Second to my goal to visit every state is to visit every National Park. Our RV trip was largely based on the lure of visiting every park. I have to admit I hadn’t heard of Big Bend National Park until I bought myself a National Park checklist poster I hung in my room.
We built our road trip itinerary around the notion of staying as far south as possible to avoid winter weather and Big Bend was as south as you could get. It’s where Texas State Highway 118 dead ends and you see Mexico as you’re within the park.
GETTING THERE
Getting to the park is difficult. It’s quite literally in the middle of nowhere.
We left Austin and made our way west, staying two nights at South Llano State Park. (Side note here: We drove through Fredericksburg, TX, and were so impressed we were somewhat disappointed we hadn’t planned to make this our overnight. It’s the vineyard region of the state and the wineries are beautiful!) That being said, South Llano State Park was stunning due in most part to its namesake, the South Llano River. The park has a great trail along the riverfront and you can even walk down and splash in the water or go tubing.
On our last night at the state park, we started hearing warning of a polar vortex hitting Texas, particularly alarming was the forecast of snow exactly where we were. We woke up the next morning to ice all over our windshield and knew in an hour or so, the weather would get worse. We hurried to pack up camp and hitch up our trailer. Shane and I are both from Florida so snow and ice are terrifying hurdles. We didn’t feel totally comfortable but hit the road knowing that if we stayed, it would only make driving conditions worse. Needless to say, a long remote drive was turned even more difficult as we navigated sleet and hail. We sighed a breath of relief as we turned onto 118, the clouds parted, and the hot sun started melting all the icicles from our car and trailer.
ACCOMODATIONS
Terlingua is the major city near Big Bend National Park (major is a loose, loose term here). We rented an Airbnb cabin 15 minutes from the park entrance because there were no campsites available at the park and the nearby RV parks were… not to my standards.
HOW TO SPEND A DAY AT BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK
The park is true to its name: BIG. It is larger than the state of Rhode Island which is a fact that I find equally humorous and difficult to comprehend. I always forget how large parks can be until we get through the entrance station and have to drive park roads to our desired trailheads.
Today, our main focus was hiking the Santa Elena Canyon Trail, which is the most popular activity at Big Bend. The canyon is breathtaking, so large your head hurts if you keep trying to look at the top, and has the Rio Grande running through it which is an attraction in and of itself.
We took the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive to the trailhead (~30-minute drive). The scenic drive has several overlooks along the way and you see canyons, cacti, and desert as far as the eye can see.
Shane and I have visited the Grand Canyon National Park and we believe Big Bend share some similarities. Even though the Grand Canyon is perhaps one of America’s most famous national parks, Shane and I agreed that Big Bend surpassed it in our personal park rankings.
The Santa Elena Canyon Trail is a short 1.4-mile roundtrip hike. The Rio Grande was a bit dry so I’m sure in wetter seasons, the river itself is impressive. But that didn’t take away from the beauty of the canyon. The canyon walls ran high into the sky and we arrived as the sun was hitting the rocks at the most photogenic angles (about 11:30 a.m.).
We didn’t expect to love Big Bend as much as we did and wish we had another day to return to explore more but felt we had a great taste by prioritizing the scenic drive and canyon trail. Even the park’s welcome brochure suggests these two attractions if you only have a day here.
LOCAL AREA
Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed on national park trails so after we finished hiking, we stopped by the cabin and picked up our pup. I had seen on Pinterest that Terlingua Ghost Town was a must-see in the area so we hopped back in the car and drove a short bit. It is a historic district which is notable for the ruins of the Chisos Mining Company. That being said, it was a big waste of time and I would be a terrible travel blogger if I told anyone to add it to their itinerary.
The two main stops in the Ghost Town are the Terlingua Trading Company which offers a good bit of souvenirs (we purchased a postcard and prickly pear jellybeans)and the Starlight Theatre. The Theatre has been renovated into a restaurant/bar. It opens at 5 p.p and when we got there at 4:30 p.m. a line was already forming. We suspected it becomes quite a lively place to be in town, but aside from the Theatre, there’s not much else to see.
CONCLUSION
Big Bend National Park – though difficult to get to – is absolutely worth the drive. I loved getting to visit the Rio Grande river, check off a new national park, and see Mexico just across the river. Here are some fun facts about the park:
- Big Bend National Park covers a total area of 801,163 acres.
- The Rio Grande River serves both as the border of Big Bend National Park, as well as the international border between the United States and Mexico.
- Big Bend National Park is one of the most remote parks in the continental United States. This also lends itself to being a great place to stargaze as the sky is as dark as can be.
For more Texas blogs, check out my posts on Waco and Austin.