane Rita and flooding. These should be open by the end of the year.
Directions: 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.
Current conditions including, fire bans & water levels, can vary from day to day. For more details, contact the park.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744