USA, Texas, Big Bend National Park, Desert landscape

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West Texas

Welcome to the land of wide-open spaces. Along I-10 there's not much to look at – just scrub brush and lots of sky – but dip below the interstate and you'll encounter vistas every bit as captivating as they are endless. Sometimes the rugged terrain looks like the backdrop in an old Western movie; then it suddenly turns into an alien landscape, with huge rock formations erupting out of the desert.

Attractions

Must-see attractions for your itinerary

McDonald Observatory
West Texas
The hottest ticket in West Texas? A reservation for one of the thrice-weekly Star Parties at McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis. Located on Mount Locke…
Chinati Foundation Museum
West Texas
As you step inside the historic artillery shed, with its enormous windows, sweeping desert views and sun-dappled aluminum boxes, the Marfa hoopla suddenly…
El Paso Museum of Art
El Paso
This thoroughly enjoyable small-scale museum is housed in a former Greyhound station. Its pride and joy is a 13th-century Byzantine Madonna and Child, but…
Big Bend National Park
West Texas
This national park is almost the size of Rhode Island: when you’re traversing Big Bend’s 1252 sq miles, you come to appreciate what ‘big’ really means. It…
Seminole Canyon State Park & Historic Site
West Texas
The best art galleries in south central Texas are right here along the Rio Grande, and their works have been on view for at least 4000 years. This state…
Fossil Discovery Exhibit
West Texas
As you look out at the desert from the pavilion that houses this recent addition to the park, it's hard to imagine that a shallow sea once covered much of…
Ysleta Mission
El Paso
Home to Texas’ oldest continually active congregation, tracing back to 1680, Ysleta Mission was established for Spanish refugees and Tigua people fleeing…
Fort Davis National Historic Site
West Texas
Established in 1854, this well-preserved, beautifully sited frontier fort was named for then–Secretary of War Jefferson Davis. Staffed exclusively by…