Nestled in far southwestern Texas is the amazing Chihuahuan desert landscape that is Big Bend National Park. There are a ton of hikes that include trails in the mountains, on the desert floor, and along the Rio Grande river’s edge. There’s also a ton of camping spots and plenty of scenic drives on paved and unpaved roads. You’ll be surrounded by beautiful towering mountains and the desert as you enjoy the very out of the way National Park.

It’s called Big Bend on account of the giant bend the Rio Grande takes at this particular area of the country. The river actually defines 118 miles of the park’s boundary. The river also has carved the amazingly deep and sheer Santa Elena Canyon which will remind many American Southwest aficionados of the Canyonlands of the Colorado Plateau.

Besides canyons though, the park also has many beautiful Sky Island Mountains. Those mountains are known as the Chisos and they’ve got Oak, Juniper, and Pine forests, as well as plenty of creatures like Mountain Lions and Bears. On the desert floor there’s the ubiquitous Roadrunners, Coyotes, and even the cute Kangaroo Rat!

There’s lots of human history here as well. The Spanish came to the area in the late 1700s looking for gold and other precious metals before the Apache and then later Comanche raided and hid in the area’s oasis-like environment.

If you were wondering how hot it can get in this northern Chihuahua landscape, the temp’s been known to reach 140° on the desert floor.

The drive through the park is spectacular and absolutely worth it. I drove in from Big Bend Ranch State Park along the Rio Grande and the road was like a roller coaster. It was a ton of fun and extremely scenic. Within the park, there’s over 100 miles of paved roads and they are exceptionally scenic as well. While driving you’ll see the gaping Santa Elena Canyon, the Mesa de Anguila, Burro Mesa, Mule Ears Peak, Panther Peak, the Chisos Mountains, Sierra Del Carmen, the Rio Grande, and a whole lot more.

Don’t forget your passport! At the Rio Grande Village, on the far southeastern side of the park you can rent a row boat to take you across to Mexico where there are vendors selling goods, food, and cervezas. And there are even burros you can rent that will take you to the nearby Mexican town of Boquillas del Carmen. All for a fee, of course.

The park may be very out of the way but it is oh so worth it and I can’t recommend it enough. But bring lots of water!