11 activities at Big Bend National Park you can’t miss

My husband and I visited Big Bend National Park a couple years ago and I can’t wait to go back. There is so much beauty all around you and feelings of peacefulness abound. I have not experienced anything else quite like it! Even though this national park is located in the middle of nowhere there is still lots to do! Here are some of the activities I suggest:

Visit Big Bend Ranch State Park

Did you know that the largest Texas state park is right next to Big Bend National Park? Big Bend Ranch State park is not something to be missed! There is plenty to do here and deserves time on your itinerary. You can hike, bike, fish, go off-roading, or just drive the Camino del Rio and enjoy the views. You can also camp here either by hiking into primitive sites or ones that you can drive to. 

There are two visitors centers along the main road. We visited both as we drove from Presidio to Lajitas. In Presido, the visitors center is located at the Fort Leaton State Historic Site. If you can only choose one, I recommend visiting this one as you also get to see the historic fort! We enjoyed looking around it and also getting our state park stamps inside.

When we visited Big Bend Ranch State Park we stopped at the Fort and Barton Warnock visitor’s center, drove along the Rio Grande, stopped for a short hike, and enjoyed multiple stops with scenic views. We had a great time and there is still so much more to explore! Check out their website here: 

https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/big-bend-ranch

Visit, play golf, or stay at Lajitas Golf Resort

Lajitas Golf Resort is located in between Big Bend Ranch State Park and Big Bend National Park. Even if you are not staying here or playing golf, you should check it out! The grounds are beautiful and immaculate. We did not stay here but we wish we had! We will certainly look into it for next time we go. 

We visited for lunch at the Candelilla cafe and enjoyed a wonderful and scenic view while we ate. If you are not staying here and want to eat at the restaurant, make sure you go before 5pm. After that it turns into a resort only restaurant. 

The resort also operates Lajitas General Store which carries some grocery basics. We stopped here and grabbed supplies to make hot dogs and s’mores! The prices were expensive but that is to be expected in such a remote area. The Cottonwood General Store near Big Bend National Park however had more reasonable prices in comparison and may be a better stop if you are in the area. 

Explore the Terlingua Ghost town and go to dinner

Terlingua is small but a must see. Grab dinner at Starlight Theater and walk around the area while you wait for your table! You can also sit on the front porch and connect with other travelers. We visited the Terlingua Trading Company store, walked around and marveled at the beauty of the area, explored the old jail, and walked up the hill to look at a church that was located at the top. Check out Starlight Theater’s menu here: https://www.thestarlighttheatre.com/pages/menu.html

Hike in Big Bend

Hiking in Big Bend National Park should be at the top of your list! Big Bend is large and has many hikes that you can choose from. Some of our favorites were the Lost Mine trail, the Upper Mesa Burro trail, and the Santa Elana Canyon trail. Check out my article on our experience hiking them here: 

Three hikes everyone should do at Big Bend National Park

Take a river tour with Big Bend River Tours

Big Bend River tours offers several ways to enjoy the beauty of Big Bend through a new and different perspective. You can choose from half day tours along the Rio Grande or 1-6 day trips through different canyons throughout Big Bend. We chose the half day option and canoed the Rio Grande in Big Bend Ranch State Park. It was such a beautiful way to see God’s creation. Hiking and driving are both great ways to explore, but floating on the river allows you to stop and immerse yourself in nature. It was also so peaceful. We only saw one other group during our time on the river but it was mainly quiet and we marveled at the beauty around us. 

The only hard part of our trip was the relatively low water in the Rio Grande during the time we were there. Our guide frequently had to get out and drag our canoe to deeper water. The guide was great though and very helpful. Despite the low water, we still thoroughly enjoyed seeing Big Bend in this way and would highly recommend it to others. We look forward to doing a different canoe trip in the future!

Watch a sunset or sunrise in the park

You will not want to miss watching either a sunset or sunrise during your visit to Big Bend. We watched a sunset from the Window Trail and also from Sotol Vista. Both have amazing views of Big Bend as the sun is setting. It is truly spectacular to watch as all the colors splashed across the Big Bend sky as the sun descended behind the mountains. 

We also were able to watch the sunrise multiple days while enjoying our breakfast at Espresso y Poco Mas. We would grab an early breakfast and enjoy sitting on their patio as the sun came up. No matter what you are doing or where you are staying I recommend taking the time to watch the sun come up or go down. It is worth the time to slow down and just enjoy the nature surrounding you. 

Cookout

If you stay in an RV, camp in a tent, or stay at an Airbnb with a fire pit, I highly recommend roasting hot dogs and making s’mores. We cooked out twice while we were there and had the best time. It is so much quieter there than what we are used to. We loved staying outside and enjoying the peace and quiet after dark. This leads us to our next activity…

Watch the stars

Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch state park are both designated as International Dark Sky Parks. This designation for both parks combines a large area dedicated to dark skies allowing for some amazing star gazing. On top of that, Big Bend National Park has been found to be the darkest national park among international dark sky parks in the lower 48 states! It was so beautiful to sit and just stare in awe of all the stars. 

Visit all of the Big Bend National Park visitor centers

There are 4 visitors centers in Big Bend. Panther Junction visitors center, Chisos Basin Visitors center, Castolon Visitors Center (closed in the summer), and Rio Grande Village Visitors center. These are spread throughout the park and depending on what hikes or areas of the park you are visiting, you will most likely be near multiple visitor’s centers throughout the trip.

We visited all of them except for the Rio Grande Village Visitors center. We actually were in the parking lot for this one and we realized they had just closed, so we unfortunately just missed seeing it. The Chisos Basin Visitor’s center was a helpful stop for us before we hiked the Lost Mine trail. We received useful information and even were told when the last bear had been spotted! The Panther Junction visitors center had the largest park store to explore. Each visitor’s center is unique in their own way and as a bonus have different stamps to choose from for your National Parks passport book.

Try all of the food

Even though stores and restaurants may be more sparse than other more populated areas in the United States, there is surprisingly a lot of great food options here to try. Check out my article here on different available options in the area: https://suitcasesandsalt.com/11-restaurants-places-i-enjoyed-eating-at-around-big-bend-national-park/

Visit Langford hot springs

If you wish to relax your sore muscles after a day or week of hiking, visiting Langford Hot Springs may be the place for you! At the trailhead there is plenty of parking and it is a short 1/2 mile hike to the hot springs. On your hike to the hot springs, you will see some remnants of old buildings. These are from the resort that used to be on this property. The hot springs area itself is left over from the historic bath house. 

When you reach the hot springs, you will realize that the soaking pool is not large and will not accommodate a large group. When we went, we visited in the morning and had the pool to ourselves for about 20/30 minutes and then a group of 4 joined us. Not long after, a larger group came and so we vacated the pool as there would not have comfortably been enough room for everyone. If you can go early in the morning, you will likely encounter less people but if you are wanting to go after a hike, be prepared for a larger crowd.

Big Bend is a special place. It is remote and hard to get to but worth the time and effort. It is the perfect place to get away and truly relax and enjoy the peace and quiet. I have never felt quite so relaxed as I did when we visited Big Bend. I am looking forward to our next visit here! 

Love hiking and National Parks? Check out a 3 day itinerary for Great Smoky Mountains National Park here: https://suitcasesandsalt.com/the-best-3-day-itinerary-for-your-trip-to-the-great-smoky-mountains/

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