A Day In The Park: Big Bend National Park

"Big" is a great descriptor for Big Bend National Park, where the park's more than 801,163 acres range from desert lands to mountain peaks and are rimmed on the south side by one of the country's great rivers.

Drive through the park deep in Texas and you'll come upon the vast expanse of the Chihuahuan Desert and the volcanic Chisos Mountains that were created from violent eruptions as well as uplift and erosion of an ancient seabed. As contributing photographer Rebecca Latson, herself a geologist, explains, "You’ll see textbook examples of volcanic and sedimentary geology, with some faulting and folding thrown in for good measure."

"There are many other enjoyable diversions in Big Bend," Ms. Latson wrote in her 3 Days In Big Bend National Park feature for Traveler's Essential Park Guide, Winter 2016. "You could explore the historic remains of the Sam Nail Ranch found along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, soak in the 105-degree waters of the hot springs in the park’s Hot Springs Historic District where a bathhouse once stood, or simply relax."

"Situated about halfway between El Paso and Laredo, Big Bend is a vast swath of riverine corridor, high and rugged terrain, scenic canyons, and arid plains, Traveler's Bob Janiskee wrote in 2008. "Not merely big (the eighth-largest national park in the Lower 48), it is also remote in the true sense of the word. It’s not near any cities or transportation hubs, it’s not on the way to anything, and you really have to want to get there.

"Some say that Big Bend is the least known of all the National Park-designated units in the Lower 48. True or not, the place does have an image problem. Local Indians believed that this was a place where the Great Spirit stored rocks. When Spanish explorers encountered this area they simply called it 'the uninhabited land.' Today, relatively few Americans even know there’s a national park there."

But there is a national park there, and it's a fascinating place, rich in intriguing geology, visions of fortune that failed, and a magnet for birders, many who hope to spy the Colima warbler that flits up from Mexico to breed.

Big Bend is prevailingly sunny and warm, but temperature varies with both season and altitude and the weather can change very quickly (and sometimes dangerously) any time of year. Fall and spring weather is typically pleasant, and winter is usually mild. Summers are hot, as befits a subtropical desert, so if 100-degree heat is a turnoff you’ll probably want to avoid the hottest months (May and June) and do your leisure thing at the higher and cooler elevations if you visit during summer. During the rainy season, which brings frequent thunderstorms from mid-June to October, you need to watch out for flash floods and dangerous lightning.

When you do visit, find some time to leave your room after dark. Big Bend is a designated Gold Tier Dark Sky Park. According to the International Dark Sky Association, a “gold tier” designation means, “The full array of visible sky phenomena can be viewed—e.g. aurora, airglow, Milky Way, zodiacal light, and faint meteors.”

For the truly adventurous, head down to the Boquillas Border Crossing and cross the river by rowboat to Mexico for an afternoon.

Traveler's Choice For: Hiking, backpacking, floating the Rio Grand River, bird watching.