Big Bend National Park is very remote. And there are several options for lodging throughout the area with some being very close and others up to an hour or more away. Accommodations include everything from tents to teepees to condos to resorts to park lodging.
If you want to stay in the park, Chisos Mountain Lodge is the most popular lodging. For those wanting a bit more of a rustic experience, there are several tents and tee pees in the “living ghost town” of Terlingua. We chose the Lajitas Golf Resort which offers everything from rooms to condos to full houses as our preference is to rough it during the day and then relax in the evenings.
And we learned of what might be an exciting new option coming soon (from our Airbnb host in Marfa) – The Willow House. Something we’ll keep an eye on once it is up and running as the website sounds like this may be very unique.
Given we were checking in on a Saturday, we unloaded our bags at the resort; freshened up and made the short drive to Terlingua for dinner at the infamous Starlight Theater. On a Saturday evening, locals were already sitting out front on the patio enjoying cold beer while waiting on the restaurant to open – as well as several others playing guitars and singing. Most weekend nights, you can find live music at the restaurant while enjoying a BBQ Brisket sandwich and a cold Modelo. You are in Texas after all.
You can stay for the live music well into the evening – or visit the famous Terlingua cemetery to watch the sunset over the historic, rock graves and wooden crosses. Almost a surreal landscape.
The next day we had planned to explore the park including a hike and a scenic drive which meant an early morning. Lajitas is an hour from the park so we had to plan time to eat, drive and beat the heat of the day.
For breakfast, Terlingua is home to Espresso Y Poco Mas next to the Starlight. And don’t be fooled about the food you might find in a “ghost town” as French drip coffee, breakfast burritos and waffles provided a hearty meal before hiking.
There are two signature hikes in Big Bend – The Lost Mine Trail and the Window Trail. We chose the Lost Mine Trail; planning to start at 9:00 before the heat. The park even has a sign recommending to not start this hike any later in the day. And compared to other national parks, we hardly saw anyone on the trail which culminated in a dozen switchbacks leading up to a peak overlooking the entire valley on the other side of the mountain. A view you would imagine seeing dinosaurs roaming millions of years ago. The entire hike is 4.8 miles roundtrip and takes about three to four hours.
After descending, it was time to explore the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive crossing the entire park from north to south in the afternoon. After researching the drive, our key stops in order were:
- Chisos Basin Visitor Center and a view of Emory Peak
- Homer Wilson Ranch View
- Sotol Vista Overlook
- Mule Ears View
- Tuff Canyon Trail – easy one-mile hike
- Cerro Castellan View
- Castelon Visitor Center
- Santa Elena Canyon (optional, if you choose to do the canoe trip below)
Most of the stops were pulling over to enjoy the views and we were especially fortunate to be in the park during a Blue Bonnet “super bloom” so the hillsides were covered with the official Texas state flowers.
We also recommend taking the Tuff Canyon Trail hike down into the riverbend. It is a short hike, but we were amazed to see the end of the trail with unexpected black volcanic rock walls and bright yellow flowers hanging on to the openings like potted plants.
Our final stop was at the Castelon Visitor Center for some drinks and a snack. Most visitors will want to continue to the Santa Elena Canyon. However, we had arranged to canoe the canyon the following day, so we began to make our way back to Lajitas with a quick stop at Long Draw Pizza along the way. This small building is very non-descript; has odd hours (so always check ahead) and is a very comfortable place to enjoy a pizza after being outside all day.
The next two days was the highlight of our trip – a two-day, overnight canoe trip up-and-back through Santa Elena Canyon while sleeping on the Rio Grande between 1,500 walls denoting the U.S. on one side and Mexico on the other. We booked the trip through Angell Expeditions and could not have been more pleased. The trip includes guides, food, canoes, fire and tents/sleeping bags (if needed). And while there are other packaged tours in Big Bend, we really loved working with Charlie as he is more of what we might consider an outfitter – open to custom experiences; whether on the river, hiking, a jeep or any other ideas you may have.
The morning began by meeting the guides in the park at 9:00 to load the canoes and gear into the river. From there, it is simply a matter of paddling your way into the massive canyon as you pass the onlookers who are hiking to the shoreside lookout as you continue into the isolated parts of the canyon. The entire experience of canoeing for hours while looking up at the towering cliffs on both sides of the river is something every visitor to Big Bend should try to experience. Especially as this park continues to gain popularity, there may one day be very long wait times to share this experience.
After a few hours of making our way up river, we finally landed at our camp site where we set up tents and the guides built a fire and provided dinner while the kids swam back and forth across the river visiting both countries seamlessly. Big Bend is also one of the darkest areas of the country (known as a dark park) so on a good night you will be able to relax by the fire (with a drink if you stowed away some boxed wine) and a star filled sky with only your group of canoers before retiring to your tent.
The next morning breakfast was ready, and we packed the canoes for the trip down-river which goes much faster, of course. The guides helped us to learn how to navigate the currents and “wall shots” as we went (which are not nearly as scary as they sound or maybe might be on another, faster river).
Another stop for lunch and then the guides took us on a short hike up the Fern Canyon which was completely unexpected. This was a moderate hike including some scrambles, a few ledges and a short climb up a water shoot that completely soaked everyone. But then you arrive in a bright, white limestone canyon with pools of water and ferns growing on the walls. Something unlike anything else we had seen in the area. And even a few caves to explore at the end of the trail.
Finally, it was back to the canoes and down the river to our cars where we made the drive back to Lajitas and our dinner reservations at the Candelilla Café for prickly pear margaritas and Jalapeno Bacon Mac N Cheese. Exhausted, the kids went to the room to watch a movie while we had a few drinks at the Thirsty Goat Saloon and enjoyed some more live music (which turned out be one of the same people we had seen playing on the patio outside the Starlight Theater just a few days before).
For our last day in Lajitas, we wanted to enjoy the resort itself which offers several activities including golf, horseback rides, zip lines, ATV tours and more. We chose to start our day with a Cowboy Shoot for our entire family including a faux ghost town shooting range where you get to shoot pistols, rifles and a shotgun at targets in the surrounding hills.
After, we made a quick stop in town at the Lajitas General Store for some sandwiches and to say hello to the mayor of Lajitas, Clay Henry (who is a goat by the way). Then on to the pool to relax for a bit. That night, we had reservations for the “Dinner Under the Stars” at the resort where guests are taken to the Stargazer mesa for a Dutch oven meal, roaring fire, live music and starry skies. A great way to cap the time in Big Bend after hiking, driving, canoeing, camping and more.
Travel Tip: Big Bend is primarily comprised of three areas. The Chisos mountains/basin; the Castelon/Santa Elena Canyon area; and the Rio Grande Village/Boquillas area. We visited the first two areas and given another day, we would have tried to see the third – where many visitors will visit the J.O. Langford Bathhouse for a quick dip and then walk over to Boquillas, Mexico – a friendly border town for food and shopping.
For us, we had to start making the rest of the loop back which included the River Road, Marfa, Fort Davis and Balmorhea.
And for more details on surrounding areas see our full itinerary for Big Bend and West Texas or our destination notes for Marathon and Alpine, Marfa and Fort Davis or west to Guadalupe National Park and White Sands.
