We visited Big Bend National Park, again — we first visited it in 2022. That first time, we explored the western part of the park; this time, we explored the eastern side.

Here’s an interactive map of our route:

Entrance sign:

Mountains and cacti:

We had a picnic lunch and short stroll at Dugout Wells, a little oasis where some homesteads once stood, and now just a windmill remains, as far as we could see:

Tunnel:

The Rio Grande Village Visitor Center, the one visitor center we didn’t make it to last time:

Big Rivers, Big Changes:

There’s even a full-hookup campground in the village, though it’s basically a parking lot:

A roadrunner on the road:

There’s also a no-hookup campground, which is nicer, despite the lack of utilities. It even has some sites big enough for us, like this pull-through site:

Interesting rocks:

Lots of Mexican trinkets for sale; this area is on the border with Mexico:

We did the Boquillas Canyon Trail along the Rio Grande river:

Steps:

The Rio Grande river; the other side of the river is Mexico:

Shady tunnel of trees, welcome on a warm day (about 82°F):

More Mexican trinkets for sale; Jenn bought the cloth in the front and a bead roadrunner:

The canyon closing in on the river:

Youngsters on the Mexican side of the river:

Canoes on the river; we spoke with a couple of the people, and they said they were camping down river:

A nice hike; a little too warm for us with little shade, but we survived.