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Big Bend National Park, Texas.It's located on the way to nowhere, a good four-hour drive from the nearest commercial airfield. Remote and mostly desolate, it's one of our largest national parks, yet not many folks go there. For many of us, this is a big positive at Big Bend. And the few folks that do live in the area are invariably friendly and open - an honest friendliness, not a put-on friendliness. My wife Michelle and I usually make the 10-hour drive twice a year and spend three or four days enjoying the solitude. And we've found that despite the remoteness and furnace-like temperatures in the Summer, Big Bend is an awesome place to spend a week. What the heck is there to see and do?That's up to you. There are hundreds of miles of incredible trails for hiking and backpacking. You can disappear off the face of the Earth and not see anyone for days if you have enough water, depending on where in the park you go. There's lots of interesting wildlife - it's almost guaranteed that you will see many javelinas, road runners and deer walking right through your campground. (Black bears, recent immigrants from Mexico, are starting to become a nuisance, but it's doubtful you'll see them.) Come when it's warm, you'll be treated to the site of harmless tarantulas and millipedes. There are miles of spectacular Rio Grande River canyons to raft. Big Bend Ranch State Park is located right next door. A handful of tiny old ghost towns around the park are springing back to life, inhabited by an unusual assortment of characters. These are very friendly folk who like nothing better than telling you about the area. And while it's blisteringly hot from May-October, just go up into the Chisos Mountains and experience an island of relief. I actually like Big Bend in the summertime. The sunlight is different, leading to truly spectacular sunsets.
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Links to
other Big Bend sites:
Driving
to Big Bend
Arriving
At The Park
Camping
Places
To See, Things To Do
The Basin
Santa
Elena Canyon
Going
Into Mexico
Big
Bend Wildlife