“You’re not a real Texan unless you’ve been to Big Bend National Park,” a friend of my dad’s once told me. It had always been a dream of mine to visit, but even moreso once he told me that. Of all the national parks in the USA, it is the most difficult to access, and as a result the least visited. The perfect destination for me.
Initially, I was thinking of taking Amtrak to Alpine, Texas. However, this is quite a slow journey that averages 35 mph. Also, the rental car agency in Alpine told me the train is hardly on time. So I decided to fly to Midland instead and make the 3-4 hour drive into the park.
I arrived to the park, and in a sense it is what you expect it to be: Desert and cactus. But at the same time, the mountains in the background make for a majestic view.
There is only one place of lodging in the entire park: Chisos Mountain Lodge. To get a reservation there is extremely difficult. At the moment, it is impossible as it is closed due to a water shortage. Beyond that, it is supposed to be demolished and replaced with a newly built lodge. The project has already been delayed by a year.
The Chisos Basin Loop is a short trail near the lodge. Note the V-shaped opening in the second picture below.
Chisos Basin Loop
Chisos Basin Loop
The goal for the day was to reach the Santa Elena Canyon on the Mexican border. I took a stop on the way at a scenic overview. Notice the mountains come more into focus.
Finally, I reached the Santa Elena Canyon. There are no words that even do this justice. A remarkable slit of an otherwise unending rocky mountain range.
Santa Elena Canyon
You can actually walk up to, and even into, the canyon.
Santa Elena Canyon
Note the majestic rocky formation to the side of the canyon.
It was now time to head back to the lodge before it got dark. Dark here is really dark, as there is no lighting of any sort on the roads and all sorts of animals.
Before going to sleep, I took a peek outside, and couldn’t help but gaze at the stars. Due to its rural location, there is little pollution and as a result a clear view of the night sky. Simply magical.
That was it for day one. The next day would be a rafting trip in the canyon I had just visited.