Drive to Big Bend

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...

Drive from Houston

Houston to Big Bend: Best Routes, Drive Times & Road TipsThe trip from Houston to Big Bend is a true cross-Texas adventure—piney woods to Hill Country to wide-open desert. Expect roughly 8–9 hours of drive time and about 540–600 miles, depending on your route and...

Fly to Big Bend

Commercial & Private Air Travel Options for Big BendPicture yourself sweeping over endless West Texas plains, the sun glinting off distant mesas as you descend into the rugged embrace of Big Bend’s wild frontier. By flying into El Paso, Midland, or even chartering...

Travel to Big Bend by Train

Experience the Historic Sunset Limited Rail RouteBoard Amtrak’s Sunset Limited—the oldest continuously operating named train in the U.S.—for a scenic journey between New Orleans and Los Angeles. This route stops in Alpine, TX three times weekly, offering a relaxed way...

Vehicle Rentals to Big Bend

Convenient Vehicle Rental Options to Big Bend from El Paso, Midland, Alpine & MoreFlying in? Renting a vehicle at a major airport is the fastest, most reliable way to reach Big Bend National Park—and gives you the freedom to explore every scenic mile on your own...

Drive from San Antonio

San Antonio to Big Bend: Scenic Road Trip Highlights & Hidden Stops Along the WayAt roughly 430 miles, the journey from San Antonio to Big Bend National Park takes you from the Hill Country’s rolling hills into West Texas’s rugged desert. Plan for about 7–8 hours of...

Alpine

Hub of the Big Bend Region Alpine Welcome to Alpine, the heart of the Big Bend region and the area’s primary hub for travel, services, and everyday convenience. With more lodging, dining, shopping, and infrastructure than any surrounding community, Alpine serves as a...

Big Bend National Park

Iconic Landscape in Far West Texas Big Bend National Park Welcome to Big Bend National Park, one of the most extraordinary and remote landscapes in the United States. Located in far West Texas along a sweeping curve of the Rio Grande, the park is known for its desert...

Lajitas

Resort Community in Big Bend Lajitas Welcome to Lajitas, one of the most unique destinations in the Big Bend region. Set along the Rio Grande and surrounded by rugged desert landscapes, Lajitas offers a rare combination of natural beauty and resort-style comfort in...

Terlingua

Historic Big Bend Community Terlingua Welcome to Terlingua, one of the most iconic communities in the Big Bend region. Known for its ghost town history, dramatic desert setting, and unmistakable personality, Terlingua offers visitors far more than a place to stay. It...

Study Butte

Big Bend Gateway Community Study Butte Welcome to Study Butte, the practical basecamp for exploring the Big Bend region. Located at the junction of TX 118 and FM 170, just outside the western entrance area of Big Bend National Park, Study Butte gives travelers the...

Marathon

Historic Big Bend Gateway Town Marathon Welcome to Marathon, a quiet and distinctive West Texas town that offers a very different kind of Big Bend experience. Known for its historic charm, wide-open scenery, and slower pace, Marathon is a place where visitors come to...

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK WEATHER
BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK WEATHER

Big Bend

MEXICO
Important information about travelling to Mexico

As one old timer told a dewy-eyed tourist upon his first glimpse of the Rio Grande, “Boy, when you cross that river, you’re in another country”.

Until recently, one of the great experiences to be enjoyed in Big Bend was a trip across the border into Mexico at one of the “informal” crossings into Boquillas, across from Rio Grande Village; Santa Elena, across from Castolon, or Paso Lajitas, across the Rio Grande from Lajitas Resort. Although American citizens may legally cross into Mexico, the current standards being enforced require that individuals may only enter the United States at a formal port of entry. The closest of these facilities are in Ojinaga-Presidio and Del Rio- Ciudad Acuna, making short trips from the Big Bend Park area into this fascinating country impractical. Local citizens and disappointed visitors alike should urge public officials to establish local immigration points where citizens may travel into the quaint villages and vast natural preserves on the Mexican side of the Big Bend.

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Recent Posts
LAJITAS HISTORY

LAJITAS HISTORY

Lajitas is on the western edge of Big Bend National Park in southwestern Brewster County. It is at an altitude of 2,200 feet on a bluff overlooking the Rio Grande at the San Carlos ford of the old Comanche Trail, in the northern part of the Chihuahuan Desert and at...

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

A brief overview of Big Bend History Big Bend History Tracks across the centuries trail back thousands of years when the first Native Americans arrived in the Big Bend. Many different groups ebbed and flowed across the area, taking their living from native plants and...

MARATHON HISTORY

MARATHON HISTORY

Brief History of Marathon Texas Marathon  is located in a broad basin between the Glass Mountains to the north and the Del Norte-Santiago range to the south. This area is a transition zone between the higher mountain grasslands and the thorny chaparral of the...

6 IMPORTANT TIPS FOR VISITING THE BIG BEND

6 IMPORTANT TIPS FOR VISITING THE BIG BEND

The Big Bend is a remote region of West Texas that includes over one million acres of public land, Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, and offers many activities, from camping and river rafting to horseback riding and off-road vehicle tours. But because...