If I hadn’t already known that the park was named after the large bend in the Rio Grande, I would have thought that surely it was named after the size of the park. I was caught off guard on how large the park is. After entering the park boundaries, it’s still another 30 miles to the Visitor Center, and after that it’s still another 10 miles to the lodge. And the entire time, you can see for miles in every direction. I think this is why it feels so much bigger than other parks, like Yellowstone. The dry, low-lying vegetation that covers the ground allows for viewing long distances until your eyes meet the mountains, which are mostly bare rock without any foliage.
While on the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, the mountains began feeling closer but still as mesmerizing. The view of the rocks and mountains were eye-catching, because each one looked different. And when you turned around to drive back the other direction, the view as completely different as well.
There are numerous dirt roads which you can take through the park. I attempted two of them, but each time I realized they were never-ending, so I performed a 3-point turn on the one-lane road and went back to the paved routes. (Ok, admittedly, the first time was more like a 6-point turn. But that’s only because I was avoiding driving over the plants. Which would have been illegal after all.)
Hiking in Big Bend has a variety of choices, but I learned that whichever you choose, the key is to get there early to avoid the afternoon temperatures and to ensure you find parking at the trailheads. Some of the trails are without shade, so again, these should be done early in the day.
At the south end of the park, there is a pedestrian border crossing into Boquillas de Carmen. Being able to take a row boat across the Rio Grande into Mexico is something I knew I had to experience after hearing about it. And for those who are really adventurous, you can even walk across the Rio Grande if the water is low enough. After crossing the river, you can either walk into the town of Boquillas de Carmen, or ride a horse or burro. My original plan was to walk, but as noon arrived and temperatures were on the way to reaching 106 degrees, I opted for the horse ride. If you choose to walk, wear something other than sandals. The mile walk into town is a sand-like roadway, which appeared it would have been difficult without good shoes.
The highlight of my trip to Big Bend was the night sky. I found a nice place to park in the middle of the park to ensure there would be no light pollution from the lodge area. Once the sun had completely set and the sky turned black, the stars began appearing just as I’m used to seeing them. But then it was like the stars kept multiplying, and the sky was filled with more stars than I had seen before. It was because of the tiniest of stars which we normally wouldn’t see while under city lights. I stuck my head out of the sunroof so that I could get a full view while still avoiding the wildlife, and it was a view that I didn’t want to leave. It felt like I was sitting inside a planetarium because of the 360-degree view of the bright stars.