Big Bend National Park - 5 Reasons To Drive Out Of Your Way ⋆ Bright Dais Ahead

Before we started this journey, neither John nor I were very familiar with Big Bend National Park. Having missed Isle Royal National Park (closed due to Covid) and Dry Tortugas (sold out months before our arrival), we were eager to visit a remote National Park. While Texas doesn’t seem very exotic or remote, Big Bend is way out there in West Texas!

Big Bend refers to the great southwest Texas U-turn the Rio Grande makes, defining a 118-mile border of the National Park and the USA/Mexico border. Big Bend holds desert mysteries and great wonder worthy of a drive to visit this majestic and remote National Park.

As a full-time RV family, I like to know things to do in the areas we visit. We find so many recommendations in the National Park areas are either geared for the super-rugged boondockers, extreme athletes, or the family of pilgrimage hikers – all of which we are not! Having young children, we need our activities proportionally short and interesting to keep ~~dad~~dy and the children entertained.

Below are our five reasons Big Bend is a place worthy to visit for families with little kids.

1. Hike Santa Elena Canyon

With two 4-year olds in tow, we are not the family for long hikes. We want to be that family, and I love gazing at those families on Instagram. The fact of the matter is that we don’t have older children to peer pressure our girls to go further. And the last thing I want to do as a mom who is carrying all the stuff – water bottles, ~~snacks~~/bribes, and sunscreen – is to carry a whiney child up a mountain.

The Santa Elena Canyon hike has it all! It is short! The hike is challenging with steps up a canyon face. It twists and turns with plenty of hiding spots for an impromptu game of hide & seek, and it ends at the Rio Grande River. This is the payoff! You can relax in the cool shade of Santa Elena Canyon. Take off your shoes and wade into the river. You can easily cross to the other side to “touch” Mexico! While this sounds super rebellious, it is really just a riverbank with a sheer 2,000-foot cliff, perfectly safe, and such a fun novelty to say you hiked to another country. We found a seat on the edge of the river and enjoyed a picnic lunch, and just watched everyone come down the trail to see the river.

Big Bend National Park — Santa Elena Canyon on the banks of the Rio Grande

2. The Junior Ranger Program at Big Bend

Every National Park has a Junior Ranger Program, but we really enjoyed the Junior Ranger Program at Big Bend. During the Covid pandemic, we have found varying degrees of involvement. Early in the Covid season, all the parks we visited had canceled the Junior Ranger Program. Some parks take the ridiculous approach where they “deputized” the parent and just handed out the booklet with the badge. While this is super easy and a bit of a cheat, it just doesn’t have the same educational impact on the child. We have been disappointed at many parks; the Ranger attitude focuses on avoiding Covid rather than engaging and teaching children. (Not to name names but the Rangers at Carlsbad Caverns and the Guadalupe Mountains were downright infuriating!)

In Big Bend, not only did they have an active Junior Ranger Program, but they had bonus opportunities. You can stop at Panther Junction (park headquarters) and take a 400-yard nature hike to identify plants and earn an extra patch! They have three patches in all to earn, in addition to the Junior Ranger Badge. (We weren’t able to complete the last two as there was a fire in one area of the park).

In addition, we found Park Ranger Susan at Castolon Visitor Center to be engaging, happily talking to the girls, gracious, gave recommendations, and really cared she was swearing in little Junior Rangers and future lifelong outdoorswomen.

“It’s the desert – there is always something trying to kill you”

3. See the Desert Flora Big Bend has to offer

Having grown up in the desert, I consider myself pretty much an expert on the desert. It’s the desert – there is always something trying to kill you. But driving through Big Bend in the spring gives a desert rat like me a whole new appreciation of the beauty and diversity of the dry landscape.

The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive will give you fantastic views of the Chihuahuan Desert landscape and lead you to the banks of the Rio Grande. There are scenic overlooks and exhibits along the way, and the short walks to Sam Nail Ranch and Homer Wilson Ranch and a visit to the Castolon Historic District will give you a glimpse into Big Bend’s past.

Along our drive, we witnessed Big Bend in full bloom. Everywhere we looked, we found new or interesting flowers and flora. Did you know there are several kinds of Prickly Pear cactus? I thought if you had seen one prickly pear, you have seen them all. The Rainbow Prickly Pear turns red in dry spans and green after rainfall. Its flowers are pink with yellow centers, unlike the sister plant of common Prickly Pear’s yellow flowers.

Living in the desert, the early settlers had to learn how to adapt and use the land. Thanks to this mama helping the girls with the Junior Ranger program, I learned so much about the plants. There is the Candelilla plant that can be used for wax. Or yucca root can be harvested to eat or make soap. The Ocotillo plant, also called “desert coral,” was used by ranchers for fencing. We got to see the Ocotillo green and in bloom with red flowers, but this plant drys up into scary barbed-like fence posts during dry spells.

Just loved the color of these trees on the banks of Rio Grande

4. Get Lunch Delivered from Mexico

Big Bend is on the border of Mexico. Normally, if the border was open, you can cross into the tiny village of Boquillas Del Carmen for a visit. But with the border closed, the locals have adapted a bit. On another short hike, we took into the Boquillas Canyon Trail; we encountered little displays of artwork, walking sticks and mugs with small signs, and a coffee can you put money in if you want to buy any souvenirs. We grabbed a couple of walking sticks for $20 for our intrepid little hikers and supported the local economy.

Further along the hike, we found a small sign pointing to the river and saying “tamales and tacos.” We had heard from other full-time families who had previously visited Big Bend and partook in food delivery from Mexico. While it sounds odd or suspicious, they all said it was money well spent. We ran into Jose on horseback, the “food truck” of Boquillas Canyon. Unfortunately for us, this Tuesday was not “Taco Tuesday,” but he did have tamales or empanadas. We purchased a dozen hot and delicious tamales. His camp is right across the river, and he sometimes stays on the Mexico side. You can yell your order across the river, and he will walk over the food if the horseback food truck isn’t running like it was the day we visited.

More to hike and see

We enjoyed our hike in the Boquillas Canyon and again were rewarded with the hike ending in the river, a welcome moment of rest, and cool off. If you still have a little hike left in you or want to look for a picnic area, drive over to Rio Grande Village Visitor Center. This is where we took our hot tamales to eat in the shaded picnic area in the grove of cottonwood trees. Then we took the Rio Grande Nature Walk, located inside the campground across from campsite #18. You wander over a boardwalk and can bird watch. Later in the hike circling a hill, you can see and hear goats and donkeys across the river in Mexico.

Tamale chats, we gave them a big BDA thumbs up!

5. See the Ghost Town of Terlingua

While not technically in Big Bend, this is the town just west of Big Bend. If you don’t camp inside the national park, you will probably find a spot in Terlingua or Lajitas, where we stayed at Maverick Ranch RV Resort. Terlingua has developed into a quirky artist mecca.

The Ghost Town section of Terlingua features a graveyard named one of the most photographed graveyards in America. Of course, I had to stop, well before dark, so it wasn’t too spooky. Walking around this graveyard reminded me of the Disney movie Coco. Dias de Muerte is a big holiday here, and you can see lots of tokens of love left behind for those who passed.

Stay for dinner and a show

The heart of the Ghost Town has a Terlingua Trading Company with a book section to revival any big town book store! We all enjoyed looking around at the jewelry and local artists. Down from the gift store is a long porch connected to the Starlite Theatre. The Starlite Theatre is actually a restaurant which opens promptly at 5:00 for dinner. Get there early, as most visitors start lining up at 4:30 to be sure to get a seat. The cantina does open at 3:00, so we could drink iced waters for the girls and a margarita for mama.

While waiting for dinner, the old Terlingua Jail is next door. One section is the restrooms, and then the other section still has the jail bars for the kids to go in and take a picture. Back on the long porch, local musicians started to gather, giving the girls a chance to dance and sing. We enjoyed visiting other tourists visiting, sharing cocktails or salsa, waiting for the restaurant to open.

Once inside the restaurant, we enjoyed the “cowboy” fare. We had the best service: friendly waitress, efficient and the food was delicious. The girls were amazed when a man went up on stage (as it was an old theatre) and started playing the guitar. We never expected dinner and entertainment in the dusty desert but delighted with our visit to the Ghost Town of Terlingua.

Be prepared before you go to Big Bend National Park

Big Bend is a long way into West Texas. As a reminder, you will want to make sure you keep plenty of fuel on hand and bring plenty of provisions. Gas stations are few and far between, and other than an occasional local market or corner store, you won’t be finding a Walmart nearby. When we left, we drove through Alpine on our way to Carlsbad. There were stretches of roads where you didn’t see anything or anyone for one hundred miles. And just driving around Big Bend puts miles on your vehicle. Most of our excursions were 40-60 miles one way from our campground in Lajitas. We didn’t like paying nearly $4.00 a gallon for diesel, but the alternative is being stranded in 90+ degree temps.

Big Bend National Park is well worth the visit to drive in West Texas. We recommend a visit in the Spring, either late March or early April for optional temps and flower pictures. The “season” for Big Bend is typically November thru April. Remember, this is the desert, so be prepared for a lot of dust, dirt and brown. But if you give the desert a chance, I think you will be inspired and amazed at the beautiful landscapes unfolding before your eyes.

After Big Bend, I now have a few more desert admirers in the family, and we look forward to exploring more of the far reaches of the West this year. Wherever our travels take us, I know the mystery and beauty of desert sunsets have given us more Bright Dais Ahead!

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Big Bend National Park – 5 Reasons To Drive Out Of Your Way