Big Bend National Park

Pros: Pretty scenery, enough room to leave the crowds behind
Cons: Weather can be very hot

I've been to Big Bend National Park several times, and each time we find more interesting hikes to do. There are even some that we are looking forward to doing sometime in the future. One of the unique features about Big Bend is that it is one of the ...

Pros: Remote, Absolutely Unique, Lodge and Restaurant, Great Winter & Summer Hiking, Birds, Cactuses
Cons: Need "Expensive to Rent" High Clearance Vehicle for Some Great Trips

Why visit Big Bend? 1) It is one of the "big ten" and "must see" among national parks enthusiasts (... the others are Acadia, Everglades, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Denali, Hawaii Volcanoes, Grand Canyon. Great Smokey Mountains, and Olympic). 2) It is the ...

Pros: Spectacular desert and mountain scenery, abundant wildlife,beautiful plant-life, peace and quiet.
Cons: Difficult to get to (Perhaps that is a blessing as well!)

Located on the border between Texas and the Mexican states of Coahuila and Chihuahua, Big Bend National Park covers over 800,000 acres of the Chihuahuan Desert. The scenery in the park is incredibly diverse ranging from a riverine environment along the...

Pros: Wild, empty, beautiful, Texas' best kept secret
Cons: A long way from Houston!

UPDATE! Photo gallery at http://focalplane.com/portfolios7.html

We've been going to Big Bend NP for nearly ten years, making a total of seven trips from Houston. the shear distance involved is a big advantage and disadvantage. The advantage...

Pros: awesome wilderness river, beautiful vistas, varied geology and biology
Cons: campsites can fill up- reservation system doesn't always work

As a geologist in Texas, Big Bend is a frequent destination for me, both for work and pleasure. Big Bend has unique geologic features, including remnants of volcanoes, canyons with beautiful exposures of colorful rock such as the purple deposits in the...

Pros: The beauty of another world without having to share it with 1 million people.
Cons: In the middle of NO WHERE. HOT HOT HOT

Big Bend to me is the most beautiful place in the world. You have the deserts, huge mountains rising from no where, the Rio Grande, and wildlife like you have never seen. All this beauty does come with a price that is not measured in dollars though....

Pros: Lots of solitude and magnificent views
Cons: Heat

Big Bend National Park is one of my favorite backpacking destinations. Even after 3 years with an average of six visits a year, I have not come close to hiking all of the trails. It is a vast country where magnificent views and perfect solitude await....

Pros: Big remote desert, river, mountains -- wild and beautiful
Cons: None, if you're a desert rat

I fell in love with Big Bend on my first visit. After hours of listening to my truck drone on the highways, I pulled over near Persimmon Gap and cut the engine. As soon as I stepped out to the dry October air, I was overwhelmed by silence. Silence so...

Pros: Uniqueness, all-around desert experience
Cons: Heat, lack of water, limited backcountry camping

There was considerable debate in Congress before Big Bend National Park was established in 1944. If you visit the park, the selection appears to be a no-brainer. Big Bend's varied features--including deep limestone canyons, barren desert flats, rugged...

Pros: Great scenery, huge park, lots of wildlife
Cons: Wild weather, dangerous

I spent about 5 days at Big Bend a few years back. It is out of the way to be sure, after flying in to Midland, TX we drove down to Big Bend stopping off at a restaurant that claimed to have the second best chicken fried steak in the state. It was...

Pros: Chisos Mountain Stargazing!
Cons: Rio Grande Village and downslope winds

Situated in the Chihuahuan Desert of Southwesten Texas is one of the most beautiful National Parks I have ever seen. This part of Texas is so remote and apart from developed civilization, it will beckon your return year after year.

The time of...

Pros: The mountains and the air
Cons: It takes forever to get there

I just spent four days in the park last weekend hiking and doing some of the scenic drives and I can't get the scape of those mountains out of my mind. We stayed in the Chisos mountain basin lodge, and every evening as we drove back to the room, as...

Pros: Beautiful and vast
Cons: Can get hot

Big Bend National Park has something for everyone. There is a motel, gas stations, gift shops, a restaurant, numerous interpretive centers, hundreds of miles of hiking trails, camp grounds, two general stores, RV hookups and so much more.

Two...

Pros: Unsurpassed beauty, unique area, solitude
Cons: Somewhat expensive (but worth every penny)

Ok, I'll admit it. I'm a chicken. I don't usually like to go on the water in anything smaller than the Staten Island Ferry. I can be at the Grand Canyon in a few hours but I get scared just watching a video of rafters on the Colorado. Man, you can get...

Pros: Beautiful country , great relaxing trip
Cons: Gas stations and Grocery stores are scarce

Dec. 20, 1999 I found myself entering Big Bend National Park. I'm given a windshield sticker and told it was good for seven day. If only I could stay that long. I keep having to remind myself there's an extended family at home who expects me back for...