Big Bend Overview

On the way to nowhere, where the desert meets the mountains and the Rio Grand divides two countries you will find Big Bend National park, an often forgotten national park for those who reside outside of Texas.

This was my first trip to Big Bend and a return for Shannon from when she visited as a young girl on a family vacation. We arrived at the first of April after Spring Break, but didn’t beat the heat as temperatures were on the 90’s for most of the two weeks we were there. We set camp in Lajitas at the Maverick Ranch RV park, about 20 minutes from the National park entrance. We feel this is the best RV park in the area: large sites, clean, a swimming pool, all the amenities and great service. A as bonus, it is right across street from the Lajitas Golf Resort, and you have access to all of those amenities.

I have spent a lot of time in the mountains – Rockies, Appalachians, Sierra Nevada – but not so much in a desert mountain region. I found the untainted rawness of the area and natural diversity incredibly satisfying. It seemed that there was something new and special around every corner.

Because of the heat we did our hikes in the early mornings and mixed that up with some Jeeping on the off road trails. This allowed us to take the dogs some of the time as they are not allowed on the trails in the national park. Our top 3 4 hiking trails were:

• Lost Mine
• The Window
• Balanced Rock
• Closed Canyon (state park)

And I’ll give an honorable mention to Hoodoos in Big Bend State Park. Don’t ask me to rank them as they were all completely unique from one another (click the links above for my blogs on these hiking trails). Some of the state park trails do allow dogs but carefully assess this with your pet and plan accordingly.

In addition to the great hiking, off roading and scenic drives we did some incredible zip lining and a trip to Boquillas Del Carmen Mexico which was a very unique experience. Boquillas is known as one of the safest border crossings into Mexico… and the crossing is done by rowboat! Yes, after briefly going through US customs, you take a short trail down to the river. $10 gets you a round trip passage across the Rio Grand with a captain to row you on the very short crossing. Riding the burros (donkey) into town with your personal escort was awesome, along with lunch and a cocktail with new friends at one of the two restaurants in town. A definite “must do” when you visit Big Bend!

Keep in mind that this is a desert area and for the most part has been unaltered from its pure form. Don’t expect modern chain restaurants and hotels. But this is one of the things that makes it special… and speaking of food, we did find a few places we especially enjoyed:

• The Bean Café: a beautiful drive to Presidio
• Starlight Theater: popular and entertaining spot in Terlingua
• Canyon Brew Coffee: great cup of Jo but they have limited hours

We set out on this adventure to see the beauty of this country and meet great people along the way. This trip checked both boxes. Special thanks to Nick and Donna for making the trip even more special. We will see you down the road a piece!

Be sure to check out our photos of Big Bend.