San Bernard Big Tree Trail

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Guided Tour of San Bernard Oak Trail: Reservations are required for docent-guided tours. Please sign up at the Information Booth.
Catch a shuttle van at the Van Stop for a ride to the San Bernard Oak trailhead. A volunteer naturalist will meet you at the trailhead and
guide you to the tree at the end of the trail, while explaining other
​features along the way. 

Self-Guided Tour of San Bernard Oak Trail: Reservations are not required for self-guided tours. Catch a shuttle van at the Van Stop for a ride to the San Bernard Oak trailhead. From there, proceed on your own to the tree at the end of the trail.
Please note: 

• Binoculars, sunscreen, and mosquito repellent are recommended.​

The trail is 0.6 miles from the trailhead to the tree (1.2 miles round trip) through a bottomlands forest. The trail is level and has stretches of boardwalk over seasonal marshes. Marshes are common in April when spring rains encourage flowers, such as Irises, to bloom. There is a rich diversity of plants, birds, and evidence of mammals to see in this forest wetland.

​At the end of the trail, visitors will arrive at the San Bernard Oak, formerly designated by the Texas A&M Forest Service Big Tree Registry as the largest Live Oak (Quercus virginiana var. virginiana) in Texas.

This registration was based on the following measurements*:

• Circumference: 386 inches​
• Height: 67 feet
• Crown: 100 feet

As of 2016, the criteria for this designation was revised and this distinction was awarded to a Live Oak in Colorado County.
*Source: "Texas Big Tree Registry: Champion List for Species Native or Naturalized to Texas." Texas Forest Service.