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Texas

BIG BEND

ESTABLISHED 1944


Bright desert day fades to starry night at Big Bend—where dusty roads lead to a wilderness bisected by the mighty Rio Grande. Smack in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert, storybook wildlife roams under endless sky.

Getting to Big Bend National Park requires some grit—it is a long way from any airport to the captivating wilds of Texas. Driving south under the hot desert sun, on roads that seem to stretch forever, suddenly you hit a fertile oasis. With the dirt kicking up from your wheels, the dry shrublands give way to rugged mountainscapes.

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Big Bend National Park contains the largest protected area of the Chihuahuan Desert

Did You Know?

The Park Service Night Sky Team credits Big Bend with the highest concentration of visible stars in the Lower 48.

FOCUS ON

Unique Desert Life

Low-elevation river corridors spanning 100 miles (160 km) transition to high mountain forests. The varied microclimates shelter an eclectic mix of creatures: bobcats, badgers, and deer, as well as diamondback rattlesnakes, tarantulas, and 14 types of scorpions—some found only here. This is also a birding mecca, with 450 bird species.

A chequered history

The Americas have forever been a land of migration, as evidenced by the geologic and human timeline at Big Bend: 500-million-year-old rocks preserve remnants of an ancient sea now frozen in time. Artifacts from Paleo-Indians living 10,000 years ago give clues to their long-ago lives. For millennia, this was home to the nomadic hunter-gatherer Chisos Indians, who were largely undisturbed when Spanish explorers came in the 16th century searching for gold and silver. Some 200 years later, Comanche arrived, displacing the Chisos and raiding neighboring villages in Mexico along the infamous Comanche Trail. The Mexican–American War would alter the landscape forever, opening it to homesteaders, ranchers, and miners, who established and abandoned mines, such as the now deserted Mariscal Mine.

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Paddling the river past 1,500-ft (457-m) cliffs provides shade from the sun

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Walking trails cut through landscape filled with local vegetation: prickly pear cacti, yucca plants, and diverse desert scrub

Desert delights

Big Bend is expansive, remote, and in possession of an austere beauty. To describe it as merely a desert paints the picture of a barren wasteland, which it’s anything but. Life is always on the move here. Black bears wander in high forests, mountain lions skulk elusively among craggy peaks, and reptiles slip into the slimmest of crevices. Close enough to make its presence felt flows the Rio Grande, coolly drifting in some areas and raging in class IV rapids in others—a natural border between two countries that share a wild ecosystem.

Visitors bring movement to the land, too. With more than 100 miles (160 km) of paved roadway weaving through the park, anyone with a car can get a taste of what makes the Chihuahuan Desert special. Morning drives are met by coyotes hunting breakfast, javelina (which look like wild pigs, but aren’t), and roadrunners darting to safety. Hikers follow trails leading to unexpected water features, rock formations, and historic mining relics. Fossils can be unearthed from clay and limestone sediment and mounds of volcanic-ash tuff.

If you’ve ever fantasized of finding tranquility in the vast desert quietness, you’ve come to the right place. Landscape photographers are also well served. Iconic shots abound—for instance, Balanced Rock at sunrise, when the stone is dressed to perfection in golden light. Off-roaders find adventure on River Road, a 50-mile (80-km) glorified dirt track that cuts through stark desert formations.

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The muddy river water matches the colors of the surrounding soil

BEST FOR

Backcountry Off-Roading

It’s nearly impossible to explore this enormous park fully by foot, kayak, or paved scenic roadway. Venture beyond the easily accessible in an off-road adventure. Take the wheel of a high-clearance vehicle, lay in supplies, and head out across the rough and rugged land, through bedrock washes brimming with wildlife. Check at the visitor center in advance, as these areas are infrequently patrolled.

Nighttime nirvana

The evening is a special time in Big Bend—as the rangers say, “half the park is after dark.” Beautifully undimmed by light pollution, brilliant stars blanketing the cosmos are in full view. This starriest park in the contiguous US rates Gold-Tier status from the International Dark-Sky Association. While camping in the backcountry, you will fall asleep beneath the impossibly starry skies, your only lullaby sung by fellow creatures of the night.

Rio Grande Butterflies

Big Bend is well known for its unique desert wildlife and must-see birdlife. It is also home to more than 180 species of butterfly. October and November provide the liveliest activity and best viewing, although you can spot butterflies in the Lower Rio Grande valley all year long, particularly in these spots:

Davis Mountains High peaks and dense ponderosa pine forests, along with adjacent arid flatlands, are home to beautiful juniper hairstreaks, which flit from flower to flower.

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Green Gulch The drainage basin runs from mountain woodlands to desert lowlands; you’ll see many species, such as Big Bend favorite, Chisos “Nais” metalmarks.

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Blue Creek Canyon This deep canyon west of the Chisos Mountains is a haven for both highland and lowland butterflies, including colorful sleepy oranges.

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Lower Chisos Basin Here’s one of the best places in the park to spot butterflies, including the giant swallowtail butterfly, the largest species in North America.

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Rio Grande Village and Dugout Wells Situated next to the Rio Grande, this area is home to the western pygmy blue, the smallest butterfly on the continent.

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