Comprising of approximately 3,894 acres of land, Big Lake Bottom Wildlife Management Area (BLBWMA) lies almost completely within the Trinity River floodplain and carries topography, soil types, and vegetation characteristics of alluvial major flood plain. As a result of the flat terrain the area often times is covered in shallow, slow moving floodwaters, five to 60 days a year. The area is normally inaccessible several times a year for extended periods due to high water or wet soil conditions.

Visitors may enjoy birding, hiking, photography, or camping at BLBWMA. There are no roads so access is limited to foot traffic.

Although 90% of BLBWMA is characterized as bottomland hardwood forest, the vegetative communities and total habitat qualities differ depending on specific locals within the management area. The primary vegetation type is Water Oak-Elm-Hackberry Forest. Dominant vegetative overstory is comprised of overcup oak, sugar hackberry, hickory, willow oak, water oak, cedar elm, water elm, and green ash. Bur Oak, southern red oak, post oak, and woollybucket bumelia are common on the few upland terraces. Major understory species include eastern redbud, possum-haw holly, greenbrier, poison oak, rough leaf dogwood, grape, and American beautyberry. The vegetative ground cover is dominated with sumpweed, poison oak, dewberry, rushes, sedges, and flatsedges. Where grasses occur they include panicums, paspalums, and woodoats. Most of the forbs present are annuals and include giant ragweed, goldenrod, wild petunia, and camphor weed.

Nutrition for wildlife is high during the fall months as a result of the abundant mast crops provided by the mature bur and overcup oaks. The abundance of acorns and the tract’s low elevation also create excellent migratory waterfowl feeding areas during the fall and winter months. Mallards and wood ducks feed among the abundant acorns. This area also has interspersed open areas. As a result of open areas, this tract possesses a great diversity and amount of ground vegetation. Game such as white-tailed deer, squirrels, feral hogs, rabbits, mallards and wood ducks are common on the WMA. Observant visitors may also see bobcats, skunks, coyotes, armadillos, painted buntings, indigo buntings, white-eyed vireos, and pileated woodpeckers. Species such as the Wood Stork, Alligator Snapping Turtle, and Timber Rattlesnake are all listed as possibly occurring on the management area, and are listed as state threatened.