Big Bend is one of those places that Texans don't believe its Texas. Being the size of Delaware, Big Bend offers dozens of different landscapes, hikes, trials, and outdoor opportunities. As an avid backpacker and having hiked all around the country, BB immensely impressed me.
Definitely a place to see before you die. The park is huge and remote. It takes about an hour to travel from the nearest town (Marathon) just to get to the entrance and another hour before you start to see benefits of your travel.
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At all times, in all weathers, always wonderful and surprising. We never tire of the colors and textures, from lower to upper elevations.
Wonderful desert scenery. The night sky is the clearest I have ever seen. You can see so many stars.
As a biologist, this place is amazing... huge, and truly dedicated to keeping the wild wild. Well managed, and a valuable resource to the rich ecology of this country.
Have been coming here for decades. Great place to get lost, just bring water.
If you get the chance, go. I've been to Big Bend twice for a total of 6 nights. I plan to return as there's still so much more to do.
this is so dumb omg i hate the nature and everything around me guys please give it 5 stars for being bad lmao THIS WAS GREAT THE BEST PARK I HAVE BEEN TO SO FAR!!!!
Great national park! Fun hikes and beautiful scenery. Make sure and check out big bend river tours as your outfitter.
I was blown away at how beautiful and scenic Big Bend was when we visited for the first time earlier this month. It's surprisingly majestic and completely worth the drive. I have been to at least 10 national parks and I put this one in my top 5. Just make sure to bring bug caps with nets around the face. The gnats are quite annoying.
Great place! Hiking in Chisos basin is very good. The restaurant is awesome, food was very good, lots of options, and the prices were great for quality of food. View is wonderful.
Just not our idea of having fun. If it don't burn you or stick you it will damn sure bite you!
Absolutely massive National Park in the far Trans-Pecos region of Texas. Ranging along miles of the Rio Grande, the park encompasses the river, vast tracts of the Chihuahuan Desert, and a solitary mountain range that contains unique stands of trees found no where else in Texas. Three major visitor areas, two on the river, Santa Elena and Rio Grande Village, and one, The Basin, in the foothills of the mountains. The Basin area includes a lodge, restaurant, store, etc. as well as camping and group camping areas. Hundreds of miles of 4x4 roads through the desert. This is a very, very remote area of massive distances with limited amenities, where basic supplies such as drinking water can be in very short supply. Good research and planning, attention to logistical concerns, reasonable expectations and flexible objectives are essential.
Long sweeping views that remind me of every Western I've ever seen in my life. Strangely surreal to go someplace in this age and not see powerlines running next to every road. I desperately wanted a horse to cross the river on!!
We love it and can't wait to go back. No problem hiking in the heat with basic preparation
Beautiful place to visit. On motorcycle, but was 109 deg and 80s at nite. Camped out till last nite. Just too hot!
Going back for aure. This takes many trips to explore well.
Beautiful. Hot in the summer though. Bring more water than you think you need, and try to avoid the hottest parts of the day. Long trails need planning and should be started around 7. Winter and fall are the best times to visit.
Big Bend is like the best kept secret in Texas!!! Now that we know how awesome and beautiful it is, we can't wait to go again soon!!!
So. Beautiful. Perfect weather, dark skies with a bazillion stars, and not crowded like other national parks. The only place you can backpack in January in the continental US and not be on snow.
The internet, by and large, raves over this park. I found it to be far too remote and completely redundant, a zillion acres of sage brush... I m sure this park is great for many but I m never going back.
Great place to visit and go hiking. The mountains, yes Texas has mountains are beautiful. The weather is great this time of year.
Words cannot explain this place. You just have to see it for yourself.
High desert. Beautiful scenery. Good hikes, some more challenging than others. Depending on how lucky you are, and where you are, you can see deer, coyote, rabbits, road runners, hummingbirds, javelinas, and more.
The 12 mile south rim trail has some spectacular views.
I love this place. It's rugged, untamed, and beautiful. My wife and I have been here 3 times in last 12 months.
The park is well worth the visit. If you can, make it at least a two day visit. There are many hiking trails and short walks. A local walk in the "Basin" is wheel chair friendly if you can manage four short steps down to the path. The basin itself has lots of accomodation. There is a loca l store on site, also a restaurant which serves good food and has a good salad bar which also offers two kinds of soup. (This is my personal favourite.) While there, a trip to St Helena Canyon is well worth seeing. A most beautiful place. One the way you will pass the "Mule Ears" which has its own history. A word of advise, if you intend on hiking, take plenty of water. You can never take too much.
Slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island and located in the Chihuahuan Desert, Big Bend National Park is remote, rugged and breathtaking. The park is almost like a snapshot of the American Southwest and includes a range of habitats from desert scrubland, rocky hills, forested mountains, and riverside oases. Common flora include prickly pear and other cacti, agaves, ocotillo, creosote bushes, mesquite, euphorbia, desert willow, and mixed conifer and deciduous forest at higher elevations. One can also see jackrabbits and cottontails, javelinas, rattlesnakes, millipedes, spiders, vultures, and rarely sighted golden eagles, coyotes, black bears, and mountain lions. Several tropical species of birds reach the northern limit of their ranges here. Some of the highlights of my visit were driving the back roads of the park in a Jeep Wrangler, hiking the Telephone Canyon, Lost Mine, and Santa Elena Canyon trails, visiting the Fossil Discovery exhibit, the Rio Grande hot springs, the abandoned Mariscal cinnabar mine, and camping in the middle of the desert with only the wind and stars for company. Many areas of the park are only accessible by unimproved dirt roads, so to really experience all that Big Bend has to offer, I strongly recommend that you visit in a vehicle with high clearance and 4x4 drive. Also be aware that the remote and wild nature of Big Bend presents some risks. Temperatures over 100F/40C are common and carrying adequate water is essential. Fuel supplies are limited and cell service is virtually non-existent. Many of the plants are covered in vicious thorns and spines. Assassin bugs can transmit Chagas disease. Venomous snakes are widespread and mountain lions lurk throughout the park. Animal encounters are especially common in the evening, at night, or in the early morning hours. My friend found a large rattlesnake coiled up not 15 feet from his tent, and I saw mountain lion tracks near the Rio Grande hot springs and our second campsite at Paint Gap. Big Bend is definitely worth the visit despite its dangers. The busiest season is in spring and fall due to high summer temperatures. We visited in mid May and while the afternoons can get uncomfortably hot, we had a great time and we had the place mostly to ourselves. I would recommend that you take at least 3-4 days to explore the park. If you need a break from the wilderness, visit the Starlight Theatre in Terlingua for good food, drinks, live music, and some local color.
Wonderfully one of the greatest places to visit. Hiking is great
Best place I've been in years.
Beautiful country. Great experience. Plenty of lodging as I went in late June.
It is a magnificent site to behold! Everyone should visit in their lifetime!
This is a MUST visit. The drive is incredible. You should reserve in advance for camping if in high season.
Well maintained roads and trails allow for an incredible experience exploring a vast and wild landscape. Will be back as soon as possible.
If you enjoy hiking and the outdoors, amazing views and gorgeous weather, then a tasty cheeseburger and cold beer to end your day, big bend is a good destination for you.
Great wide and fantastic scenery. Mountain Lodge good place to stay. Some highlights cannot be reached by normal car. Had to surrender after 4 of 6 mi. To many stones, dumps and gravel on unpaved road.
Just breath takingly gorgeous. Been here I've a dozen times. Better in November than June but somehow didn't die of heat exhaustion.
This is an absolute gem of a national park. It is quite big (bigger than Yosemite), yet you do not have to fight any crowds. It has three very unique ecosystems: mountain, desert, and river. When you enter the Chisos Basin, you have a hard time believing that you are in Texas. Its jagged peaks shoot up like Wagnerian gods. The Lost Mine, Window, and Emory Peak trails are to be recommended. Their levels of difficulty are respectively easy, medium, and hard. The last part of the Emory Peak trail should not be attempted by those who suffer from vertigo. The Santa Elena Canyon trail offers a spectacular hike through a river canyon (easy to medium difficulty). The Boquillas Canyon trail offers a good view of a river canyon on the east side of the Park. Back country can be explored on a 30 mile dirt road along the river (recommended only for 4 wheel drive). This is a desert paradise that should not be missed by anybody.
I love Big Bend , the combination of beautiful chisos mountains and the desert, awsome views , great hikes. It is very addictive .I have to go every year.
This park is wondrous. It is not desolate ( a negative term) it is sparse. But not really sparse. Absolutely full of wildlife and plants. Great hiking, great staff. Great place to hike.
Just go, it will take your breath away and you will want to go back
What an incredible place. Should be near the top of any intrepid adventure's list!
Pro: nice and warm, not much rain. Great views, interesting history and culture. So many stars!
Con: it's in the middle of nowhere.
Useful info: gas can be topped off in the park, Study Bute, Alpine, and Presidio. Bring your passport of you want to visit Mexico, but you probably won't need it. If you're going to go to Santa Elena canyon, wait until after 5pm - the trail is on one side of the canyon with no shade and can roast you in minutes. The 4wd roads definitely do require 4wd, be careful. Most establishments accept credit cards (except in Boquillas) but not everywhere. Drink lots and lots and lots of water. One gallon of water per person per day is not enough, the desert saps it out of you. If you're going to do the rock scramble at the top of Emory Peak, the right side is the taller of the two.
I visited at the end of March and the desert was in full bloom, a sight to behold!
Just amazing. Chisos Basin and Santa Elena Canyon are some of the most scenic views Texas has to offer! Amazing staff and facilities here as well. Convenience store in the Chisos Basin had a suprising beer selection.
Park Rangers took care of a random guy (potential serial killer) who was back country camping with no permit. Rangers were extremely helpful and friendly. I've never felt safer in any other park.
The park is beautiful but we got conflicting info from rangers and the staff on backcountry regulations. However they wet super chill about the mix up and did not hold us responsible
The rangers are so helpful! Ask them anything. Plenty of awesome driving views on Ross Maxwell scenic drive if camping/hiking isn't your thing.
Loved the Lost Mine, Window, and Bouqillas (spelling?) Trails.
This Texas treasure in the "big bend" of the Rio Grande has some the best mountain vistas in the region, and the only I know of in the Love Star State.
Beautiful yet rugged! Temperatures (in February) were comfortable.
We only had time to travel the Maxwell scenic drive but the scenery was so beautiful!
River, desert, mountains and dark skies all in one place.
There is so much see and do. We have been there several times over the years. There is never enough time to do it all. We did some off roading roads. If the park says you need 4 wheel drive, you need 4 wheel drive. After a long, fun, day of hiking and off roading, it felt really good to soak our feet in the hot spings.
Beautiful park, Beautiful landscapes Beautiful panoramas exotic a great place to visit
My favorite National Park in the country, hands-down. I ve been to Zion, Yosemite, Yellowstone, and so many others, and still nothing quite captures the immensity and subtle magic of Big Bend. This entire region is highly unique, with mountains and huge rock formations that are somewhat similar to what you see in Zion NP or Sedona, AZ, but with its own unique, Texas flair.
Many of the hikes lead to viewpoints that are truly jaw-dropping. For most people, I d recommend Lost Mine trail and The Window trail. They re both doable for most people (not too challenging), and both reward you with truly spectacular views. Lost Mine especially is good for groups, because at the top there is a large amount of space to explore, relax, and take in the immensity of the landscapes all around you.
I m going back for my third time to do South Rim + Emory Peak soon. Can t wait.
Awesome national park full of fun trails and beautiful scenery.If you have your passport handy you can go to the small town on the Mexican side and take a look at what s being offered there.
Great hiking and a wide variety of experiences to be had.
One of the best western national parks. A natural hot spring. Trails galore. Look out for tarantulas on the road during the winter/spring. Take the trail into the San Elena Canyon!
One of the most diverse deaerts. The locals are a breed of there own. If you found this review insightful, please feel free to click the 'like' button. Majestic vistas, massive mountains, enormous elevation changes, rock formations, desert wildlife, etc. Big Bend has it all! There are trails from short and simple to quite long and strenuous and even at this time of year very doable, especially in the Chisos Basin. The people of Boquillas are warm and welcoming and very much appreciate us visiting their humble town.
There's a lot of beautiful scenery out here I hope you get a chance to see it bring water and if you want to camp make reservations it's the only way right now
Elena canyon was breathtaking...the scenic road to get there was spectacular and the exit on Old Maverick road was worth every tooth jarring bump...
stayed at the chisos basin campground, it's was beautiful!!!
Love this park. Several options for camping. Incredible views. Flowers in Spring and warmish days in winter. You can get a room up in Chisos Basin or camp there, magnificent. The restaurant serves decent food and the bar is small but well stocked. The trails from the basin are excellent and something for everyone.
Big Bend is always beautiful! The weather is perfect right now!
Big Bend National Park should be on every travelers bucket list. I gos from the desert to the mountains. We camped on the 4th of July weekend and there were still plenty of tent spots. The only way to really camp. Even in the dead of summer be ready for rain and winds The rock formations are equal to any where else.
Certainly the prettiest place in Texas. The best season to go would be between October and March. Bring a lot of water. The Santa Helena Canyon and the Chisos Mountains are the highlights of the park. A lot of roads are dirt roads so a 4 wheeler with high clearance is recommended. A lots of hikes are available with different degrees of difficulty. I would highly recommend the Lost mine trail.
There is so much to do that a week barely scratches the surface
This park is absolutely spectacular. Make sure you give yourself enough time to see each part of the park. They are all unique. I suggest at least 3. Enjoy hiking, swimming, and a quick trip to mexico.
Stunningly beautiful park that offers enough to stay a week and never get bored. Lots of good hikes from easy to strenuous ones. The scenery is one of the best I've seen and I've been to the likes of Yosemite and Yellowstone.
Easily worth the long drive.
I have been to eighteen national parks, and Big Bend was my favourite. I thought it really encapsulated what it means to be a national park. The drive from San Antonio took between six and seven hours, and you progressively leave civilisation behind as you trek through the beautiful Chihuahua Desert, finally ending up in the park. The park is a world biosphere reserve due to its pristine nature and remote location. The summers are very hot and its remoteness scares away a lot of visitors, so I only saw around thirty other people total including the rangers in the park in early August, so we went at a good time. Juxtapose this with Yosemite which had tourists coming in busloads from the Bay Area for a few hours to the Valley, but this whole area felt like it was yours alone. The Santa Elena Canyon was stunning splitting the US and Mexico, with the Sierra del Carmen Mountains imposing when standing on the banks of the Rio Grande. Without lots of vehicle traffic, no air traffic above, very little wind and animals out during the day in the summer, this park is extremely quiet. It was one of the first places where I felt true, unadulterated silence, just your heartbeat and your breathing. It was an experience I will never forget, as long as I live. In this world with so much noise, this was like a step to a different planet.
You can camp in the park (backpacking permits are needed for certain areas) at designated areas or stay in the lodge or the CCC cottages from the 1930s. This area is also a hotspot for wildlife, with many birds coming up through South and Central America and their range stops here in the park; South Texas in the Rio Grande Valley is the best spot in the States for birding, though they lack black bears and mountain lions that are in the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend. I think anyone who loves the outdoors needs to visit this park bigger than the State of Rhode Island, and unlike many of the smaller parks, you can spend days here exploring. Lastly, this is the darkest night sky in the Lower 48, so the stars at night are truly big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas. Cheers.
Gorgeous place went here during Thanksgiving, probably one of the best times of year to go. Did the hike to Emory peak. The view is beautiful, and the contrast in weather from within the valley to the rest of the park was amazing.
