"Big Bend National Park" Top 5 Page for this destination Big Bend National Park Favorite Tip by Basaic

Favorite thing: The Rio Grande River follows the border between Texas and Mexico for over 1000 miles. 244 miles of it are administered by the National Park Service in Big Bend National Park. Big Bend is sometimes called "three parks in one" because it has a mountain areas, a desert area and the area along the river. There is evidence of human habitation here for almost 10,000 years and fossils have been found from the Cretaceous and Tertiary Periods. At over 800,000 acres, Big Bend is also one of the largest parks under the National Park Service. Big Bend got its name from the way the Rio Grande curves in this part of West Texas.

Big Bend was a popular destination for high society in the early 1900s. There were some fancy hotels here and a popular hot spring resort. This was also a popular crossing point into Mexico. The springs are still here but the facilities are closed and falling to ruin (still worth checking out though). The border crossing is closed not that it seemed to stop people from crossing from Mexico, setting up some souvenirs, crossing back to Mexico, and then coming back to collect their money later.

There are a wide variety of places to stop along the scenic drives through the park and a number of recreational possibilities. A lot of the park is only accessible with gih clearance and/or 4 wheel drive vehicles. There are miles of hiking trails and you can also boat on the river. One very nice trail takes you to a formation called "The Window" for the way it opens up a view between two mountain ridges to the valley beyond.

Fondest memory: When I first entered the park the lower desert was clear, then in the distance you saw some low clouds and the peaks above, seeming to grow out of the clouds.