Big Bend Country, Texas
In Big Bend Country, the sky's no limit. Nowhere else in Texas do the stars at night shine quite so bright or the sunsets seems quite so rosy. Here, too, the earth displays its own vigor. Prickly pear cacti bloom with fuschia ferocity and golden exuberance as desert vistas shimmer far into the distance. Nomadic tumbleweeds bounce erratically across lonesome prairies, and craggy mountain peaks form a jagged phalanx on the horizon. Nature needs no introduction in this awe-inspiring terrain.
Explore Big Bend Country
Franklin Mountains State Park Trails
Many hiking trails are currently accessible off of Loop 375/Trans-Mountain Road. Work is underway for a trail network that will ultimately offer a 118-mile network. All 118 miles will be open to hiking traffic, 51 miles will be open to hiking and mountain biking traffic, and 22
, TX HikingGuadalupe Mountains Equine Trails
The park offers diverse riding opportunities. Sixty percent of the trails are open to stock use. Those closed to stock are difficult to maintain or pass through unique and fragile areas intolerant of such use. Stock manure droppings introduce exotic plants that displace native vegetation.
, TX EquestrianDavis Mountains State Park EquineTrails
Seven miles of equestrian trails are located in the beautiful Limpia Canyon Primitive Area. Visitors must provide their own horses. The trail takes riders from a 4,900 feet elevation at Limpia Creek to over 5,700
, TX EquestrianBig Bend National Park Boating
The Rio Grande, or El Rio Bravo del Norte, borders Big Bend National Park for 118 miles. A 1978 Act created the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River and charged the National Park Service to care for an additional 127
, TX BoatingBig Bend National Park Trails
Big Bend National park is a hiker's paradise containing the largest expanse of roadless public lands in Texas. More than 150 miles of trails offer opportunities for day hikes or backpacking trips. Elevations range from 1,800 feet at the eastern end of Boquillas Canyon to 7,825
, TX HikingIndian Lodge Historic Site
On the slopes of the Davis Mountains within the bounds of Davis Mountains State Park, this rustic inn was built in the 1930s and modeled after southwestern Indian pueblos. The historic section of the lodge was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
, TX Historic SitesHogan Park Golf Course
The Hogan Park Golf Course is a thirtysix hole public facility operated as an enterprise fund under the Community Services Department. The original eighteen holes, now known as Quail Course, was built in 1959. Then, in 1980, nine more holes were added. In 1999
Midland, TX Golf CoursesBig Bend National Park Rappelling
Big Bend National Park is not typically considered a climbers' destination, but it offers some scenic, challenging, and wildly varied rock climbs. Over the years, park visitors have often inquired about climbing, but there is little written.
, TX RappellingBig Bend Ranch State Park Trails
Fifty miles of hiking and backpacking trails in Big Bend Ranch State Park are accessible at trail heads along FM 170, and opportunities for short hikes abound at several locations along the interior park road. Day-Hiking
, TX HikingFort Leaton State Historic Site
Fort Leaton State Historic Site is one of Texas' most unusual historic sites with a massive adobe fortress built by frontiersman, Ben Leaton, in 1848, immediately after the Mexican War at a strategic site on the Chihuahua-San Antonio Trail in arid West Texas by the Rio Grande.
Presidio, TX Historic FortsFranklin Mountains State Park Camping
A limited number of tent camping sites are available. There are two types of campsites; one type (walk-in developed) is traditional, in that tents are placed directly on the ground and have tables and grills. The park has recently established an area with 5 self-contained RV sites(
, TX Camping