A beginner’s guide to Big Bend National Park, Texas

This past weekend my friends and I made the 450-mile drive from Austin, Texas to Big Bend National Park. The trip was the first time any of us had been to Big Bend, making the experiences we had all the more memorable. Though we had done research about the park before making the trip, we learned valuable information that we did not find on the Internet or in travel guides.

If you’re planning on heading to the area surrounding Terlingua, TX you might want to heed this advice.

The most important things to pack are food, water, and hiking shoes

Food, water, and hiking shoes might be obvious, but each item is essential for a trip to Big Bend. I was hesitant to purchase hiking shoes because we were only going for a weekend, but I learned that good shoes make a huge difference. The terrain on the trails that we walked was equal parts rocky and slippery. The treads on my shoes made the hike easier on my feet and protected my toes when going up and down in elevation.

While hiking, temperatures reached over 100 degrees. Drinking water and hydrating was key. We each brought two gallons of water to use to refill our water bottles throughout the weekend. We did not see any water fill-up stations except at visitor centers. It was important to pack water with us because the limited fill-up stations were sometimes over 30 miles away.

 

After hiking we were hungry. Coming back from watching the sunset would put us at a 10pm dinner. However, the handful of restaurants and convenience stores that are in the park and surrounding area of Terlingua closed their kitchens at 9:50pm. We had packed food and snacks for the trip, but had eaten most of it by the time dinner rolled around. That night we ate cereal bars and cold hot dogs.

Other items to include while packing are sunscreen, bug spray, wool hiking socks, and a swimsuit.

There are limited gas station options

We stayed in a motel in Terlingua, TX, about 15 minutes outside of the entrance to Big Bend and 45 minutes from the hiking trails we wanted to go to. From what we saw, there are only two gas stations that service the Big Bend area – one in Terlingua and one near the Panther Junction visitor center.  Another key thing to note is that Alpine, TX, the last major city before the 80 mile drive to the Big Bend area, has the last gas station until Terlingua. Fueling up on gas was important. We did a lot of driving and did not want the trip to be ruined because we did not stop for gas.

Getting into the park is easier than you’d think

The cost to get into Big Bend is $25 per car, with the pass lasting for 7 days. The fee stations are open from around 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. However, don’t fret if you arrive before or after the fee stations open or close – the park entrances are open all the time. The park uses the honor system and asks hikers to pay when the fee stations are open.

The early bird gets the worm

On Saturday and Sunday morning we woke up at 5am to get an early start on the trail. Though it was hard to wake up, we got to see amazing sunrises (the picture above was taken by my friend Zoe. We also finished our first hike before the temperature peaked at 101 degrees – major key. It’s also worth noting how quiet the area is. When we walked outside it felt like we were in a vacuum, the only sound we heard was the crunch of the dirt while we walked.

Hike by experience level

We were all relatively new at hiking long distances, and especially in the heat, had to consider our personal limits. On the Big Bend website there is a list of hiking trails that you can sort by location and difficulty.

We limited ourselves to easy and moderate trails and were not disappointed by the views that we hiked to. Here are three trails that we hiked and the photos that we snapped:

• Windows Trail – Moderate

• The Historic Hot Springs Trail –Easy

• Santa Elena Canyon Trail – Moderate

You can swim on the Texas/Mexico border

The Historic Hot Springs Trail leads to a small enclosed natural hot spring. The spring sits on the bank of the Rio Grande. Sitting in the 105 degree spring makes the cool Rio water inviting. You can hop in for a swim, and if the current isn’t too strong, can venture into the river to be on the Texas/Mexico border.

It is important to note that a passport is required if you want to go on a guided tour of the Rio Grande.

Be wary of nature

Big Bend is full of wild animals. You will see wild animals on the trail and while driving around the park. Animals that we saw ranged from tarantulas to coyotes, along with a close encounter with a family of bears. We found out about the bear encounter when a fellow park-goer on higher elevation told us that we had almost crossed paths with a momma bear and her two cubs.

There is no service in the park – except if you have AT&T

AT&T came in clutch with the LTE. My friend with the AT&T service was our go to person for Google guidance on finding hiking trails, restaurants, and park information. The rest of us found service through the free WI-FI offered at the park visitor centers.

Even though Big Bend is in Texas, you have to go through border patrol

We had known that we would have needed our passports for guided river trips, however, we did not know that there would be a border check-point on our way back to Austin. Two of my friends are legal immigrants and were heavily questioned during our border check. The rest of us were simply asked if we were American citizens. No additional identification was asked for.

From this border-check we learned two things:

1. Visas and green cards are required to pass the checkpoint even though Big Bend is in the United States

1. If you are a legal immigrant, a driver’s license that states permanent residency is not sufficient. According to our border agent, “a driver’s license doesn’t show me anything except that you can drive.”

The sweat, cold hot dogs, and drive were definitely worth the trip

This was our first trip to Big Bend, but it won’t be our last.