Village Creek State Park
Encyclopedia
Village Creek State Park is a state park located in the Piney Woods
of eastern Texas
in the Hardin County community of Lumberton
. The heavily forested 1090 acres (441 ha) park opened in 1994. It is named for Village Creek, a clean sand bottomed free flowing tributary to the Neches River
.
The forested area features cypress swamps including Bald cypress
, Water Tupelo
, River Birch, Riverflat Hawthorn
and Yaupon Holly trees. Wildlife includes snapping turtle
, White-tailed deer
, Diamondback Water Snake
and Virginia Opossum
. Fishing includes channel catfish
, bass
, perch
, crappie
, bluegill
and panfish
.
Piney Woods
The Piney Woods is a temperate coniferous forest terrestrial ecoregion in the Southern United States covering of East Texas, southern Arkansas, western Louisiana, and southeastern Oklahoma. These coniferous forests are dominated by several species of pine as well as hardwoods including hickory and...
of eastern Texas
East Texas
East Texas is a distinct geographic and ecological area in the U.S. state of Texas.According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone...
in the Hardin County community of Lumberton
Lumberton, Texas
Lumberton is a city in Hardin County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,943 at the 2010 census. Lumberton is home of Village Creek State Park...
. The heavily forested 1090 acres (441 ha) park opened in 1994. It is named for Village Creek, a clean sand bottomed free flowing tributary to the Neches River
Neches River
The Neches River flows for through east Texas to its mouth on Sabine Lake near the Rainbow Bridge. Two major reservoirs, Lake Palestine and B. A. Steinhagen Reservoir are located on the Neches. Several cities are located along the Neches River Basin, including Evadale, Tyler, Lufkin, Silsbee,...
.
The forested area features cypress swamps including Bald cypress
Taxodium distichum
Taxodium distichum is a species of conifer native to the southeastern United States.-Characteristics:...
, Water Tupelo
Water Tupelo
Nyssa aquatica, commonly called the water tupelo, cottongum, wild olive, large tupelo, sourgum, tupelo-gum, or water-gum, is a large, long-lived tree in the tupelo genus that grows in swamps and floodplains in the Southeastern United States.Nyssa aquatica trunks have a swollen base that tapers up...
, River Birch, Riverflat Hawthorn
Mayhaw
Mayhaw is the name given to the fruit of the species of Crataegus series Aestivales that are common in wetlands throughout the southern United States. The principal species are C. aestivalis, the eastern Mayhaw, and C...
and Yaupon Holly trees. Wildlife includes snapping turtle
Snapping turtle
The common snapping turtle is a large freshwater turtle of the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far east as Nova Scotia and Florida and as far southwest as northeastern Mexico...
, White-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
, Diamondback Water Snake
Nerodia rhombifer
Nerodia rhombifer, commonly known as the diamondback water snake, is a species of water snake found throughout much of the central United States and northern Mexico. It is nonvenomous and a member of the colubrid family. There are three recognized subspecies of N. rhombifer...
and Virginia Opossum
Virginia Opossum
The Virginia opossum , commonly known as the North American opossum or tlacuache in Mexico, is the only marsupial found in North America north of Mexico. A solitary and nocturnal animal about the size of a domestic cat, and thus the largest opossum, it is a successful opportunist...
. Fishing includes channel catfish
Channel catfish
Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8...
, bass
Bass (fish)
Bass is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both freshwater and marine species. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch."-Types of basses:*The temperate...
, perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...
, crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
, bluegill
Bluegill
The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
and panfish
Panfish
A panfish, also spelled pan-fish or pan fish, is an edible game fish that usually doesn't outgrow the size of a frying pan. The term is also commonly used by anglers to refer to any small catch that will fit in a pan, but is large enough to be legal. However its definition and usage varies with...
.
Overnight Features
- 25 Water-electric campsites
- 16 Walk-in tent campsites
- Restroom with showers
- RV dump station
- An eight person cabin
- Group primitive camping area
Day Use Features
- Picnic area
- Group picnic pavilion
- Children's playground
- Canoe launch with access to 40 miles (64.4 km) of flat water canoe float stream.
- Hiking trails totaling 10 miles. Bicycles are allowed on most trails.
- An unsupervised swimming beach, (at the end of a 1 miles (1.6 km) hike.)