The trip
Big Bend is the trip every Texan swears they'll take "one of these years." Then they look at the map, see it's a full day's drive from anywhere with a Costco, and go to the beach again. So we do the driving. You watch the Hill Country flatten out past Junction, the mesas show up around Ozona, and somewhere after Fort Stockton you notice the sky has gotten bigger. It's not your imagination.
We go in mid-November on purpose. The summer heat that makes the desert floor dangerous is gone, afternoons usually sit in the 70s, and the nights get properly cold, which is exactly what you want when you're standing outside staring at more stars than you've seen since you were a kid.
This isn't a hiking boot camp. The longest trail is about four miles round trip, and there's always a shorter option or a shady bench with your name on it. What it is, is a lot of country: the Davis Mountains, Marfa's odd little art scene, the River Road (one of the best drives in the state, full stop), and two full days inside the national park.
Highlights
- Dusk at the Marfa Lights viewing area, with hot chocolate from the van
- FM 170, the River Road, with a stop to walk Closed Canyon's slot
- Santa Elena Canyon, where 1,500-foot walls squeeze the Rio Grande
- Rowboat across the river to lunch in Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico
- A soak in the old hot springs right at the edge of the river
Day by day
San Antonio to Fort Davis
We roll out at 7:30am and break the drive up properly: coffee in Junction, lunch in Fort Stockton, and a leg-stretch at the Fort Davis overlook before checking into our historic hotel on the square. Dinner together, then step outside. Fort Davis sits at about 5,000 feet and the sky up here is the reason the McDonald Observatory was built nearby.
Davis Mountains & Marfa
Morning at Fort Davis National Historic Site, one of the best-preserved frontier forts in the Southwest. Then the Davis Mountains scenic loop, which runs past the observatory domes and climbs to the highest point on a public road in Texas. Afternoon in Marfa for lunch, the galleries, and the photo you came for at Prada Marfa out near Valentine. At dusk we set up at the Marfa Lights viewing area east of town. Some nights the lights show up. Some nights they don't, and the sunset alone is worth the trip.
The River Road to Terlingua
South through Presidio and onto FM 170, which follows the Rio Grande through Big Bend Ranch State Park. We stop at the top of the Big Hill (a 15 percent grade with a view that makes people go quiet) and walk into Closed Canyon, a narrow slot that stays cool even at noon. We land in Terlingua for two nights, with dinner at the Starlight Theatre in the old ghost town and sunset from the porch next door, where half the town shows up to watch the Chisos turn pink.
Boquillas & the hot springs
Into the national park. We cross the Rio Grande at the Boquillas port of entry by rowboat, then walk, ride a burro or take a truck up to the village for lunch, cold drinks and a look at the wire roadrunners the local artisans make. Back on the US side, we drive to the Hot Springs Historic District and sit in a 105-degree spring a few feet from the river. You will not want to get out. We'll make you.
Santa Elena Canyon & the Chisos
The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive down to Castolon and Santa Elena Canyon. The trail is about 1.7 miles round trip, and there's sometimes a muddy creek crossing at the start, so bring shoes you don't love. Afternoon up in the Chisos Basin, where it's 15 degrees cooler, and sunset at the Window View trail. Last night in Terlingua.
Home by way of Marathon
Out through Marathon for breakfast, then east on US 90 along the border: Sanderson, the Pecos River high bridge overlook, Del Rio. We're back in San Antonio by about 6:30pm with a van full of people who now get very annoying about Big Bend at parties.
What's included
✅ Included
- Transport in our 12-seat van with a driver-guide (never more than 11 guests)
- 5 nights in hand-picked small hotels and lodges, double occupancy
- Breakfast daily, 3 group dinners including the Starlight Theatre
- Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park entry fees
- A stocked cooler with water, sodas and road snacks every day
➖ Not included
- Lunches and the other 2 dinners (budget about $30–$45 a day)
- The Boquillas rowboat fare and anything you buy on the Mexican side
- Tips for your driver-guide
- Travel insurance (we strongly recommend it)
Good to know
Bring a passport book or passport card if you want to cross into Boquillas. A driver's license won't get you back into the US. The crossing is usually open Wednesday through Sunday, which is why our Boquillas day lands on a Sunday.
Cell service in the park ranges from "one bar if you hold the phone over your head" to nothing. Let people at home know you'll be quiet for a couple of days. Gas stations and restrooms are far apart out here, and we plan stops around that, so if the guide says "this is the last real bathroom for an hour," believe them.
