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
Big 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 BoatingFate Bell Shelter
Fate Bell Shelter is located in Seminole Canyon State Historical Park. The shelter, which is a state archeological landmark, was named after Mrs. Fate Bell, who owned the land that the shelter occupies. Fate Bell Shelter is a deeply stratified rock shelter containing evidence of over 8,000
Langtry, TX ArchaeologyDavis 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 Equestrian Use
Visitors to the park are welcome to bring and use personally owned livestock as long as they understand and abide by the rules and regulations governing the use of livestock. A day use permit is required for all stock use and may be obtained at any visitor center, free of charge.
, TX EquestrianThe Post
Located five miles south of town on the Post Road lies what remains of old Fort Pena Colorado, built in 1879 to protect area residents from Indian raids.
Marathon, TX Historic FortsFr. Alfred Villanueva, the current pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, had a grotto built in the church yard in honor of "Our Lady." The statue was brought over from Portugal and blessed during an outdoor mass on Mother's Day, 2001
Van Horn, TX ShrinesBig Bend Ranch State Park Equine Trails
Daily/Hourly horseback rides are offered at the Sauceda Ranch Headquarters with Park staff guiding visitors through some of park's canyon trails. For information and reservations please call office (432)229-3416
, TX EquestrianGuadalupe 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 EquestrianBalmorhea State Park Scuba Diving
San Solomon Springs at Balmorhea State Park fill a 'cienega' (desert wetland) and the canals of a refugium are home to endangered species of fish, assorted invertebrates, and turtles. The pool differs from most public pools in several respects: the 1 3/4-acre size, the 25-foot depth and the 72 to 76
, TX Scuba DivingBig Bend Camping
Most campsites in Big Bend National Park are on a first-come, first-served basis with no advance reservations. The National Park Service operates 3 campgrounds at Rio Grande Village, the Chisos Basin, and Castolon. The cost is $10.00 per night for a site.
, TX CampingSeminole Canyon State Park Interpretive Center
The Interpretive Center at the Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site has exhibits relating to the history of the canyon area. Tours of the Fate Bell Shelter are held daily Wednesday through Sunday. From June 1st through August 31st the Fate Bell Tour will be held at 10
, TX Visitors Centers