Photos of Big Thicket - Beech Woods Trail

Came to this trail to experience fall colors and was not disappointed. Many beech and overcup oak trees, a few red maple provide fall color. Many large magnolia trees, American holly and dense underbrush also surround the trail. Found the trailhead deserted on a pleasant day in late November, had the trail to ourselves. The trail is well maintained with a few benches added for resting areas. Didn't see any wildflowers, but there was a profusion of mushrooms of every shape and size including shelf mushrooms, coral mushrooms, red and white toadstools, chanterelles and toadstools up to a foot high. This is prime snake habitat with lots of leaf litter and rotting logs. We saw a Texas rat snake, garter snake, an unidentified snake disappearing into the leaves, and finally a 4 ft long timber rattlesnake stretched halfway across the trail. Watch the trail closely as these guys blend in really well! Kids were thrilled to see these, which were sluggish and not at all aggressive, although not everyone would be as thrilled!