Big Bend National park

Big Bend gets its name from its location on the bend in the Rio Grande. The river forms a natural border between the US and Mexico. The remoteness of the park in the Chihuahuan Desert creates conditions for the best night sky viewing in the lower 48 states. It's over 1200 sq miles and is divided into three distinct areas: The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, The Chisos Basin, and Rio Grande Village. The park's desert, mountain, and river environments allow for a large diversity of wild and plant life to all exist in proximity to each other.

We spent seven days in Big Bend and Terlingua. We camped one night in Cottonwood campground, one night in Rio Grande Village campground, two nights in the Chisos Mountain Lodge and spent the rest of our time on a bus/glamper we rented from Tin Valley Retro Rentals in Terlingua. The skies there are completely black during the new moon and it feels like you can see every star in the sky. It was absolutely stunning.

We spent our days hiking the desert and mountains. We had a fun swim day where we soaked in the hot springs, and swam in the waters that pool off of the Rio Grande. We saw javelinas, roadrunners, wild horses, and an unbothered big horned owl. We bought souvenirs from the little shops set up by families across the border and had an awesome steak dinner at the Chisos Mountain lodge. Our nights in Terlingua were one of the best parts. Our site around the bus was huge. We had fires, listened to music and drank beer and wine under the stars. If you find yourself down here, the Ghost Town and the Terlingua cemetery located just outside the park are good places to visit as well