Nestled in far southwestern Texas is the amazing Chihuahuan desert landscape that is Big Bend Ranch State 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 State Park.

In the Dark Sky Park are 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 park may be very out of the way but it is oh so worth it and I can’t recommend it enough.

Make sure you check out the Barton Warnock Visitor Center at the eastern edge. Not only does it have water and AC but it has a great and quite extensive museum. And in that museum it talks about the amazing Texas Pterosaur: Quetzalcoatlus northropii. “Quetzalcoatlus, a pterodactyloid pterosaur, is the largest flying animal yet discovered. This wing and other small bone fragments were found in the Upper Cretaceous beds of Big Bend National Park in the 1970s. The pterosaurs became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous, along with the dinosaurs on land and icthyosaurs of the sea. Since this specimen was found, Quetzalcoatlus has been discovered in other parts of the world.”