Big Bend National Park

· exploring · food · map · national park · park · Big Bend NP

We spent a day visiting Big Bend National Park in Texas, our last national park for the year, and our last new one until we visit Death Valley in March.

An interactive map of our route:

Entrance sign:

Sign

Persimmon Gap Visitor Center near the northern entrance:

Persimmon Gap Visitor Center

We asked the ranger about picnic spots; he told us about a secret picnic spot that isn’t normally mentioned, since they don’t maintain it; a couple of shelters, but just one table. So we had a picnic lunch there:

Secret picnic spot

Hazy mountains and views:

Mountains
Mountains

Panther Junction Visitor Center, which includes a post office:

Panther Junction Visitor Center

You know I enjoy relief maps:

Relief map
Relief map

Gift store:

Gift store
Mountains
Mountains

There’s even a gas station, very unusual for a national park:

Gas station
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains

Chisos Basin Visitor Center:

Chisos Basin Visitor Center
Chisos Basin Visitor Center
Chisos Basin Visitor Center

Window View Trail:

Window view trail
Window view trail

The Window:

Window view trail
Window view trail
Window view trail
Window view trail
Window view trail
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains

Hole in a rock:

Mountains
Mountains

Castolon Visitor Center area:

Castolon Visitor Center
Castolon Visitor Center
Castolon Visitor Center
Castolon Visitor Center
Castolon Visitor Center

Old barracks from 1919, that burned in 2019:

Castolon Visitor Center
Castolon Visitor Center
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains

Moon over mountains:

Mountains
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains
Mountains

A scenic drive.