Big Bend Ranch State Park tends to get overlooked when compared to its big brother Big Bend…read moreNational Park. I myself was guilty of this (and still am to some extent) on my 1st 2 visits to the region. On this 3rd visit, I made it a point to spend a day in the State Park. However, I only explored the river road section from Lajitas to Presidio. I didn't go deeper into the more mountainy region of the park. Here are some of the points I explored. Barton Warnock Visitor's Center- This is where you pay your fee to enter the park, if you aren't stopping to see things then you don't have to pay. It's only like 5.00 per person so don't be a cheapskate. There is a gift shop to get your refrigerator magnet or t-shirt plus a little garden area and small museum about the region. Contraband Movie set- This is about 45 minutes down the scenic river road from Barton Warnock VC. Beware of free-range cattle! It's just a little place to stretch your legs and check out a few buildings used for filming a few B-movies. Plus, there is a few picnic tables if you want to eat by the river. Closed Canyon Trail- 15-20 minutes from Contraband Movie Set. This was the highlight of the day for me. It's only like a 2-mile round trip hike over mostly flat ground through a gorgeous canyon. The canyon is much much cooler (temperature not hipness) than outside the canyon. There is a little (really little) rock scramble to get over before there is a sign that just says, "The end". Hoodoos Trail- This is only about 5-10 mins from Closed Canyon, so we did it on the way back from Presidio. The Hoodoos is said to be a 1.1-mile roundtrip trail but it's all open so there is not a real defined trail that I could see. So you can just walk around the cool looking rock formations and Rio Grande river and take in the nature. There is also a drive-up overlook if you don't want to walk Fort Leaton State Historic Site- 30 mins from Hoodoos. Cool historic fort that wasn't for military use. It was just a family who wanted a spot along the route to El Paso to sell goods and protect his family. Cool place to walk around and take pictures and learn about the region in a different time. Highly recommend the ride from Lajitas to Presidio. Plenty of points of interest along the route and places to grab a bite once in Presidio. Next time I will make may way more into the interior of the park.

Big Bend Ranch State Park is rugged, remote, and absolutely stunning. With dramatic canyons, vast…read moredesert landscapes, and abundant wildlife, it offers a true backcountry adventure. Less crowded than the national park, it's perfect for hikers, photographers, and solitude seekers. Be prepared this is wild Texas at its finest.

Davis Mountains State Park is a park that I've always wanted to come back to and I finally did…read moreafter 8 years. As one of two Texas state parks that provides mountain trail access, this place can offer some phenomenal views of nearby mountains both near and far. I came here for a two-night camp. I made all my reservations online and arrived before the office closed to check in. The campsite I reserved had both water and electric hookups, which I did occasionally use during my time here. There are many hiking trails to choose from, although some trail access was restricted due to recent flooding. But all the trails I hiked were well-maintained and clearly marked. My favorite trail, Skyline Drive Trail, took me up the side of the mountain via switchbacks up to the mountain ridge. The trail leads all the way to the famed CCC overlook that allowed me to see differently-shaped mountains in the distance. I thought it was cool that I could see the University of Texas McDonald's Observatory from the overlook, even though it requires a 13-mile drive to get there from the park. During my stay, I also had the opportunity to attend a ranger talk. The ranger came from the nearby Fort Davis National Historical Park with some relics of times past. The talk was informative and entertaining. I enjoyed the clean bathrooms near the campsite, though you'll have to bring your own shampoo and body soap to shower. The water provided at the campsite is potable and I thought it tasted better than the tap water I get at home! I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and would love a chance to come back in the future!

Stumbled upon this stunning state park during a short stay in Fort Davis. We did a scenic drive on…read morethe Skyline Trail, and did some short hikes to enjoy the absolutely stunning vistas o west Texas from various viewpoints. We also briefly visited the recently renovated Indian Lodge (open for breakfast and lunch), which we hope to stay at next time. This state park is a hidden gem and absolutely worth a visit!

A very busy visitor center when we were in the park over New Year's, they had a decent amount of…read moreparking but it was very full (apparently New Year's is one of the most popular times for Big Bend, who knew?!). We managed to grab a spot to use the WiFi, grab a stamp for our national park passport books, and check out some of the informative displays inside. This center has quite a few buildings around it, including a place to eat, and the Chisos Basin campgrounds are nearby. The head of the Window Trail is also close, and if you can't park here you can head toward the campground and park at the amphitheater parking (a semi-circle parking lot). No matter what, there are a lot of steps as you descend down into Chisos Basin between the mountains, and you should be prepared to hike back up them at the end of the hike so you'll want to be in decent shape. Always bring water too, and remember you can fill up on water at the visitor center!

Great place to stop for service in the park (like downloading the offline map of the park,…read moreobtaining the weather for the day, making a phone call). It is also only 5 minute drive from the Chisos Campgrounds so it is very convenient. It is also a 5-10 minute walk to see the Window Trail viewpoint and the starting point for many long hikes, so it is a center point of the Chisos mountains area! Just keep in mind the store hours are limited, but there is service 24/7 so you can always stop by for that! Also, the convenient store is right across so you can stop by for snacks, drinks, ice, etc. and the lodge restaurant is walking distance too.

My husband and I made a trip out to Big Bend National Park before the Texas summer heat.....but it…read morewas unfortunately unseasonably hot this year. The dessert was beautiful and the park as a whole was very well taken care of! Old Mine Trail: Since we went around "Spring Break", the parking lot was very busy and spaces were limited. I would recommend downloading the "All Trails" app to gauge how busy the trails are. By 7:30, all the spots in the small parking lot were already taken. The trail itself was very well managed. Although the parking lot was busy, the trail was not bad! We were pretty spaced out between hikers! Take lots of water and snacks! The views up top are spectacular. Star Gazing: We were at Sotol Vista (for panoramic stars). The stars were especially beautiful inside the park because there was no light pollution (aside from the headlights from passing cars down below us).

I once hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and spent a few nights camping down there. While…read moredown there, an elderly man easily every bit of 70 years old asked me if it was my 1st time down at the bottom. I told him that it was and asked him if it was his 1st time. He chuckled and said, "No this is my Sanctuary". After my 3rd visit to Big Bend in 12 years, I think Big Bend may be my sanctuary. Big Bend is in the middle of nowhere. You do not just stumble upon Big Bend; it is a planned destination. You won't find a Gatlinburg like town next to it or an exit sign off the interstate saying 8 miles from here. It's miles from anything. The type of place you don't pass a gas station, and you carry a case of water in the vehicle. We have hiked various trails before and canoed Santa Elena Canyon, but I will focus on the trails we hiked this visit. Note: I have only done day hiking here, so no Insite in this review about backpacking although I would love to at some point. We started off at the visitor's center at Panther Junction as everyone should do in my opinion. Rangers can give you up to the minute updates like telling us the Hot Springs road was still closed because of a flood this past July (2025). She said we could still hike it but it would add an additional 4 miles (2 each way) to our trip. Good Insite. Our 1st hike was a short one in Boquillas Canyon. It was a short 1.4-mile round trip up a small cliff and back down to the Rio Grande river. It was an extremely easy hike that anyone who can walk can do. we then did a forementioned Hot Springs hike. This is a very cool spot with old, abandoned buildings from a time when the area was a resort. There is still a hot spring alongside the river that had people soaking as we walked past. The only downfall of the area was it still hadn't been repaired since the flood, so picnic tables were under sand, and I don't want to tell you what the bathroom looked like. The next day we did the Window Trail and it's a 5.6 miles hike right in the middle of the Chisos Basin. This one was I guess I would call moderate, but I am also an overweight old fart. It's really not bad except if it's hot out because you will be in the direct sun and the small number of switchbacks on your return trip. Other than that, the views are gorgeous. Just don't slide off the rocks at the "window", it's a long way down. The last hike we did was the Grapevine Hill's Trail aka The Balanced Rock. This one is a little more challenging to get to as you have to drive miles down a dirt road that is a little rocky. You don't need a 4-wheel drive, just don't be a speed demon. The hike itself is short, 2.2 miles each way and 95 percent of it is easy. The last little bit is a rock scramble up to see the balanced rock. It is worth it. Amazing views. We had the whole area to ourselves for most of the hike but saw lots of people on the way back so go early. Big Bend is amazing but requires some planning. Don't wing it. Bring lots of water and be smart. Cell service is limited but a lot better than 13 years ago.

A very small visitor center at the edge of the park, but you can still get a stamp for your…read morenational parks passport book, refresh your maps with the WiFi, use the bathrooms, and refill your water if needed. I think this center is only open when the accompanying camp ground is open so I'm glad we were here over New Year's to get the stamp and learn about the area. This visitor center seems to also cover the 'Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River' National Park, and is located close to a store where you can grab snacks, drinks, and get cash from the ATM if you want to be able to buy any of the souvenirs brought over from Mexico by the locals around Boquillas Canyon and the overlook.

Last chance for supplies! This is the only hint of…read morecivilization before you get to Mexico. The Rio Grande Village Visitor's Center is a place to get your food, camping supplies, or gas before you go out into the wild in Big Bend. At the end of the road leading from Panther Junction, you'll find this last outpost of the National Parks Service. There's really two buildings located within a quarter mile of each other. One is a building with a few informative signs telling you about the mining history of the place, with a few pieces of mining equipment that you can kick and marvel at. They have some signs telling you about the wildlife, how there's turtles, coyotes, and catfish in the area. In the general store, you'll find a laundromat, and gas station. Gas is really expensive here, but what do you expect for such a remote location? It was about 30% more expensive than in town. The park rangers at the general store were rather rude and unhelpful about anything. Me: "Excuse me, I made a reservation..." Ranger: "Not with me you didn't." Me: "I'm just trying to find my campsite" Ranger: "Go look for signs." Me: "Gah." The parking lot is ample, even for a big ol' RV. There's some good info on the signs, and if you run out of food or beer, this place will sell you some more. I was amazed to see that they're importing beer from Albuquerque.

The hike to Emory peak is iconic and stunning. You get an amazing view of the window along the…read moretrail, and from the top you can see all the way out to the south rim - it's like you really can see forever. The hike is fairly moderate up until you get to the scramble at the very end, which really does require using your whole body - arms and legs. The climb up really isn't all that bad, but coming down was a little bit tricky, even if just because it's easy to forget the path down and there's only one or two feasible options for a normal sized human. That said - I would recommend making the climb to the very top. It's a narrow area, just a few boulders wide - I'd guess that 15 people or fewer can actually fit up there at one time, and that would be standing close to one another. Overall: if you're going to do one long hike in big bend, I would say this should be it. You can do the whole thing round trip within 4ish hours if you walk fast, or take your time and spend longer. But seriously, you cannot beat the views.

Good hike. A bit strenuous, but worth it…read more But, if I had to choose between the South Rim, and Emory Peak, I would go for the South Rim. It's longer, not quite as strenuous, and more scenically diverse. Seeing the Rio Grand, from the South Rim, was amazing, but this is the Emory Peak page. If the South Rim had it's own Yelp page, I would go 5 stars! Once you get to the top, you are rewarded with a pretty good view, and cell phone coverage. At least we had it on two different networks. So get that selfies stick out, and watch your step. If you are aggressive, fast, and start early, you could probably do Emory and South Rim in the same day. Heading to the South Rim takes you to the path for Emory Peak, but it will add several hours. We did not start terribly early, so we just did a quick out and back, from the Chisos Basin Campground ( https://www.yelp.com/biz/chisos-basin-campground-big-bend-national-park ), which is where we were camping. Bottom line: If your pressed for time, I would skip it. Since we did South Rim, I would rather have seen more of the park, but hiking to the tallest spot in the park was pretty cool! PS. Review is a bit late. We were in early March, 2018.

Erin and Eric were great guides! The whole experience was a joy. The guides were knowledgeable and…read morefunny, and experts in shepherding a group of people who varied wildly in their boating experience. You could tell the owners and guides had a passion for what they do! Eric told great and humorous stories on the drive to the put-in, and we learned a lot about the area. Ditto on the return trip. The float was a hoot, and the scenery incredible. We did a half-day trip, but we felt that the time just flew by. Next time we'll do a whole-day trip for sure. They also gave great recommendations on food and other trips in the Terlingua/Big Bend area. This is a well-run operation, and everything went smoothly. We give our strongest possible recommendations! Don't miss this adventure!

We had an amazing time!! All our guides did an outstanding job and were exceptionally…read moreknowledgeable. You can truly tell they love their jobs and their excitement rubs off on you. It was a treasure to experience this beautiful landscape. Highly, highly recommend. If you come all the way to Big Bend, please do the river trip.

Dan is not an honest man. We were booked for the Mazatlan eclipse trip and had to cancel due to…read moreflight limitations. We only received 50% of our deposit back even though there is no clear refund policy other than no deposits returned after February 2024, per the website. I called him to find out why we didn't receive our full deposit back and he said that it was policy per the website. I asked him to send me a screen shot of said policy and he refused. There is no such policy and he is just choosing what he wants to refund. This is not ok. I would not trust him with my business.

My experience with Tropical Sails Corp is 100% great!…read more Our friends MaryAnn & Larry recommend we all go on the 1999 Solar Eclipse Gulet Sail trip (mostly motored, as the winds were not in the required direction at that time of year) from Tropical Sails. We did, and we all had the best time! Turkey was an eye-opening, positive experience. We were on the Sultan, which was (is?) a wonderful gulet (yacht) with an expert crew (the cook was fantastic!). The location on azure seas, great food & drink, fun and enlightening shore excursions, and Dan (Tropical Sails) ensured we all enjoyed our entire trip. The itinerary was well thought out, and somewhat flexible... We didn't go on one shore excursion but stayed on the yacht and swam in the indescribably turquoise blue Mediterranean... During the walking tour of Ephesus I walked off to explore several alleyways on my own... Fantastic! For the eclipse we sailed to the center line and had perfectly clear view! One of the highlights of the trip was on the return to Istanbul on a stormy night (a-rockin' & a-rollin') when the Sultan slowed down and stopped (we're all wondering wtf) when a couple guys in a swan-shaped paddle boat heave alongside to toss several bags of bread on board... fresh bread is mandatory for dinner ;) That was a particularly fine dining experience! I fully credit Dan (Tropical Sails Corp) for setting up the cruise and trip, and making it one of the most unforgettably wonderful experiences of my life. p.s., We stayed in Istanbul a few days after the cruise and experienced the great (!) 1999 earthquake in our ~1000- year old hotel... p.p.s., check out these websites for detailed itinerary of the entire trip: http://tropicalsails.com/turkey-gulet-sailing-solar-eclipse-trip-1999/ http://www.photoheck.com/Turkeytour99.html

When we go to Marfa, we would walk the grounds here and always say "next time let's stay here"...we…read morefinally did! It was a toss-up between a teepee or yurt. Since it was a couple of days before Christmas and the desert can get cold, we opted for the yurt. The yurts offer heating and cooling while the teepee only offers a fireplace, which makes sense...it's a teepee and you have to do it the way it's meant to be. The yurt was roomy and the bed comfy. We stayed warm too! Loved sitting out on our little porch/deck to watch the stars. The main office area also has a shop and place to sit and eat, etc. They've got a bar and outdoor patio (all communal) as well. Showering outdoors (common bathrooms are a very basic outdoor shelter) definitely added to the primitive aspect of staying here. It was a wonderful experience and the best time we're doing a teepee!

Eclectic lodging along with camp ground amenities. The lobby has a good gift shop and drinks and…read moresnacks. We stopped in just to check it out coming back from the Judd exhibition down the road. We didn't stay here on our trip as we opted for something in the town square to walk everywhere but El Cosmico is a very short drive away.