We went to Big Bend National Park this past spring and it’s one of our favorite destinations yet. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about visiting Big Bend National Park from where to stay to what to do to how to even get there in a Tesla.
Things to Do at Big Bend National Park
Winter is the best time to visit Big Bend National Park. The summers and even spring and fall in south Texas can be punishingly hot. By November, it’s cooling off and exploring is a bit safer.
Stargazing
Big Bend National Park is the crown jewel of the 9-million-acre Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve and is a protected Dark Sky Place. This makes it the largest Dark Sky Reserve on Earth. If you want to stargaze, there is pretty much nowhere better in the lower 48. Check the calendar for the Stars Over Big Bend Ranger program at the Panther Junction Visitor Center. Bring a chair and a red light and listen to a ranger talk about the special nature of the dark skies in and around Big Bend and get to view the stars through multiple telescopes. Arrive early. The parking situation gets sketchy pretty quickly.
If you’re looking for a fun stop along the way, The Star Parties at nearby Marathon Motel & RV Park are worth the stop. The park is rustic and the sites are small, basically being full hookups in a gravel lot, but the Star Parties were a highlight of our trip. For $10 per adult, you get an educational, entertaining presentation on the stars that are visible that night (weather permitting, of course). You can learn more about the Star Parties here. The best parts of the presentation were the turns at the large telescopes and the seemingly unlimited time spent at them so everyone is sure to see what they’re intended to see.
Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive
If astronomy isn’t your thing, there is plenty of beauty to enjoy. For those with disabiities, Big Bend National Park offers the iconic Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive with accessible stops and plenty of accessible parking. We spent most of a day just soaking up the vantage points along this drive. Towards the end of the drive is Santa Elena Canyon. It’s a short hike from the parking areas to the Rio Grande, and while there is a wooden walkway it is rough and ends in a rough slope to the sandy banks of the Rio Grande. I wouldn’t consider the trail wheelchair friendly past the point that the walkway ends.
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The Window
The Window Trail at the Chisos Basin Visitors Center is a 0.3-mile paved loop that is wheelchair accessible and offers some of the best sunset photography in Big Bend. Get there early for the best photo spots. We went there twice while we were in the area and it didn’t disappoint.
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Fossil Discovery Exhibit
The Fossil Discovery Exhibit at Big Bend National Park offers a fully wheelchair accessible exhibit of the 130-million-year fossil record and is open from dawn to dusk. Over 1200 fossil species have been found in the park, and the exhibit offers an informative presentation of the fossil record and geography of what was once a coastal plain. This is a must see for roadschooling families visiting Big Bend and is located 8 miles north of the Panther Junction Visitor Center. Other amenities here are a shady picnic area and an accessible vault toilet.
Where to Stay at Big Bend National Park
Inside the Park
If you’re looking for full hookups, you’re looking outside the park with the exception of the concessionnaire-run Rio Grande Village RV Park, which has 25 full hookup RV sites that only are guaranteed to fit rigs of 40′ or less. You have to have reservations and you have to call to get them.
The National Park Service campgrounds are far more primitive; all require reservations and none allow wood fires:
- Chisos Basin Campground has potable water and a dump station but no electricity and no generators are allowed. Size is limited to motorhomes 24′ or less or trailers of 20′ or less due to the tight curves leading to the campground.
- Rio Grande Village Campground is a little more civilized. There is wifi at the store, flush toilets, and generator use is permitted in specific sites. It’s open all year but only 24 sites are available from May through October due to extreme heat.
- Cottonwood Campground is open November through April and offers potable water. Generator use is not allowed.
Outside the Park
Study Butte RV Park is where we stayed. It’s not a resort. It’s a safe, reasonably-priced park with full hookups on gravel, a real cemetery in the back, and nothing more. There isn’t even a proper website and you have to call for reservations, but we enjoyed the laid back, friendly, quiet atmosphere the small park provided. They gave us no problems about charging the Tesla, either. We just didn’t plug both the RV and the Tesla into the pedestal at the same time as per their request and safest practice.
Connectivity
Our T-Mobile signal was spotty to nonexistent in and around Big Bend. I imagine the mountains make it difficult for them to provide a good signal and expect most other cellular companies to have similar issues.
Our Starlink was off the hook, though, likely due to the extremely low population and lack of competition for bandwidth. Our dish did point south instead of the usual north, but if the speeds are going to exceed 200 down I don’t care which way it decides to point.
Conclusion
I have searched for almost 3 years for a national park that could compete with Grand Teton National Parks. I had started to believe that my travels had peaked far too soon, but then we visited Big Bend and all thoughts of hitting our travel peak disappeared with the sunset at the Window. I hope you get to experience Big Bend National Park in person, and if not, I hope you enjoyed seeing Big Bend through our lenses.