Rugged, remote, beautiful-A unique part of the US!
Written: Jan 18 '08
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Pros: Remote, beautiful scenery, lots of solitude if you want it
Cons: Hard to get to, few showers, hot in the summer
The Bottom Line: A great place for a family, a couple, or single folks. Bring plenty of water and plan well. Big Bend is a unique place, and is well worth the visit!
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| woodchopper82's Full Review: Big Bend National Park |
I traveled to Big Bend in March of 2007. Big Bend is hard to get to, even if you live in Texas. If you can make it through the long drive, it is well worth it. Located on the Rio Grande, riparian ecosystems mesh with a desert landscape. The mountains of Big Bend are stunning, and quiet desert calms the nerves. I was there during Spring Break, and there were more people there than usual, according to regular visitors. To get a room in the Chisos lodge, you have to book the rooms a year in advance. The Chisos lodge is one of the only "civilized" placed for about a hundred miles. Terlingua, on the western edge of the park, is a dusty whole in the wall town , that has its own flavor. It's got a great Mexican food restaurant though!
Back to Big Bend, I stayed at the Cottonwood campground, in the park along the Rio Grande. A word of warning-there are no showers in this campground, only a two pit toilets! Be prepared to travel over 40 miles to get to showers in Terlingua! On a positive note, the campground is only a few miles to the stunningly beautiful Santa Elena canyon. The hiking trail up part of the side of the canyon is well worth it. Try to see the canyon at sunset-it's beautiful seeing the orange color of the sun shinning on the canyon walls.
If you are in to hiking/backpacking, I highly recommend the South Rim trail. I backpacked in, and camped one night in an alpine meadow. Check with park rangers about getting a back country permit to camp in a designated spot. It costs $10.00 USD, but that money goes strictly to maintaining these remote back country sites. The trail to the South Rim leaves from near the Chisos lodge in the basin and wind almost 10 miles uphill. This trail is not for the faint of heart, but the reward are the views of the Chisos Mountians during the hike, and the view of the South Rim at the top. It is definitely an overnight hike, but well worth it. I stayed in the Meadows camp, and had a nice view of Emory Peak, and saw deer grazing outside of my tent in morning. I would definitely do this again!
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: March-May
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Campgrounds & Lodging
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Epinions.com ID:
woodchopper82
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Location: Texas
Reviews written: 47
Trusted by: 0 members
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