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Big Bend National Park is a very large place - over 800,000 acres. It is also very far away from Dallas, almost 600 miles. If you drove in the other direction, you would be somewhere between Memphis and Nashville.
You will never see the park in a day. Luckily, for people who are not adventurous, there are well-maintained roads throughout that will lead you through the park and all the way down to the Rio Grande - the border with Mexico. When we visited, the river was so low, you could easily walk across the river to the other side.
We used Far Flung Adventures (and recommend them!) for a full-day Jeep tour and it was excellent. We even saw a bear - and I think our guide was as surprised as we were. If you can't get around easily, there are still ways to enjoy the park.
We stayed in a bubble. It was not the most pleasant of stays. First of all, we stayed in August, where the weather is basically the temperature of the sun. Secondly, the bubbles (in spite of their price) are glorified tents. Our A/C gave up the first morning and as it approached 100 degrees inside, we decided it was time to go explore. The bubble is amazing at night, with the cover removed you can see thousands of stars. In the sunlight, you're basically in a microwave. Don't stay here if you want a place to lounge and relax.
Our second trip is scheduled in 2024 - in April and in a cabin. Lessons learned.
Places of Note
Marfa
Marfa is a small town with a large reputation. We will spend the night there on our next trip down, just to have more time to look around. Also, there is a haunted hotel there.
Terlingua
Terlingua is famous for the Chili Cookoff (which we haven't attended yet) and not a lot else. It is very small.
Big Bend National Park
It's big. Really, really big. Here's our plan of attack for our second visit.
Route Notes
There are two basic ways to get from Dallas to Big Bend - one is via the Interstates and one is using US-67. Now, most maps will show you the Interstates, but it is not the most exciting way to go. (I had looked at a map and thought, "Hmm. A back way." but I never mentioned it because it would have been vetoed.) Our Big Bend tour guide was from east of Dallas and she said, "Don't drive on the Interstates! Just take US-67 back - we do." So, that was the way we went home. It was grest, and San Angelo is almost exactly half-way, so it's a good place to stop for the night.
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