Quick – Which is the only National Park with a fully contained mountain range within its borders? If you said Big Bend, you’d be correct as the Chisos Mountains are one of the biggest draws of the park. Big Bend has a lot to offer for those willing to make the long trip to get there. We’re glad we did (twice).
We visited Big Bend in November 2019 (and November 2023)
Getting There
You’ve probably already gotten the clue that it’s a bit of a drive to get to Big Bend. And there’s not much to see on the way. There are two primary ways in/out of the park. From the north, head south 125 miles from Fort Stockton, driving through Marathon and into the park. Here you’re closer to Boquillas Canyon and the Chisos Basin. From the west, you would turn exit I-10 at Van Horn and go south for about 180 miles through Marfa (famous Marfa Lights), Alpine, and Terlingua (famous Chili Cookoff) before entering the park. On this side, you’re closer to Santa Elena Canyon.
You Had Me
At Tacos
After entering Big Bend from the north, we stopped at the Panther Junction Visitor Center to get our maps, park stamps, and a well earned bathroom break. We had reserved space in Rio Grande Village RV Park (parking lot, but with electrical hookups) and spent two days there doing some short hikes, taking a dip in the hot springs along the river, and venturing across the border into Boquillas del Carmen (bring your passport). The border crossing here is unique. On the US side, you go to the Boquillas Crossing Port of Entry where the rangers there will discuss what to expect, and how to make the most of your trip over and back. After their documenting your exit, you walk down a path to the edge of the river and catch a rowboat across the river. Seriously, we just waved across the river and a couple of guys in a rowboat rowed over, helped us in and rowed us the roughly 50 feet across for $10 roundtrip (it may have been $5, but we gave them $10). When I looked this up on Google Maps, it was labeled as the Boquillas Ferry. LOL! Once across, we had the choice to walk into town (1/2 mile on a dusty trail), ride a donkey (Rainy is very allergic), or hop in a pickup for a short drive in. We opted for the truck and were dropped at the edge of town a few minutes and another $10 lighter. As we began walking into town, a teenage boy came up to us and asked if we’d like a walking tour of the town (perfect English). We said we’d like to eat first, but yes, we’d love to have him tell us about the town’s history. He took us to a small family restaurant where we could get fresh, authentic tacos and enchiladas. By family, we were pretty sure it was literally HIS family, but we didn’t mind. The food was yummy, fairly priced, and included a can of cold soda. Remember, don’t drink the water and also be cautious of any ice. After lunch, our guide walked us around and outside of town, telling us of the mining history in the area and the cooperation between the US National Park and the park system on this side of the river. Today, Boquillas survives purely on tourist activity, so we were happy to help. The return trip was easy, everything in reverse, and when we got back to the Immigration Station, we had to go through a video check in with Border Patrol. All in all, it was a memorable adventure. Completely safe. If there was any tourist incidents, the town would shut down and no one there wants that. Things may have changed since 2019, but we still recommend adding this to your trip if you can.
The Window
There is a lodge up in Chisos Basin and an adjacent campground where we stayed for 3 nights. The 6 mile drive up the mountains is pretty twisty, but we had no problem in Cousin Eddie. A larger Class A might have a tough time though. The campground has about 50 sites that can handle RVs 24 feet or less (so we just made it). It’s cooler up in Chisos Basin, so the fact that there are no hookups wasn’t an issue in early November. There are several hikes to choose from and our favorite was a 6 mile roundtrip to The Window which is pretty much just a giant crack in the side of wall of mountains surrounding Chisos Basin where the local, mostly dry stream ends and trickle over the edge of a steep dropoff to the desert floor below. The view is great and some trees that give shade make it a cool hike. There are bears, mountain lions, and javelinas in the area, so we were on the lookout. At one point, Rainy said “If I were a bear, I’d hang out right here by the creek.” And less than a minute later, we came around a turn and there was a black bear, just across the stream maybe 40 feet away. He/she was just foraging around and didn’t even acknowledge us as we cautiously walked by. We didn’t see any javelinas or mountain lions (thankfully). We really have no fear about encountering a bear as we know how to behave so they won’t bother us. But the idea of seeing a mountain lion is terrifying. Anyway, The Window hike was a good one and we made it back to camp as the sun was setting (mountain lion o’clock in local time).
Santa Elena Canyon
When we left Chisos Basin, it had gotten foggy overnight, so the trip down the mountain was a little slow, but again, no problem. We headed along Ross Maxwell Drive to Santa Elena Canyon for our last hike in the park. On the way, there were a few historical stops and lots of cool looking purple cactii. It was amazing to learn that people actually survived for years farming in the area. Before the Rio Grande was dammed upstream, there was a lot more water in the area. Once down the mountain, the fog was gone and it was about 40 miles to Santa Elena Canyon. Here, at the end of the road, the canyon walls are majestic as the Rio Grande passes through. I think there are rafting trips available further up/down the river, but we didn’t see any. There’s a mile trail that leads into the canyon, but the water was too high for us to cross, so we just admired the view and took a few pictures before heading out of the park.
Get Lost
In late 2023, we had visited Padre Island to photograph the migratory birds and were on our way back to San Diego. Big Bend was not too far out of our way and we decided to check out the park again, albeit only for a couple days. We bypassed Chisos Basin and Rio Grande Village as we had done those pretty thoroughly on our prior visit. Instead, we wanted to do more of an offroad experience. But first, we had to find a place to watch the Oklahoma State football game vs OU. It would be the final Bedlam Rivalry game and in our household, a MUST watch. Believe it or not, we found a small bar in Terlingua that had the game. We got a pizza and nursed a couple beers through the game. Best of all, it was an OSU victory as OU was leaving the Big 12 to become a mediocre SEC team. Anyway, back to camping…Rainy found a cool tour company that participated in Harvest Hosts which allows free boondocking at certain places, usually with a small purchase. In this case, we got to camp in a super remote spot, just outside the park and take a 6 hour tour to some great locations within the park. It was called Get Lost Tours, and the owner/guide, Chris, was awesome. We drove many of the unimproved roads in his high clearance 4WD SUV and saw some cool things that few get to experience. We learned tons about the geology, wildlife, and interesting characters of the past. Get Lost Tours is another recommendation if you’re visiting Big Bend.
We both agreed that Big Bend is one of the most underrated parks in the system. It’s a big park and there are lots of different places to see with decent hikes everywhere. It’s a long drive to get here, but if you’re aiming to visit a lot or all of the National Parks, this one’s definitely on the good list. Just be sure to bring your passport and save room for tacos.