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|
Neches River "At a
Glance" |
| Scenery |
Southern Forests &
Swamp Land |
| Best
time |
Fall &
Spring |
| Wilderness |
Mostly very remote
forests |
| Water
Flow |
Always some; upper section
can be low |
| Water
Quality |
Good to
murky |
| Campsites |
Usually easy to find
(woods sites) |
| Hazards |
Downed trees, one
rapid |
| Logistics |
Good public access; DIY
shuttle |
| Trip
Length |
87-150 mile
options |
| Recommendation |
Regional
favorite |
Neches River camp in
winter
General Description &
Characteristics -- The Neches River is a relatively small river of
the forest region of east Texas, an area popularly known as the Big
Thicket. A portion of this area was designated as the Big Thicket
National Preserve. It is a forest of hardwoods and pines with extremely
diverse biological composition. This river, while great for canoeing,
has yet to be discovered as a commercial paddling attraction, and thus
it is great for solitude and a near-wilderness experience. This is
especially true on the upper Neches
Location
& Canoeable Mileage -- The longest canoeable stretch on the
Neches River is from highway 21 near the town of Alto to the backwaters
of BA Steinhagen Reservoir. The best choice for a take out at the end of
this trip is Martin Dies State Park. This involves paddling a couple of
miles on the lake, but there is a boat ramp and parking area in the
park. This run is a total distance of 150 miles and
should take about 10 days. If you want to keep your trip to a single
week, put in at highway 7 if you expect good flow or highway 59 if the
water is expected to be low. These trips would be 121 or 87 miles,
respectively. There are several intermediate access points
allowing trips of varying distances. The upper section (highway 21 to
highway 7) is questionable during periods of low water (under 300 cfs).
The fallen trees make it very difficult to negotiate, and pullovers or
portages will be a nuisance. Below Lake Steinhagen,
a shorter, but better publicized canoe route of about 55 miles (from the
dam to highway 96) is mostly in the protected Big Thicket National
Preserve. This can be a 3-5 day trip, and can be added to the
upper section with a car shuttle/portage of only a few miles.
You can continue below highway 96 another 28 miles to
Beaumont. You will find more development along the river in this section
and fewer good camping opportunities. Take out at Pine Street -- if you
continue through Beaumont you will encounter industrial activity,
commercial traffic, and some of the worst air pollution anywhere.
Interesting Features -- Dense forests of hardwoods
and pine trees line the Neches River throughout both the upper and lower
sections. The riverside woods include willow, sweetgum, and some
baldcypress (which extend into low-lying swamp land adjacent to the
river). In the nearby bottomlands, several oaks predominate, include the
water, willow, swamp chestnut, and laurel oaks. The Big Slough
Wilderness (in Davy Crockett National Forest) contains some of the
finest examples of ancient bottomland forests in the US. In the region just above and below highway 69, there are a few
rocky shoals and one ledge that can make a fun class II rapid at certain
levels (at low levels it may require a very short portage). This is
known locally as the Lost Falls of the Neches. Other than these spots,
there are no rapids on the Neches. There are
sections of two national forests along the Neches (Davy Crockett NF and
Angelina NF). A loop of the 4-C's Trail in Davy Crockett NF passes near
the river. The Sawmill Trail in Angelina NF runs alongside the river for
a couple of miles. The ruins of the Old Aldredge Sawmill can be visited
on this trail and is just a short walk from the river. Don't be persuaded to attempt the so called Big Slough canoe
trail. This is a loop trail that involves the Neches River and the Big
Slough alongside Davy Crockett National Forest. The Big Slough seldom
has the right amount of water for this to be a useful trail.
There are no towns along this entire run, but there are a
few small riverside settlements, many seasonal cabins, and lots of
houseboats on the lower section.
Camping --
On the upper Neches run, except in the few sections adjoining national
forest land, all the land is in private ownership. Most of this is owned
by timber companies, and except where posted to the contrary it is
customary to camp anywhere alongside the river. There are a few sand
banks toward the end of this run; most camping will be in the
woods. When camping on private land, you should always seek the
landowner for permission. On the Big Thicket Run,
you will find large sand bars for the first 40 or so miles. These make
excellent campsites. Overnight camping is by permit of the Big Thicket
National Preserve.
Additional
Information:
| Canoeing
Information |
The Big Thicket National
Preserve has published a good guide to canoeing on the lower
Neches, which may be obtained by request from their offices. (see
link below) |
| Canoe
Rental/Shuttle Service |
|
| River Flow
Data |
|
| Parks on/near
the River |
|
| Towns/Other
Locales on/near the River |
Big Thicket Area
Directory |
| Books |
|
| More
Pictures |
. |
| Environmental
Issues/Organizations |
The upper Neches is threatened by the
proposal of a Dam at Rockland. This would completely
eliminate much of the canoe camping section described here.
See
this web page for more information: |
| Acknowledgments/Contributors |
. |
| Miscellaneous |
Big Thicket
Voyageurs is a canoe club in Beaumont whose members often
canoe the Neches, particularly the lower
section. | |
