A 30,000-acre federal wildlife refuge sits in Liberty County

North of Liberty, about 30,000 acres of federal refuge protect the Trinity River bottomlands. This is wet, thick country: river cane, oak, elm, ash, cottonwood, cypress, and low water. FWS says the refuge began in 1994 and has about 37 miles of simple trails in 10 day-use areas.

Champion Lake and Pickett's Bayou are the easy names to know for fishing, paddling, or seeing the river-bottom side of the county. Hunting is allowed for deer, duck, rabbit, and squirrel. Several hunts use permits. Champion Lake waterfowl is handled by the refuge office at 601 FM 1011 Road in Liberty, 936-336-9786.