Big Bend Landscapes
9 galleries
Where to start?
Big Bend National Park is simply too big to see in one visit - no matter how long you can stay. Grab the park map and break it into regions. Visitors either reach the park from Marathon in the north or Terlingua on the west side. Both roads lead to Panther Junction, the park headquarters reasonably in the center of the vast park. Get your bearings there - and gas and an ice cream bar at the nearby gas station - and head for the Chisos Mountains, Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive or down east to Rio Grande Village where the big campground is. Find a base that fits the season as well as your schedule and ambition.
Here are some suggestions from the rangers to get started: https://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/suggested-itineraries.htm
Big Bend National Park is simply too big to see in one visit - no matter how long you can stay. Grab the park map and break it into regions. Visitors either reach the park from Marathon in the north or Terlingua on the west side. Both roads lead to Panther Junction, the park headquarters reasonably in the center of the vast park. Get your bearings there - and gas and an ice cream bar at the nearby gas station - and head for the Chisos Mountains, Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive or down east to Rio Grande Village where the big campground is. Find a base that fits the season as well as your schedule and ambition.
Here are some suggestions from the rangers to get started: https://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/suggested-itineraries.htm
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20 galleriesRoss Maxwell Scenic Drive is a major highlight of Big Bend National Park, encompassing many of the major landscapes and historic sites of the park as shown in these 15 photo galleries. While it's only a bit over 30 miles to the Castelon Visitor Center, hiking and exploring all these vistas and trails can fill a lifetime. Pavement's end reaches the 1,500 foot high Santa Elena Canyon, where the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo del Norte defines the Texas - Chihuahua border. Fifteen photo galleries highlight dramatic views of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. -
7 galleriesChisos Basin is the most popular destination in Big Bend National Park, featuring the only hotel and restaurant as well as a store and campground. Highlights include the Window View and dramatic Casa Grande Peak. Big Bend's most popular hikes lead from the basin, including South Rim, Lost Mine and the Window Pouroff. Six photo galleries feature my best views in the Chisos Basin - and best hikes! -
6 galleriesPanther Junction Ranger Station is the jumping off point for most Big Bend adventurers. Fill up with gas, get your questions answered by park rangers, get a current map. Then check out the local areas like Balanced Rock or Fossil Discovery Center and then head for the far reaches of the park. These photo galleries highlight the dramatic areas in the north and central area of Big Bend National Park below the Chisos Mountains. -
6 galleriesThe Old Ore Road on Big Bend's eastern flank is one of my favorites - a lightly traveled high clearance road that opens up to wide vistas of the Chisos Mountains and includes some really great back country campsites. My favorite is Camp de Leon that gives stunning sunset views - and is exactly 500 miles from home in Austin. It provides plenty of peace and quiet as a base for exploring Big Bend. Here are four photo galleries of my favorite sights along the Old Ore Road. -
3 galleriesRio Grande Village anchors Big Bend National Park's eastern corner and offers many comforts not found elsewhere in the park, including paid showers, RV hook up sites and the only gas station other than Panther Junction. It also includes a convenience store, a large campground and many nearby nature trails. Four photo galleries highlight the popular areas surrounding Rio Grande Village. -
4 galleriesIn 1909 J. O. Langford took a big gamble and bought the homestead rights to a hot spring along the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo in an area that would become the eastern side of Big Bend National Park. He developed the area as a curative spring along with guest rooms, a store and Post Office. Those buildings remain in the Historic Hot Springs District. The hot springs remain a popular destination in Big Bend. -
6 galleriesThe Glenn Spring Road reaches south to the River Road, providing access to Pine Canyon, Juniper Canyon, Black Gap, Glenn Spring and many back country campsites. -
5 galleriesEl Camino del Rio - River Road - traces the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo del Norte along 60 miles of the most remote regions of Big Bend National Park - and indeed one of the most remote regions of the 48 states. Much of the dirt road is across desert wilderness, but 4WD is required for rocky washouts or dry sandy dry creek beds. It's a drive to cherish and remember. These photos along the River Road cover some of the most remote areas of Big Bend National Park. -
39 imagesBig Bend's skies are legendary - from dramatic sunrises and sunsets to night time stargazing under the Milky Way. In recent decades, man made haze - especially from coal power plants - have often reduced the views. As we work to close those plants and reduce pollution, we can hope that the clear skies will return. Thirty eight photos of the varied sky at Big Bend Fill this gallery. It's just a start.