Although Big Bend Ranch State Park (to the west of Big Bend National Park) has plenty of hikes, campgrounds, horse back riding trails, places to canoe and paddle board, 4WD roads, mountain biking trails, and many other ways to explore, the most popular way to experience the Chihuahuan Desert Landscape is to drive the nearly 50 miles of Texas FM 170 from one end of the park to the other end. It is truly one of the most scenic and fun paved desert drives I’ve ever driven. Make sure you get out and enjoy the many viewpoints of the harsh desert mountains, the hoodoos, and the Rio Grande.