Big Bend: the Texan desert where the Rio Grande draws the border

Big Bend owes its name to the great bend the Rio Grande makes on the border between Texas and Mexico. The park brings together three landscapes: a desert, a mountain range in the middle, and the river’s canyons to the south. It’s as big as a small country, and hours’ drive from anything.

History and origins

The Chisos Mountains are ancient volcanoes, about 35 million years old. It’s the only mountain range in the United States entirely contained within a national park. To the south, the Rio Grande has sawn three canyons into the limestone. It marks the border for nearly 200 km.

People have lived here for more than 10,000 years. Later, the Comanche crossed the region every year on their raids into Mexico. Ranches and a few mercury mines arrived at the end of the 19th century. The park was created in 1944.

What to do there

• Santa Elena Canyon: the Rio Grande emerges from a cleft between two walls 450 metres high. A short trail goes into it, along the water. The far bank is Mexico.
• The Chisos Mountains: a basin of wooded mountains, cooler than the desert. It’s the starting point for the finest hikes, including Lost Mine Trail and the South Rim.
• The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive: 50 km through the desert and old ranches, to Santa Elena Canyon.
• The hot springs: a pool of water at 40°C beside the river, the remains of a small bathhouse resort from the 1900s.
• Boquillas del Carmen: a Mexican village on the other side of the river, reached by rowing boat through an official border crossing. It only opens on certain days, and you need your passport.
• The Rio Grande by canoe: agencies in Terlingua offer trips from half a day to several days.
• The night sky: one of the darkest in the contiguous United States. On a clear night, you see the Milky Way from one horizon to the other.

Stories and good to know

• Despite its 3,200 km², Big Bend is one of the least visited parks in the contiguous United States.
• Between the riverbank and the top of the Chisos there’s an elevation difference of 1,800 metres. It can be 15°C cooler at the top than at the bottom.
• Terlingua, at the park’s west exit, is a former mining town, partly a ghost town, which has become the village of guides and artists.

Practical information for your road trip

• Pass: the America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee. Everything is explained in our guide to the national parks pass.
• Getting there: allow about 5 hrs’ drive from El Paso and 6 hrs from San Antonio. The last towns before the park are Alpine and Marathon, more than an hour from the entrance.
• Distances in the park: it takes an hour to get from the visitor center to Santa Elena Canyon, and almost as long to Rio Grande Village.
• Where to stay: in the park, a single hotel and a few campgrounds. Otherwise in Terlingua or Study Butte, at the west exit.
• Combine it with: Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands, for a loop between Texas and New Mexico.