Back in 2005, we made a trip out to northern California. Visiting Yosemite National Park was the highlight of our trip. The natural beauty of this park is unbelievable. If you have ever been there, then you know what I mean. If you haven’t been there, then put it on your bucket list.
On a trip out to west Texas, we visited Big Bend National Park.
This is our very own “Yosemite”.
Both of these parks encompass some of the most scenic landscapes in America. Seeing pictures of Big Bend doesn’t compare to seeing this place in person. Same goes for Yosemite.
I just couldn’t believe that I was still in Texas.
Couldn’t believe that these incredible mountains were in my own home state, and that I had never been here before.
The more I travel throughout this state, the more amazed I am at the vast array of different landscapes. While you are adding Yosemite to your bucket list, you may want to add Big Bend National Park on there too.
We only had a day to spend at Big Bend, and we wanted to see as much as we could. Driving instead of taking one of the hikes made it possible to see more of the park and there were plenty of spots to pull over to take pictures. One of the first things we got to see were some of the park’s white tail deer.
If you ever really want to get away from it all, then this is the place to come. Looking around at the vast beauty of this place, one can’t help but feel relaxed and at peace with the world.
After a picnic lunch in the Chisos Basin, we decided to hike down the Window View Trail. Okay, so it wasn’t really hiking. No time for real hiking. The trail is a short, incredibly easy quarter of a mile walk. A short walk for an incredible view. After spending some time on a park bench admiring the view, we moved on to explore more of the park.
Taking the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, we went through the Castolon Historic District on our way to view Santa Elena Canyon. It hadn’t rained recently so we were able to make it through just fine, but there are times when the last stretch of the trip from Castolon to Santa Elena make it impossible to pass due to high water.
There is plenty of wildlife at Big Bend. Bands of javelina’s, which are pig-like animals can be spotted in the park. The black bear has come back to the Chisos mountains after several decades of absence. Signs at the park state that this is mountain lion country, but the odds of seeing one are slim.
You might see one of these though.
Lizards creep me out! Along with a few dozen other critters.
Big Bend National Park includes three different types of habitats- desert, river, and mountain. To experience all of these in just one park is pretty remarkable.
We were unable to take full advantage of all the possible activities in the park since we only had a day to spend here. There are a number of outdoor adventures to be had here including mountain biking, hiking, and canoeing.
When it came time to leave, it wasn’t easy to drive away from the peaceful surroundings that make up Big Bend. However, we did so with the hopeful thought that someday we would return to explore more of this incredible national park.