National Park Guide: Big Bend

May 28, 2018
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Favorites, Guides, United States
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They don’t call it America the Beautiful for nothing! During our cross-country road trip we tried to visit as many national parks as we could. One park I was totally excited to visit was Big Bend, located on the southern border of Texas along the Rio Grande. Since Big Bend is kind of out of the way, it isn’t as popular (or busy) as some of the more famous parks like Yellowstone or Yosemite, which is great bonus for those who can make the trip down south. The park was stunning and we nearly had it all to ourselves! However, there are a few things to consider before visiting this border beauty, which I’ve included here in my National Park Guide to Big Bend.

Since we happened to be driving back to the US from Mexico, we chose to cross the border close to Big Bend at the Ojinaga MX: Presidio TX crossing. As I mentioned in previous posts, we had paid for a temporary permit for our car and were able to do the necessary paper work to obtain the refund for our deposit at this crossing. Once we reached the US side, the customs agents did a spot check of our vehicle, and then we were on our way.

Having had only spotty internet during our stay in Creel, we needed a day of planning before venturing into the wilds of Big Bend, so we decided to take a short detour north and spend our first night back in the U.S. in Marfa, Texas. West Texas is not the most convenient place to travel to, and since Marfa had been on my bucket list for sometime, I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

West Texas is the Best Texas

Marfa is a small town located in the high desert region between Big Bend and the Davis Mountains. In the 70’s, a minimalist artist, Donald Judd, moved to Marfa from New York City and began to accumulate Texas sized pieces of property to build large scale art installations. Over the years, Marfa continued to gain recognition for its artistic vibe as more and more artists flocked to West Texas to establish their own craft. Marfa is a great place to spend a night or two if you want to experience slightly surreal minimalism in the Chihuahuan Desert.

However, the one issue with popularity is that prices tend to go up! Since we were on a budget, we camped at the fancy (and of course, artistic) El Cosmico campground, or rather, glampground. If you forgot your tent, no need to fret, El Cosmico has tipis, safari tents, and campers for rent. They also have live music and wine on tap. The town itself is charming; it’s a one horse unicorn sort of town, small yet interesting. It was a great place to stay for a night, I wish we had even longer, but as always, we had to move on to our next destination, Big Bend.

Big Bend

Getting There

There are two main entrances to the park, one in the north and one in west (the southern and eastern areas of the park sit on the Mexican border). Since we were coming from Marfa, we drove along Highway 170 through Lajitas and Terlingua before catching TX 118 to the western park entrance. Highway 170 is a very scenic drive through the vast Chihuahuan Desert along the Rio Grande, and is worth a trip in its own right. However, if you’re coming from most of the major cities in Texas (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio or Austin), the northern entrance will probably be the most convenient. You can find more detail instructions from those cities here.

Once we were in the park, we followed signs to the Chisos Mountains, which is where we planned to stay. Most of the park is without cell service, so it’s a good idea to download our favorite GPS based navigation app, Maps.ME, prior to visiting Big Bend and load up all the regional maps you’ll need before you lose service.

Where to Stay

There are three main campgrounds in Big Bend, but there is a definite favorite if you are visiting the park in the summer. Big Bend can get very hot June – August. Although much of the park is desert, there is a gorgeous mountain range, the Chisos, that provides high-altitude relief from the heat. We stayed in the Chisos Basin Campground and loved it. It is a little wooded haven surrounded by dramatic red cliffs. It is absolutely stunning! Due to the altitude, it is one of the few places in the park that has an abundance of green. We visited in August, and the nights were cool and comfortable, and actually a bit rainy in the evenings!

Each site comes with a picnic table, and some have a wooden canopy covering the table. We used the sheltered area to do our cooking and eating, and even hung our hammock in this space! Potable water was available from a spigot nearby our campsite (the amount of water each camper can use per day is restricted due to the draught) and there were bathrooms, so it was a really comfortable and relaxing stay. We did not make a reservation because it was the low season, but as the Chisos Basin has the most comfortable climate in the summer, the campground was pretty full (although very quiet at night). Arriving early in the day to snag a good spot (with covered picnic table, and maybe even a view from the ridge!) is recommended.

The other two campgrounds are Rio Grande Village and Cottonwood. Although they are open year round, I believe they can close if weather conditions become too extreme (summer temperatures are regularly over 100 F). After doing a few day hikes around these campsites, I’m not sure they would be comfortable to stay in during the summer (it was so hot!).

For additional information regarding campground facilities and reservations refer to the national park services website.

If Camping really isn’t your thing, there is a lodge close to the Chisos Basin Campground. The lodge is pretty “rustic” with no TVs or Phones. There is no cell service in the basin either, but the view is amazing!

What to Eat

Since we were camping, we brought in food supplies and a camp stove for our meals. However, if you prefer not to cook, the Chisos Mountain Lodge does have a restaurant. We ate at the lodge for lunch and it was pretty good!

All other restaurants are located outside of the park. The most convenient are in Lajitas or Terlingua (see below).

What to Do

Hiking

Hiking is really the main activity in Big Bend, and there are several trails to explore. One of the best trails that we hiked was just off of the Chisos campground to a spot called “the window”. The window is an opening in the Chisos that was made by a river, providing a “window” to the vast deserty-plains below. The hike is fairly easy, it’s mostly flat and took us about 2-3 hours round trip. We went in the morning to avoid the heat, and we were back before lunch.

We also did a short hike in the Santa Elena Canyon along the Rio Grande. When we did this hike, a tributary had washed out the middle of the trail. Although there were signs posted at the trailhead explaining the new route, it wasn’t straightforward. We, and a few other groups of intrepid hikers, ended up wading through knee high flowing water to reach the other side of the trail. This trail is built into the cliff and makes for a pretty easy and beautiful walk alongside the Rio Grande (once you ford the gushing stream!). The Santa Elena Canyon is definitely a spot that shouldn’t be missed.

We used REI’s trail map app to decide which trails to hike and to make sure we stayed on route. The app is really helpful because it provides all sorts of details on each trail such as: difficulty level, length, view points, etc. The trails are also rated by other app users, so if you can only do one or two hikes, the app makes it easy to pick out the “best” option.

Horseback Riding

One of the activities we really wanted check off during our visit was a trail ride. When in Texas, right? There are a few horse stables that offer a menu of rides (from a few hours to multi-day), but they are all located outside of the park. We chose to go with Big Bend Stables in Terlingua. We took the sunset ride option, and it turned out to be just us and the wrangler (who was great by the way)! The ride took us through an abandoned mercury mine, through fields of mesquite, and over a plateau. From there we could see golden light from the sunset reflecting off of the walls of the Santa Elena canyon. It was pretty cool.

Boating

Another activity that I really wanted to do in Big Bend was to kayak down the Rio Grande. I thought it looked gorgeous, and it would be a totally different way to see the park. However, when the water levels are low, these trips don’t run. And since it can be a little difficult to predict the water levels in the summer, you can’t really plan too far in advance. While we were there, no companies were running these trips.

Boquillas

Many visitors to Big Bend visit Boquillas, a little Mexican village just across the river. Day visits are permitted if you have a valid passport. To get to Boquillas, you can hire a rowboat to take you across for a modest fee, or you can wade across if the water levels are low enough. Once there, you can have a small snack and maybe a cerveza; you can also buy some souvenirs (USD is accepted, but make sure to have small change).

Fossil Discovery Exhibit

The fossil discovery exhibit is a small, open-air museum located in the national park. It was built to display the 130 million years of geologic time represented in the park. It starts with the Early Cretaceous period, when the area that is now Big Bend was actually submerged underwater. It shows how, over time, the water receded and the climate changed. During each time period, different types of wildlife and vegetation existed in the park, which we know about through fossils (some of which are on display in the exhibit). The exhibit doesn’t take much time, so it is definitely worth a visit (and was actually highly recommended by many of the locals we talked to).

Wildlife

When hiking, or doing any sort of outdoor activity, be aware that there is still a large amount of potentially dangerous wildlife in the park. Although we didn’t encounter any, there was a mountain lion that the rangers had seen several times near our campsite. As much as I hoped to see this beauty (off in the distance of course), she kept to herself. There are also black bear, coyote, bobcats, javelinas (wild pigs), and fox. Keep the possibility of seeing these cuties on your mind while hiking, and have a plan for what to do if they make an appearance. Also, make sure you store you food properly, using the food lockers at your campsite.

There are also venomous snakes (including four different types of rattle snakes), spiders and scorpions. Be cognizant while hiking and avoid any brush where you may encounter one of these creatures. If you leave your shoes outside at night to air out, make sure to shake them out before putting them on in the morning, lest you step on a little critter who decided to make your boot its cozy home.

Outside the Park

Terlingua

Terlingua is an old mercury-mining town just west of the park. Although it’s called a “ghost town,” there are plenty of living inhabitants who moved to Terlingua for a life off of the grid. Many of the park’s outfitters are based in Terlingua, such as the riding stables and the kayaking offices. There are a few craft stores, a gas station, and two or three restaurants. Our favorite was the Starlight Theatre Restaurant & Saloon. Honestly, we didn’t expect much when we first headed there for an early dinner. How good could the food be in a nearly deserted desert town 100 miles from nowhere? But it was great! Plus, it had this awesome community vibe that was really interesting; we had fun trying to figure out the back-stories of some of the locals sitting at the bar.

Lajitas

The Lajitas Golf Resort is basically the entire town of Lajitas, so you may not need to visit. However, I’m including it in my guide because it is close to the park, and there are several restaurants on the property. While we were driving to Big Bend, we stopped by the resort for something to eat. It was great to get a minute of AC in the hotel lobby. We ended up picking up sandwiches at the general store, which we took as a packed lunch for the road.

That concludes my National Park Guide for Big Bend! If you have a chance to visit this quiet giant I highly recommend you make it happen. The park has so much to offer: hiking, boating, horseback riding, desert, mountains, mountain lions, fossils and even a chance for a quick hop across the border to Mexico. It is a beautiful little secret that only those in the know can truly appreciate.

To see how this road trip got started, check out our Great Escape