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Big Bend National Park, Texas

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Location

Size

What to See and Do

You can drive up over the Panther Pass into the bowl of the Chisos Mountains to a very scenic area called "The Basin", where there is a lodge and a general store.

You can access views of the Rio Grande river at two points within the park. In the southeast of the park you need to take a hike from the parking lot to view Boquillas Canyon. In the heat of summer this is quite strenuous, but well worth the effort. Be sure to continue to the point where you can see into the actual canyon which is a wonderful view. In the southwest of the park, at the end of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, you can get a good view of Santa Elena Canyon from the parking areas.

Those stretches of the Rio Grande River which are visible from the roads and short hiking trails within Big Bend National Park, other than in the canyons, come as something of a disappointment if you are expecting a wide, deep, fast flowing and majestic river such as the Columbia. Outside the canyons, in Big Bend the Rio Grande is little more than a muddy little stream which you could almost wade across, at least so it seems from what you can easily see of it. Perhaps the rate of flow varies considerably over the year and when we visited (in June) was at a minimum. I believe that in October the river is at its maximum flow.

However, both the canyons through which the Rio Grande flows in Big Bend are highly scenic and most definitely well worth a visit. The two canyons are very different to each other. According to one description the river only played a relatively small part in the creation of the Santa Elena Canyon, the movement of the Terlingua Fault being the major factor. I do not know if the same is true for Boquillas Canyon but it seems likely.

It may well be that the only way to experience the full beauty of the river and the canyons through which it passes is by taking a float trip.

Crossing Into Mexico

This page of the US National Park Service web site clearly states the current sitution (external link verified Mar-06). My thanks to Eric Leonard, Park Ranger Big Bend National Park / Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River for informing me of that link.

In addition, before undertaking a trip into Mexico via a legal crossing point, bear in mind the following:

• You cannot take cars rented in the USA into Mexico, due to lack of insurance cover. There is a clause in the rental agreement saying that doing so is prohibited.

• Rented cars cannot be driven on unpaved roads. There is a clause in the rental agreement saying that doing so is prohibited and voids all insurance cover, including CDW.

• In order to take your own car from the USA into Mexico you need to arrange special insurance cover beforehand.

Entrance Fee

Some Ideas for Places to Stay

Of the three towns situated about a hundred miles north of the park, Marfa is a reasonable but small town with a restricted range of facilities and Marathon is a very small town with extremely limited facilities, making Alpine by far the best choice, with a full range of motels and restaurants. Alpine has the additional advantage of being at a higher altitude, making it cooler and therefore more pleasant in the summer heat.

In my option Study Butte (pronounced "stew-dee beaut") and Lajitas are very small expensive tourist trap towns and not recommended. However, I received this comment from Jan Forte of Big Bend River Tours in Terlingua which I felt I should reproduce here:

Big Bend River Tours has been serving the visitors to this magical area for nearly 30 years. It pained me deeply to read your page in regards to Study Butte and it being an expensive tourist trap. Yes, things do cost more here as we are hundreds of miles from any large city and transportation costs do add to the final cost of any product purchased here. Motel rooms in the area run from $45.00 to $60.00 a night (try Easter Egg Valley Motel, Longhorn Ranch Motel or Terlingua Ranch Lodge for the most reasonably priced) to well in the hundreds for a plush room at the Lajitas resort. Food and drinks are no more expensive here than in the big cities unless you are a McDonald's fan. And the gift shops carry unique items that are made or grown in our area by local folks. Our friendliness is second to none and the scenery (on or off the river) is to die for! I hope you'll come back someday and re-evaluate our area. Thanks, Jan Forte, Big Bend River Tours, FM 170 PO Box 317 Terlingua, Tx. 79852

If the rates are reasonable and rooms are available then the lodge in the Basin within the park itself could also be a good choice for accommodation.

Marfa is famous for the Marfa Mystery Lights, mysterious lights in the sky which are said to sometimes appear nearby at night.

In the Area

• El Camino Del Rio, the River Road. Texas Farm Road 170 between Lajitas and Presidio, along the north bank of the Rio Grande west of Big Bend National Park, is called El Camino Del Rio. This road has a reputation as being highly scenic. While interesting in places I regret to say that personally I would not rate it so highly. However, this opinion may have been affected by the fact that it was an exceedingly hot day when I drove along this road.

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Most recently modified 12-Mar-06