Parks in Texas: Big Bend National Park

In a place where the road stops and the sky keeps going, Texas displays her clearest nights, and a southwestern dreamscape of mountains and canyons. This place exists today, and attracts visitors from all over, because on this day in 1935 Texas acquired the land that became Big Bend National Park.

Big Bend National Park is home to over 1,200 species of plants, an awe inspiring 450 species of birds, 56 species of reptiles, and 75 species of mammals. With more land than the entire state of Rhode Island, the park has no shortage of intricate landscapes to see, including the Rio Grande River which cutting through the shadows of massive canyon walls.

The park is quite a distance from the Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex, but is worth every mile as a scenic vacation spot. The primary attraction is ample hiking and backpacking opportunities. However, if the high sun over the desert topography makes you reconsider, the park is as alive as ever in the cooler night. Named an international dark-sky park, it’s one of only ten places in the world that is certified for dark-sky gazing. What does that mean? You can see the clear outline of the Milky Way band, in addition to other planets and thousands of stars. It attracts stargazers from all over.

Despite all of this, Big Bend is one of the most remote, and therefor one of the least-visited, natural parks in the lower 48 states. Only about 300k – 350k visitors enter annually. A perfect choice next time you’re looking to unplug and vacation to one of the edges of the world (close enough). So pack your gear and set out for this far corner of Texas, where the land swallows you whole and you feel like you could fall into the stars. Desert style landscapes can have a way of being underrated in the world of vacation planning, but Big Bend’s natural beauty won’t leave you disappointed.

Until next time! – The Young Home Team

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