Situated on the boundary with Mexico along the Rio Grande, Big Bend National Park is a place where countries and cultures meet. It is also a place that merges natural environments, from desert to mountains. The park covers over 801,000 acres of west Texas in the place where the Rio Grande makes a sharp turn--the Big Bend. Authorized June 20, 1935; established June 12, 1944. Designated an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976.

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General Information

Visitation

The park is not crowded much of the year with the highest visitation in March and April. The park is extremely crowded during spring break, which is usually the second or third week in March. Easter weekend, Thanksgiving weekend, and the week between Christmas and New Year's Day are also very busy. All lodging and campsites are usually full during these periods. Visitation is lowest in August and September.

Location

Southern Brewster County, in far west Texas

Address

Big Bend National Park
P.O. Box 129
Big Bend National Park, Texas 79834

Telephone: (915) 477-2251

Operating Hours & Seasons

The park is open 24 hours a day, year-round. The Panther Junction Visitor Center is open daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., but may be closed on Christmas and New Years Day. Other visitor centers have variable seasons and hours.

Climate & Recommended Clothing

Fall and spring are usually warm and pleasant. Summers are hot, although temperatures vary greatly between the desert floor and the Chisos Mountains; May and June are the hottest months. Afternoon and evening rains often cool the desert from July to October. Winters are generally mild, although periods of cold weather (including light snow) are possible. Winter visitors must prepare for a variety of conditions.

A hat, comfortable clothing, and sturdy walking shoes or boots are necessary for anyone planning to hike. Hikers must always carry plenty of water. One gallon per person per day is recommended.

Directions

Three paved roads lead into the park:

• U.S. 385 from Marathon, TX to the north entrance
• State Route 118 from Alpine, TX to the west entrance
• Ranch Road 170 from Presidio to Study Butte, and them State Route 118 to the west entrance.

Big Bend National Park headquarters is located 70 miles south of Marathon, TX and 108 miles from Alpine, TX via Hwy. 118.

The closest major airports are at Midland, Texas (Northeast 230 miles) and El Paso, Texas (Northwest 325 miles).

From the North
Take Highway 385 South to Marathon, Texas and then South to the North Entrance of Big Bend National Park.

From the East
Take Highway 385 South to Marathon, Texas and then South to the North Entrance of Big Bend National Park.

From the West
Take I-10 East to Van Horn, Texas. At Van Horn take Highway 90 South to Marfa and Alpine, Texas then take State Route 118 South from Alpine, Texas to the West Entrance of the park.

Or, take Ranch Road 170 from Presidio, Texas to Study Butte, Texas then State Route 118 to the West Entrance.

Big Bend National Park headquarters is located at Panther Junction, 70 miles south of Marathon, Texas via Highway 385 and 108 miles from Alpine, Texas via Highway 118.

Distances between towns and services can be considerable. Always be sure you have plenty of gas, oil, food, and water for your trip. The park has four camper stores, but supply and selection can be limited. There are also small stores in the communities outside the park. The last major shopping areas (grocery and hardware stores) are Alpine, Fort Stockton, and Del Rio.

Transportation

To Park: There is no public transportation to or from the park. Amtrak serves Alpine, TX, 108 miles to the north. Bus service is available to Alpine and Marathon. The nearest airports are in Midland, TX (230 miles to the northeast), and El Paso, TX (325 miles to the northwest).

Fees, Costs & Rates

Weekly Pass: $10 per passenger vehicle; $5 per person for cyclists, bus passengers, and walk-ins. Golden Age, Golden Access and Golden Eagle Passes honored. Big Bend Annual Pass available for $20. Good for one calendar year from date of purchase. Commercial tour fees are based on the passenger capacity of each tour vehicle:

• up to six-passenger capacity, $25 plus $5 per person;
• between seven and 15-passenger capacity, $75;
• over 25 passenger capacity, $100.

Golden Eagle Passport

The Golden Eagle Passport is an entrance pass to any national park, monument, historical site, recreation area, and national wildlife refuge that charges an entrance fee. It is a great convenience for those who plan on visiting several different areas that charge special fees. It is valid for one year from the purchase date. A Golden Eagle Passport may be purchased for $50 at any National Park Service entrance fee area or by mail. To order by mail, send check or money order (no cash, please) to:

National Park Service
1100 Ohio Drive, SW
Room 138
Washington, DC 20242
Attention: Golden Eagle Passport

Where entry is by private vehicle, the Golden Eagle Passport will admit the passholder as well as any passengers. Where entry by private vehicle is not possible, the pass will admit the passholder, spouse, children and parents.

The Golden Eagle Passport will not reduce use fees, such as those for camping, swimming, parking, boat launching, or cave tours. It covers entrance fees only.

Golden Age Passport

The Golden Age Passport is a lifetime entrance pass for those United States residents 62 years or older. These may be purchased at any National Park Service entrance fee area for a one-time processing fee of $10. The Golden Age Passport cannot be purchased by mail or telephone. Proof of age and citizenship or permanent residence must be shown at the time of purchase.

The Golden Age Passport will admit the passholder and any passengers in a private vehicle. When entrance is not via private vehicle, the pass will admit the passholder as well as children, spouse, and parents.

The Golden Age Pass grants a 50 percent discount to the holder on any federal use fees charged for things such as camping, swimming, parking, boat launching, or tours. It does not, however, reduce the price of special recreation permit fees or fees for concessions.

Golden Access Passport

The Golden Access Passport is a free entrance pass to any national park, monument, historic site, recreation area, and national wildlife refuge for those who are blind or permanently disabled. The Golden Access passport may be obtained at any National Park Service entrance fee area. Proof of a medically determined disability and eligibility for receiving benefits under federal law is necessary at purchase.

The Golden Access Passport will admit the passholder and any passengers in a private vehicle. Where entrance is not by vehicle, the pass will admit the passholder, spouse, children and parents.

The Golden Access Passport also provides a 50 percent discount on any federal use fees charged for services and facilities. It does not cover special recreation permit fees or fees charged for concessions.

All passes described above are non-transferable.

Facilities & Opportunities

Visitor Center & Exhibits

There are four visitor centers: Persimmon Gap, Panther Junction, Chisos Basin, and Rio Grande Village. There is also a visitor contact station at Castolon. The Panther Junction Visitor Center is open year round. The Persimmon Gap and Chisos Basin Visitor Centers are open most of the year, staff permitting. The Rio Grande Village Visitor Center is open from mid-October through April. All visitor centers provide information, backcountry permits, and limited exhibits.

Trails & Roads

There are several paved roads that introduce visitors to park scenery. The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive to Castolon, and the road to the Chisos Mountains Basin. Numerous dirt roads, suitable only for high-clearance vehicles, are located throughout the desert.

There are over 150 miles of hiking trails through desert and mountains. Cross-country hiking is permitted.

Programs & Activities

Nature walks; park naturalists year-round provide workshops, and evening slide programs. Several programs per day are offered November to April; fewer programs are offered in summer. Check park bulletin boards and visitor centers for the current weekly program schedule.

Lodging & Camping Facilities

National Park Concessions, Inc operate Chisos Mountain Lodge. For reservations call (915)477-2291.

There are three developed campgrounds: Rio Grande Village (100 sites), Chisos Basin (63 sites), and Cottonwood (31 sites). All have water and rest rooms, but no hookups. Fees are currently $7 per night, subject to change. Campsite occupancy is limited to eight people and two vehicles, or one RV plus one vehicle. All campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis only.

A concessionaire operates a RV park at Rio Grande Village. Full hookup capability is required.

There are also numerous backcountry roadside campsites throughout the park. Most require a high clearance or four-wheel drive vehicle. No services or facilities are available at limited campsites. A backcountry permit is required to camp, and can be obtained free at any visitor center.

Backpackers have many opportunities throughout the park. Open (zone) camping is available in desert areas with a backcountry permit. Designated backcountry campsites in the high Chisos Mountains are available with a backcountry permit on first-come, first-served basis.

Food & Supplies

Lodging, meals, and service stations are provided by National Park Concessions, Inc. Limited groceries are available near all campgrounds. Gas is available at Panther Junction (park headquarters) and Rio Grande Village. Showers and laundry facilities are available only at Rio Grande Village. There is a restaurant in the Chisos Basin.

Other Concessions/NPS-Managed Visitor Facilities and Opportunities:
Big Bend Natural History Association
P.O. Box 196, Big Bend Park, Texas 79834.
915/477-2236.

The Big Bend Natural History Association operates bookstores in all four visitor centers. To receive a catalog of sales items or a listing of Big Bend Seminars you can email your request to the Big Bend Natural History Association at "BBNHA@nps.gov."

Special Needs

Many park rangers are bilingual in Spanish and English. Most exhibits are written in both Spanish and English. Park brochures are available in German.

Recommended Activities & Park Use

Hiking is the best way to experience and appreciate Big Bend National Park. A permit is required for all overnight trips, and can be obtained in person up to 24 hours in advance of the trip. Due to lack of water, it is virtually impossible to plan an extended backpacking trip prior to your arrival in the park. Bear in mind how much distance you want to cover and how much time you have. Based on that information and current conditions, personnel at park visitor centers can assist you with trip planning.

Camping, bird watching, wildlife viewing, and float trips are popular park activities. Commercial float trips on the Rio Grande are available through outfitters just outside the park.

Basic Visit Recommendations

The park is very large and remote. Remember that you will be at least 100 miles from a bank, hospital, pharmacy, or supermarket.

A minimum of two days is needed to see most of the park from the main roads. For hikers and explorers, allow a week to see the park. A high clearance or 4x4 vehicle will allow you to see more of the park.

Special Events & Programs

Annual International Good Neighbor Day Fiesta held on the third Saturday in October, celebrates the unique culture of the border with music, food, and dance.

Visitor Impacts

The park is crowded during spring break and all campsites and lodging may be full. The nearest campsite with space available may be 25 miles away. The nearest available lodging during spring break may be 100 miles away.

Adjacent Visitor Attractions

Big Bend Ranch State Park, a 287,000-acre preserve operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, is adjacent to Big Bend National Park on the west. Established in 1988, the state park features spectacular rock formations, unique plants and animals, and 10,000 years of human history. For information, call (915) 229-3416.

It is possible to visit the Mexican border towns of Boquillas, Coahuila and Santa Elena, Chihuahua, which are adjacent to the park. Check at a park visitor center for more information.

Additional Information

Leashed pets are permitted only on roads and in the drive-in campground but not in the backcountry or on trails. Do not bring pets if you intend to hike or backpack.

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History

The Prehistoric Era (8500 B.C. - A.D. 1535)

Early travelers called the land in and around Big Bend "el despoblado," the unpopulated land, but in fact Big Bend has been inhabited for thousands of years.

Manis history in Big Bend can be separated into five periods:

Paleo-Indian (ca. 8500-6500 B.C.)
Early Archaic (ca. 6500-3000 B.C.)
Middle Archaic (ca. 3000-500 B.C.)
Late Archaic (ca. 500 B.C. - A.D. 1000)
Late Prehistoric (ca. A.D. 1000-1535)

Throughout the Paleo-Indian period the Indians depended primarily on large game for food, clothing, and shelter. As the climate grew warmer and drier at the end of the last ice age, large animal populations, primarily bison, declined.

Indians of the Archaic period hunted smaller game with a type of spear-thrower called an atlatl, and gathered plants for food, clothing and shelter. Their efficient methods maintained a stable way of life for about 8,000 years.

By the late Prehistoric Period (A.D. 1000) the native people of the Big Bend had come under the influence of agricultural groups to the northwest. Farming villages existed near present day Presidio, Texas, and Indian groups probably did some limited farming in the area of the park. During the late Prehistoric Era, Indians of the Big Bend began to use the bow and arrow, and groups northwest of the park started making pottery.

The Indians (A.D. 1535-1850)

During the late 15th century, Spanish mission priests at nearby villages in the Presidio area recorded a variety of names for the small bands of nomadic people inhabiting the vicinity surrounding the Chisos Mountains. The Chizo Indians were a loosely organized group of nomadic hunters and gatherers who may have also practiced seasonal horticulture. The Chizo were culturally related to people in northern Mexico, speaking the Concho dialect of the Uto-Aztecans. The Jumano was a nomadic group that traveled and traded throughout Texas and southeast New Mexico, but some historic records suggest that they were enemies of the Chizo. Around the beginning of the 1700s, the Mescalero Apaches began to invade the Big Bend and displace the Chizo Indians. The last Indian group to use the Big Bend, the Comanches, rode the Great Comanche Trail on their way to and from periodic raids into the Mexican interior. These raids continued until the mid-1800s.

The Spanish (A.D. 1535-1850)

The Historic Era began around A.D. 1535 with the first Spanish explorations into this portion of North America. The expedition of Alvar Nu'ez Cabeza de Vaca passed near the Big Bend. Other expeditions followed in search of gold and silver, farm and ranch land, religious converts, and Indian slaves. In an attempt to protect the northern frontier of Mexico, a line of "presidios," or forts, were established along the Rio Grande in the late 1700s. The Presidio de San Vicente was near the present-day Manuel Benavides, Chihuahua, both in Mexico. These presidios were soon abandoned, however, because of financial difficulties and because they could not effectively stop Indian raids into Mexico.

The Mexicans & Anglos (1850-Present)

Very little study has been made of the Mexican occupation of the Big Bend following the abandonment of the presidios. In 1805 the Mexican settlement called Altares existed 30 miles south of the Rio Grande. Mexican families lived in the area when Anglo settlers began moving in during the latter half of the 1800s. Following the war between Mexico and the United States, which ended in 1849, military surveys mapped the Big Bend country.

Subsequently, military forts and outposts protected settlers from the Indians. Around 1870, ranchers began to migrate into Big Bend and by 1900 sheep, goat and cattle ranches were numerous. The delicate desert environment, however, was soon overgrazed. In the early 1900s the discovery of valuable mineral deposits enticed settlers to work mines or to support the mines by farming and cutting timber for use in the mines and smelters. Communities sprang up around the mines; Boquillas and Terlingua developed directly from mining operations. Meanwhile, farmers settling the Rio Grande floodplain established places like Terlingua Abajo, San Vicente, Coyote, and Castolon. These settlements, often no more than small groups of families living and farming in the same area, proved successful only to the degree that the land was able to support them.

In the early 1930s many people who loved the Big Bend country saw that this land of contrast, beauty, and solitude was worth preserving for future generations. The state of Texas bought land in the area and created Texas Canyons State Park. In 1935 the federal government passed legislation to acquire the land for a national park. The state deeded the land to the federal government and on June 12, 1944, Big Bend National Park became a reality.

The park is dotted with old buildings and ruins of past settlements. Archeological sites reveal 10,000 years of Indian occupation of the Big Bend. By visiting these sites and ruins, visitors are able to get a glimpse of the parks early life.

These sites provide valuable scientific information that expands our understanding of past ways of life. But changing these remains destroys information that could have helped piece together the puzzle of the past. After many years of being unable to deal adequately with problems of vandalism and theft from cultural sites, the federal government passed laws that provide tough penalties for those who violate these national treasures. Additionally, many states and federal agencies, universities, and private concerns have banded together to try to stop the robbing of archeological sites. By protecting the remains here in the park, we preserve this heritage for future generations.

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Reservation Information

Advance camping reservations for large groups can be made by writing the superintendent. Group campground reservations can be made up to 90 days in advance. Special use permits for commercial filming and other activities are arranged on an individual basis. For additional information on special use or filming permits, call (915) 477-2251.

If you're looking for lodging, National Park Concessions, Inc. operates the Chisos Mountain Lodge. For reservations call (915) 477-2291.

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