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...
By Tom Roush
The Rio Grande is a diminutive creek compared to the world’s mightiest rivers. The Amazon, the Nile, the Mississippi make no claims to greatness in their name, but the Rio Grande does have a few attributes that allow it to justify its lofty moniker.
First, it divides two mighty nations, the United States and Mexico, though one would not know this where the Rio Grande borders Big Bend National
Park. The river is not posted as a border, or even posted at all, and neither is it fortified with crossing stations or armed guards. There is no sense of crisis at the border there. Sheer cliff walls on either side discourage border crossing at that point, as does the distance to any large cities.
Instead, the river flows quietly past massive rock formations that are typical of the immensity of the entire Big Bend area. The pomposity of the scenery near and far make the trip down river a visual pleasure, all set to the music of the non-human sounds so rare to enjoy; flowing water, gentle wind, and a few bird calls now and then.
I took the river ride in November, and my companions and I picked up the van to the entry point in Terlingua and then headed west. Along the way we were treated to vistas that are outside the park proper. After a brief ride, we reached a landing where a path was cut through the tall reeds and grasses that line the banks of the river anywhere there is soil to accommodate them.
The rafts are large inflatable vessels with metal frames so they are sturdy and comfortable. There are a few mild rapids along the river and we could sometimes hear their gurgle before we saw them. Most of the river, however, moves at a languid pace and our river guide, a veteran named Jack, paddled us along and answered questions about the river, the grasses, and the wildlife we saw along the banks.
After a couple of hours of floating, we stopped along the banks for lunch. The river crew set up a table under the shelter of one of the rock formations and everyone made a plate and sat in the soft grasses to eat. This particular bank was in the sun and so it was warm; one notices quickly that in the dry desert air, the temperature difference between shadow and beaming sunlight is stark. Mercifully, there were no biting insects to contend with.
After lunch, we continued down river, and the stunning scenery just kept coming, first as dark cliff faces, then as pink-hued mountain ranges in the distance, then as embankments of green grasses with grazing cattle, then as massive grey boulders with water swirling around and making the river music. People were quiet, stunned silent by the warm sun and towering cliffs and glowing mountains.
The trip ended with as little fanfare as it began; there was no dock and no shacks looking to sell us tourist souvenirs or snacks. There was just a dirt landing and a van and all the riders pitched in to help the professional rafters get the inflatable boats stacked on the trailers.
The whole experience was typical of my trips to Big Bend. There are simply a lot fewer people in deep southern Texas, and the people who are there, those who visit and those who live there, are a different breed. They are committed to the outdoors during that time, and as such, quieter, more reverent, less prone to complain.
My short time on the Rio Grande changed my impression of this long-suffering river, long associated with controversy, immigration, and desperate crossings. At Big Bend, it’s none of that; it’s a quiet, peaceful stream set between nations and separating mountains of perpetual beauty.
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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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