Blog Post

Big Bend National Park - day 1

June 9, 2023

Our first national park

Big Bend National Park has always been on our "must-see" list, both because of its splendor and its proximity to our Texas home base. Originally established as Texas Canyons State Park in 1933, its name was changed to Big Bend State Park later that same year. The Park was authorized as a National Park by Congress in 1935 and encompasses 801,163 acres (1,252 square miles). Its name ("Big Bend") is due to its location on a 90-degree turn in the Rio Grande River:

Big Bend National Park includes three different ecosystems:

the most representative example of the Chihuahuan desert in the United States;
the 196 miles of the Rio Grande river ecosystem; and
the Chisos Mountains.

According to the National Park Service,

The park's varied array of habitats support more than 1,200 species of plants (including some 60 cacti species), 11 species of amphibians, 56 species of reptiles, 40 species of fish, 75 species of mammals, over 400 species of birds, and about 3,600 species of insects. The park boasts more types of birds, bats, butterflies, ants, scorpions, and cacti than any other national park in the United States.

A few examples of the wildlife that can be found in the Park are birds (common black hawk, painted bunting, greater roadrunner, Carolina warbler, scaled quail, Mexican jay); mammals (mountain lion, black bear, mule deer, whitetail deer, bobcat, coyote, gray fox, bats, ringtails, elk); reptiles (turtles, lizards, snakes); and amphibians (toads, frogs).

Big Bend includes three separate canyons: Santa Elena, Mariscal, and Boquillas. As mentioned in my previous post, the entire region is a Dark Sky region, and the National Park has been designated International Dark Sky Park.

There are several paved roads which offer scenic drives in Big Bend National Park. The map below (posted at The Big Bend Guide webiste) shows each of the five scenic drives, color-coded as follows:

the Maverick Entrance Station to Panther Junction (23 miles, shown in purple);
the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive (30 miles, shown in in red);
Panther Junction to Rio Grande Village (21 miles, shown in in yellow);
Panther Junction to Persimmon Gap (28 miles, shown in in green); and
the Chisos Basin Road (6 miles, shown in in blue).

We entered the Park each day at the Maverick Entrance Station and traveled to Panther Junction (the only visitor center that was open during our week there). According to the National Park Service, "This drive, through striking desert scenery, has excellent views of the surrounding mountains. Several roadside exhibits describe wildife that might be seen along the drive. Junctions for the Chisos Basin road and Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive are located along this route."

After visiting the Panther Junction visitor center, we spent our first day in the Park exploring the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. The National Park Service describes that drive as follows:

A trip along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive highlights the geologic splendor Big Bend is famous for, and offers many scenic overlooks and exhibits along the way. Sotol Vista, Mule Ears Overlook, and Tuff Canyon are all worthwhile stops.

History is highlighted at Sam Nail Ranch, Homer Wilson (Blue Creek) Ranch, and the Castolon Historic Compound. Castolon has a visitor center, camp store, and nearby is the Cottonwood Campground.

Continue the drive to the magnificent Santa Elena Canyon, where limestone cliffs rise 1,500' above the Rio Grande. A short trail leads into the canyon.

The weather prior to our visit apparently brought a fair amount of rain and there were rainstorms several times during our visit. As a result, the desert environment was full of green vegetation and blooming cacti. The following are several photos that were taken between the Maverick Entrance Station and Panther Junction, and then on the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive: