Longing to stay here... no TV, big sky, stars by the millions at night.

That looks absolutely stunning.

Not been there but it looks wonderful.

Big Bend has been on my list for many years. It is very difficult to get to, but we will go within the next few years. I want to loop it in with Bracken Cave.

I grew up in Texas, and I've never been to Big Bend either, and I've wanted to go for some time. Marfa, which is close to the park, is also interesting, and there is the chili festival in Terlingua, just outside the park. If I went, I would have to fly to El Paso (which I like) and rent an SUV from there. I've thought about having my sister meet me there.

There are some places to avoid in west Texas, such as Fort Stockton and Pecos, but especially Fort Stockton. If you happen to drive through there, do not stop for gas or try to buy anything there, as the police are notorious for giving tickets to visitors. I got a ticket for not stopping at a yield sign when getting back on the freeway, even though there were no cars to yield to. I was then taken to a 7-11 and forced to withdraw $60 for the fine or else spend the night in jail. Alpine and Marfa are just the opposite and are nice places to visit and stop. Van Horn is also a safe place to stop.

If you want to see stars, you should go when there is a new moon. However, when we go to Death Valley (also an International Dark Sky Park), we choose to go during a full moon, so that we can hike at night without a flashlight. I camped at Agua Azul Park in Chiapas, Mexico a couple of times, and once was during a new moon, which made it very difficult to see at night, but the stars and planets were incredibly bright.

Best time to go would be during one of the meteor showers, Leonid or Perseid. Possibly too hot during the Perseid shower (second week of August), but the heat is really not that bad in the desert and especially at that elevation. The Leonid shower in November could be cold at night - in the mid 40s, but if you dress for it, you should be okay.

Isn't there someone here who lives on property that borders the park? I had never heard of it but looked it up recently after seeing the post. Maybe it was someone on KT?

DH and I have camped in Big Bend twice. Yes, the night sky is awesome. Hiking is also very good. One year we spent two nights at the Gage Hotel in Marathon on our way to Big Bend. We also found Alpine an interesting stop and the McDonald Observatory is worth a visit. After leaving Big Bend we spent New Year’s Eve in Marfa at the historic Hotel Paisano where James Dean and the other stars from the movie Giant stayed.

I'm going to Big Bend in January with my sister, and we are spending 1 night in Marfa, too. She has friends who know the area (Big Bend) well, and we are staying with them. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll report back.

I live in Texas and have not been. It is definitely on my list!! So beautiful. I am not a camper but might push myself to camp there.

I went to look it up, and can see why you want to go.

FYI In my research I did come across news of a recent fire. If that would impact the vistas where you want to go, I'd hold off. We were in a place called Kangaroo Island about 2 years after a major wildfire. Luckily it did not impact where we were but a fair amount of the island was pretty sad looking. Regrowth takes a while to overtake the black.

https://www.tpr.org/post/fire-big-bend-national-park-destroys-historic-sites-causes-closures

I've never been, but after seeing those photos, Ida, might have to plan a trip! Lovely!

Thanks very much for the input! Feathers, I would love to hear about your trip when you return. Mtn, thanks for that link. I wouldn't let that stop us from going, as the park is absolutely vast. We've been in other areas where recent fires had caused a great deal of damage (thinking in particular of one year at Bandelier National Monument), and yes, it's devastating to see the impact - but also interesting to watch the baby reforestation taking place.

We're now looking at a couple of places to stay. DH likes the accommodations with a TV, so at least we could watch a movie or two while we're there. Top contender right now is a simple little trailer out in the middle of "nowhere", that's just a tad closer to Alpine. I wouldn't mind visiting the Davis Mountains and Fort Davis while in this area as well.

So glad to see this thread!

We’ve been planning (dreaming) to go there for ages. We love hiking and kayaking, and he’s a rock climber — very experienced (over 25 yrs) at climbing mountains at Red Rocks (Vegas), El Potrero Chico in Mexico, The Gunks, New River Gorge, etc, etc — so is great at navigating places like this.

I’ve got so many neat casitas and other places I want to stay saved in a folder:

https://www.nuevoterlingua.com/

We’re definitely going, I just don’t know when. We do get a bit overwhelmed researching it, there are so many areas we want to visit. We definitely want water and cliffs, though, our first visit.

I follow a few Big Bend/Texas parks IG pages — great pictures and ideas that other visitors share.

ETA: Ida, have y’all been down to Enchanted Rock? It’s such a great weekend/long weekend trip. We stay at The Double Deer Ranch, in “The Twig” guest cottage. It’s so charming and quiet.

https://www.fbglodging.com/fredericksburg-rentals/properties/double-deer-ranch-twig/#

Better gallery pics of Twig: https://www.fbglodging.com/fredericksburg-rentals/properties/double-deer-ranch-twig/gallery/

Jinx - I'm so glad you mentioned Enchanted Rock! I have not thought of that places in ages, and have never actually BEEN, but it used to be on my "go there" list back when I was frequenting a climbing gym. That was so much fun, and the group I was training with was going to be making a field trip to Enchanted Rock to practice bouldering skills, but I wasn't able to be a part of that. These days, I wouldn't feel confident enough to do any climbing (or bouldering, really), but I'd still like to go there to hike. It looks like there are a lot of other hiking opportunities to be found in the Hill Country too. The Twig looks absolutely amazing! Wow, I would love to stay there! (Isn't that chandelier wonderful!)

I mentioned Enchanted Rock to DH, in case he wanted to consider something a bit closer to home than Big Bend, but I think he's still pretty sold on trying to go to BB later next year. The Nuevo Terlingua casitas are stellar! If we go, we will likely choose a different accommodation than previously considered (so, not the adobe I shared earlier in this thread), having found a simple little 2-bedroom trailer very near the park entrance that would suit us well.

We are staying in southern Colorado this summer, and I ALMOST thought we should just cancel that trip and go to BB instead, but then I went back to looking at photos and videos of the area where we'll be, and I absolutely have to go here again. Spent a lot of time in this area in my younger years, and really want to share it with DH.

Weminuche Wilderness:

Oh, that looks absolutely stunning!

A very disappointing update that I had to cancel my trip to Big Bend for next week. My husband has developed some serious health issues (and we're not sure what they are--testing still going on), and I cannot leave him at this time. I'm really bummed... it's the first vacation I had planned for myself after a very tough year. I could really use some sun, and the weather looks perfect! But the timing just isn't right.

It's still on my bucket list, though, and if anyone else goes, please share your experiences.

Feathers, I’m so sorry to hear that. My heart goes out to you both ... I sure hope for the best and that everything turns out well. ❤️

Sorry Feathers, I hope your DH's issues are resolved quickly.

Oh no, Feathers! I am so sorry and hope that everything is soon looking much better for your husband. Please keep us posted.