Routes, Drive Times & Road Tips to Big BendBig Bend sits deep in far West Texas. Whether you’re coming from El Paso, Midland/Odessa, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, or Dallas/Fort Worth, choose the route that matches your arrival town and the part of the park you want...
written by Daniel M. Wright and all photos by Daniel M. Wright, unless noted
Walking the moonlit trail beneath limestone cliffs, I heard the Rio Grande’s muffled roar just beyond rustling river cane. At the spring, we wasted no time getting into the water. The stars left us speechless. That was probably December 1975. Back then, I had no idea who Joseph Oscar (J.O.) Langford was, or that he had come here decades ago, from Mississippi, seeking relief from Malaria.
Langford family, circa 1912. Photo Find-A-Grave.
The story goes that in 1909, in Alpine, he overheard a guy talking about an old hot spring with medicinal waters down on the Rio Grande. Langford bought the land sight-unseen and moved here. He then built a 2-story, 20-by-20 foot, limestone bathhouse, including a pump for a separate tub for folks with social disease. Remains of that tub are still visible. Langford also built his home up on the bluff, directly above the bathhouse. The adventurous can scurry up there to see the foundation.
The original bathhouse built over the hot springs. Photo National Park Service.
In 1912, border unrest was a problem with Mexican bandits along the river. The Army suggested everyone leave the area, hoping to return once things cooled off. They didn’t return until 1927.
The Livingston house, near the present-day parking lot of the hot springs.
Those 15 years took their toll. The bathhouse was either ruined or completely gone, so Langford rebuilt a smaller version on the earlier foundation with only a canvas roof. Next, he built motel units and a new store with Post Office. You may notice another ruined stone house, (circa 1940s) above the parking lot that folks misidentify as Langford’s. It belonged to Charles Livingston, of Alpine. Hot Springs flourished through the 1930s and early 1940s.
Everyone knew a national park was being planned and the days of Langford’s Hot Springs were numbered. On May 27, 1942 the family conveyed the property, for park purposes only, to Texas for only $10. Everything became part of Big Bend National Park in 1944. The resort continued operating as a concession, run by Maggie Smith and later by Pete and Etta Scott until 1952. Then it shut down. Sadly, the Park Service chose to dynamite the old bathhouse in the early 1950s—only the stone foundation remained as a pool open to the sky.
The Post Office on a busy postal day, 1930s. Photo National Park Service.
Other hot springs flow into the river both up and downstream from here. These have been exploited temporarily as folks pile up rocks to make enclosures to hold the hot water. Of course, when the river floods, everything gets washed away but that doesn’t stop enthusiasts from doing it all over again!
A view of the hot springs along the Rio Grande, as seen from above.
Crystal clear 105°F water has been flowing here for centuries. We know Native Americans spent a lot of time here because they left pictographs on the cliffs. Look for them halfway between the parking lot and the pool. Geologists report that water flowing from this spring comes from a finite deposit and that at some point, it will cease to flow. I don’t understand how they know this, but maybe it just means you need to get on down to Big Bend with friends and family and enjoy the Langford Hot Springs while you can!
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Thanks to Adrien Torres for sharing this rare sighting of waterfalls flowing (thanks to recent rains) in Cañón de Santa Elena, Parque Nacional, just across the river from Big Bend National Park. 🙌
#BigBendNationalPark #WestTexas #CanonDeSantaElena #ParqueNacional
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Amazing Big Bend sunrise captured by @marcusc_photo ☀️🙌
#bigbend #nationalpark #westtexas #traveltexas #bigbendnationalpark #nps
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Chisos Basin to remain open in Big Bend National Park. 🙌
With construction plans on hold, the previously anticipated closures will no longer take place, which means that winding road into the mountains will stay open and ready to welcome visitors.
Those who know, know: when summer heat settles over the desert, the Chisos Basin answers with fresh breezes, cooler temps and shaded trails.
Visit nps.gov for more information.
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Good news for winter travelers! Chisos Basin will remain OPEN through the 2025 winter season, including lodging, trails, the visitor center, and food services.
Next summer, thanks to funding from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund, construction work on significant improvements to the Chisos Basin area of the park is expected to begin on May 1, 2026, and continue for approximately two years.
Until then, enjoy the beauty of the basin!
#visitbigbend #vbb #chisosbasin #westtexas #bigbend #bigbendnps
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✨ Your Big Bend stargazing calendar: July 14 – August 15 ✨
Home to some of the darkest night skies in the lower 48, Big Bend was made for looking up. Here`s what`s lighting up (and darkening) our skies over the next month (Photo by @tonymaples):
🌑 July 14 — New Moon. Tonight! The darkest skies of the month mean the Milky Way core glows overhead all evening. No telescope required. 📸 by @marcusc_photo
🌒 July 15–17 — Earthshine moon meets Venus. Look west at dusk for a razor-thin crescent glowing with "earthshine" — sunlight reflecting off Earth onto the moon`s dark side. On the 16th and 17th, it pairs up with brilliant Venus. 📸 by @visitpresidiotexas
☄️ July 17 — Perseid season begins. The year`s most beloved meteor shower starts flinging its first shooting stars across our skies (and keeps going through Aug 24). 📸 by Lee McMillan
🌕 July 29 — Full Buck Moon. Watch it rise over the Chisos Mountains — bring a camera. 📸 by @timmckennaterlingua
🌠 July 30–31 — Double meteor shower. The Southern Delta Aquariids (up to 25/hour) and Alpha Capricornids peak together. The bright moon will wash some out, so catch them after midnight the week before the peak. 📸 @gregvaughnphotos
💥 August 12–13 — The Perseids PEAK, under a new moon. This is the one. 60–100 meteors per hour with zero moonlight to compete with — expected to be one of the best Perseid displays in years. Best after midnight until dawn. 📷 by NPS/ L. Nowell
💫 August 14–15 — Venus at its brightest. Look west just after sunset for the dazzling "evening star" at its greatest distance from the sun. 📸 by 📷 NPS CA. Hoyt
Terlingua, Lajitas, Marathon, Study Butte. Every corner of Brewster County is a front-row seat. Send to your best stargazing buddies now, because that Perseids weekend won`t wait. 🔭
📸 by @shari_hunt_photography
#VisitBigBend #BigBendNationalPark #DarkSkies #Perseids2026 #MeteorShower #Stargazing #TexasTravel #Terlingua #Marathon #BrewsterCounty
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"Big Bend National Park is bigger than Rhode Island and the only national park that contains an entire mountain range, the Chisos Mountains. The skies are dark, the roads to the park are long," notes Carrie Dennis in her recent piece for @travelandleisure. "Majestic Big Bend National Park is fabulous for hiking, scenic car rides, and the Fossil Discovery Exhibit."
Beautifully photographed by Jon Mattrisch @jmke.visuals, the article highlights @bigbendnps`s enormous skies and expansive landscapes and the ‘serene trails leading through the rugged peaks of the Chisos Mountains.’ These moments reflect just why Big Bend is such a treasure. Dive into the full story linked in bio!
#bigbendnps #bigbend #nps #nationalparks #westtexas #visitbigbend #travelleisure
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"Deep inside a remote cave in Big Bend, archeologists have uncovered a pristine hunting kit — potentially the oldest intact weapon system in North America. This discovery offers a rare glimpse into the lives of ancient hunters, revealing tools, weapons, and even a folded pronghorn hide left untouched for thousands of years. Each artifact tells a story of survival, craftsmanship, and the deep connect between humans and the land." - @TexasParksWildlife
Read the full story in the March TPW Magazine linked in bio.
#texasparks #nationalparks #visitbigbend #bigbendnps #bigbend #nps
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Spring in West Texas means bluebonnets are back, covering the fields in a blue spectacle.
It`s a great time to see these iconic Texas flowers up close.
Beautiful photo by @gooolsby
#BluebonnetBloom #texasbluebonnets #bluebonnet #westtexas #traveltexas
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