Big Bend

Introducing Big Bend

See the elbow of land poking into Mexico on the Texas map? That’s the Big Bend area following the curve of the Rio Grande, and consequently the border. Mountains and valleys, Chihuahuan desert and limestone canyons make up the state and the national park that flank the river. You can tell you are in the middle of nowhere because gasoline is expensive, cell-phone coverage is minimal, and internet access is hard to find. About an hour and a half to the north of here there are towns with more services, thriving art colonies, Old West hotels, an astronomical observatory and several more state parks with great old Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) lodgings.

This area has been likened to the devil’s playground because of the summer heat – 102°F (39°C) average in July. The best times to visit are February to April and October to November. Midland-Odessa (150 miles northeast of Alpine) and El Paso (220 miles to the northwest) are the closest major airports to the area. Cheap sleeps are hard to find near Big Bend National Park. Alpine, 95 miles north of the park entrance, is the main base for gas and groceries. Marfa, Marathon and Alpine all have interesting places to stay. For more info, check out Visit Big Bend (www.visitbigbend.com).

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009