Big Bend National Park

Big Bend is an amazing place to explore. It’s located in a remote part of southern Texas. The cell phone service is unreliable, and some of the park roads may require four-wheel drive. Our first stop began in a Hotel called La Loma del Chivo. We drove around 6 hours from our home in Austin Texas, to La Loma del Chivo in Marathon Texas. When we got to the hostel, it was very dark but we managed to enter and sleep. The room was filled with eclectic objects and it seemed a little bit scary.

The address for the hostel is 401 6th St, Marathon, TX 79842

We got there at 10:30 PM. Once we arrived we needed to call a person that let us inside the room. She was very kind, and just asked us for the confirmation number and then let us in the room. The bathrooms were located outside the buildings but everything was clean. Once we got inside there were lots of artifacts and objects. There was also a big red curtain that divided the room, and you can observe that on the other side it was a storage room. After driving the whole day, we just took a hot shower and went straight to bed.

Next morning we woke up really early and began driving towards Big Bend National Park. This park is the boundary between United States and Mexico. One of the park’s best-known features is the Santa Elena Canyon, half of the canyon is on the United States side, and the rest of the wall covers above Mexico. The park marks the northernmost range of many plants and animals and many western species. The elevation contrast create different climates that makes possible the diversity of plant and animal life inside the park.

Once we arrived to the park we began the Boquillas Canyon Trail. This trail crosses the Terlingua Creek and ascend paved steps to a beautiful vista before dipping back down toward the water and into Boquillas del Carmen. This trail is a moderate 1.7-mile hike, it’s great for beginners who want to stretch themselves just a little, with magnificent views providing a well-earned payoff. It took us almost an hour to complete the trail and it was 1.48 miles approx. The most wonderful thing about this trial was that at the end we were able to observe the Santa Elena Canyon. At the other side of the Canyon you observe the Santa Elena Canyon Protected Area, and you can observe the amazing walls that surround you. You have to keep in mind that you need to bring lot’s of water to keep you hydrated, and a very good hat and sunglasses to protect yourself from the sun. After we drove to this amazing park we stopped on the wonderful teepee in Texas Located at Basecamp in the ghost town of Terlingua. This place is the perfect example to “Glamping” We stayed in the Yucca Teepee and the experience was amazing.

You have to reserve online, and once you get to the location, you need to call a phone number to let them know you arrived. The lady that gave us access to the Teepee was very nice. After settle in our teepee, we went outside and observe the amazing sunset and waited until the grand show or dark sky. Big Bend is designated as an International Dark Sky Park, so if you are a big fan of unplugging yourself and just watching the stars (like us) Big Bend National Park is the right place for you.