Big Bend National Park

Understand

Big Bend National Park is named for the huge left-turn the Rio Grande makes as the river snakes its way through the Texas desert — creating a natural boundary with Mexico and giving the state its distinctive bottom shape. Covering 801,163 acres 324,219 hectares but with only 300-350 thousand visitors a year, Big Bend is one of the largest national parks in the lower 48 states yet one of the least visited. Most of the park is backcountry — the brunt of activity is clustered around the few developed areas. Even during the busiest times, hitting a desert trail or backroad is all that's needed to find solitude; the rest of the year is so uncrowded, you'll feel like you have the park to yourself.

The busy season is from mid-November through the first of week of January especially Thanksgiving weekend and the weekends near Christmas and New Year's Day and again during Spring Break, when local college students get a week-long break usually mid-March through April. Unless you're already in the area, Big Bend does not make a good day trip; the distances are just too vast. Ideally, plan on spending at least one full day in the park, though there is more than enough here for longer stays.

Pets are not allowed on trails, off the road, or on the river; there are no kennels in the park and the temperatures and wildlife can be hazardous — consider leaving Fido at home.

Climate

Climate	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Daily highs °F	61	66	77	80	88	94	93	91	86	79	69	62
Nightly lows °F	35	38	45	52	59	65	68	66	62	53	42	36
Precipitation in	<1	<1	<1	<1	1	2	2	2	2	2	<1	<1
The above measurements are for the park headquarters at Panther Junction. Temperatures in the mountains can be 5-10°F 3-5°C cooler or 5-10°F 3-5°C warmer along the river.Check Castolon's 7 day forecast at NOAACheck Chisos Basin's 7 day forecast at NOAACheck Panther Junction's 7 day forecast at NOAA

As with most deserts, expect the weather to be mostly hot and dry, with low humidity and cooler nights. July through October is the rainy season, where sudden downpours — and consequently flash floods — are possible; though rain usually doesn't last long and the water drains away quickly. Thunderstorms make for an epic spectacle and may lead to rare sights, such as Pine Canyon Falls. The weather here can be significantly different from nearby areas; it might be overcast and rainy in nearby Alpine but clear and sunny in the park, so don't get too discouraged by local conditions. The park provides a weather hotline at +1 432 477-1183.

Spring and Fall

The onset of milder temperatures brings more visitors to the park. It can get quite windy in the spring, while the fall can experience rain until around September or October.

Winter

Winter is another popular time for visitors; expect cool weather interspersed with pleasant warm spells and occasional cold snaps — snow and frost are not unheard of. Nights can be particularly cold.

Summer

This is the least busy season as temperatures can be brutal, often topping 100°F 38°C. May and June are the hottest months; the start of the rainy season in July tames the heat just slightly.

Flora and fauna

Big Bend National Park is blessed with an exceptional array of plant and animal life. In the desert grow succulents such as lechuguilla a type of agave, yuccas like the impressive giant dagger species, numerous types of cacti such as prickly pear, and abundant grasses and shrubs such as ocotillo, candellila, and sotol all of which have numerous practical uses, as well as the famous century plant or Havard agave, which only blooms once in a lifetime and then dies. The best time of year to see the gorgeous cactus blooms is March and April and the mountains are another great place to see wildflowers. In the mountains and near the water grow pleasantly surprising stands of juniper, ponderosa pines, piñon pine, douglas fir, Texas madrone, quaking aspen, the unique Chisos Oak one of five Oak species here, and many others.

Big Bend is one of the best bird-watching areas in the country, as many birds pass through here along migratory routes — more than 450 species. Big Bend is the only place in the U.S. where you can spot the Colima Warbler check Boot Canyon along the South Rim trail from mid-April to mid-September. The Chisos Basin is a great place for birdwatching in general, but the best place is considered to be along the river, such as near Rio Grande Village and Cottonwood Campground. Among the countless species you may spot include roadrunners, woodpeckers, cardinals, quail, flycatchers, herons, hummingbirds, cliff swallows, owls, hawks, golden eagles, vultures, and peregrine falcons.

A great variety of animals make their home here, such as pig-like javelinas pronounced "have a LEE nah" — and they're thought to be more closely related to hippopotamuses, mule deer, jackrabbits, skunks, raccoons, rock squirrels, kangaroo rats, coyote, foxes, and, in the mountains, rare black bears, mountain lions AKA "panthers", and white-tailed deer. They are all mostly shy, but you have a good chance of seeing them along roadways or even in the developed areas, especially starting at twilight. You may also glimpse snakes such as the "red racer" western coachwhip, huge bull snakes which have a tail like a rattlesnake but are not dangerous, and a small variety of venomous snakes. Lurking among the rocks are lizards: common whiptails, crevice spiny lizards, and earless lizards, along with the rare Texas horned lizard and large leopard and collared lizards. Around the river live turtles such as the Big Bend slider, amphibians such as the leopard toad, and mammals such as beavers. The endangered Mexican long-nosed bat is found only in the Chisos Mountains in the United States, while the entire world's population of Big Bend mosquitofish or Gambusia is found in one pond, near the Rio Grande Village.

History

Big Bend National Park has an unusually rich history, the effects of which are present everywhere you look. The landscape is living testament: shaped over millions of years by volcanism, erosion, and enormous seismic events, it also still holds untold numbers of dinosaur fossils and sea creatures from when the area was engulfed by an ancient ocean.

Humans have inhabited the park for more than 10,000 years — first were Native American tribes such as the Chisos, about which little is still known and, more recently, the Comanche and Mescalero Apache; all of whom have left their mark in the form of rock art, mortar holes, and shelters. Mexicans and Anglo settlers would establish a presence later, building homes, farms, ranches and mines some of which persisted until as recently as the 1960s, of which many ruins can still be found.

Lobbying from locals and other admirers of the area notably frontiersman Everett Townsend, the "father of the Big Bend National Park" convinced the state of Texas to set aside land for the park in 1933 originally named "Texas Canyons State Park". 1944 marks the formal establishment of Big Bend National Park, and it has been slowly growing ever since — thousand-acre tracts are still being purchased, including the Harte and Fay Ranches in 1989 and 1994. There are tentative plans to integrate the park with its neighbor to the west, Big Bend Ranch State Park, including trails that may connect the two.

Landscape

The park's geography can be categorized into three distinct environments: desert, mountain, and river. The majority of Big Bend National Park encompasses Chihuahuan Desert, crisscrossed by arroyos dry creek beds, washes and the occasional spring; wherever water exists, small oases of green vegetation flourish. Sprouting from the desert are numerous hills, mountains, and rock formations — most of which are limestone but others are of volcanic origin.

The Rio Grande Spanish for "Big River", although in Mexico it's called Rio Bravo del Norte or just Rio Bravo, meaning "Wild River" flows south and east from its origin in Colorado and eventually passes through the park before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico after a journey of 1,885 mi 3,034 km. Here the river forms the 118 mi 190 km long southern boundary of the park, passing through three major canyons Santa Elena, Mariscal, and Boquillas and through the desert, where green stands of trees, tall grasses and other riparian life cling to its banks.