Travel & Outdoors
March 11, 2024
Luxury Caves! Futuristic Domes! The Great Glampification of Texas
How high-end camping turned into a statewide phenomenon.
Big Bend
Latest
1-46 of 46 Articles
Critters
January 19, 2024
Do Not Underestimate the Elf Owl
The world’s smallest owl is a swift, acrobatic hunter whose victims never hear it coming.
Border & Immigration
December 5, 2023
The Horse Who Got Deported
When a mare illegally crossed the border into Big Bend National Park in search of greener pastures, Facebook users rallied to bring her back to her owner in Mexico. Park officials think they’re missing the point.
Parks & Recs
June 26, 2023
Hikers Are Dying on Texas Trails in Severe Heat
Recent tragedies in Big Bend and Palo Duro Canyon are a reminder to “respect the desert,” says one ranger.
Travel & Outdoors
June 22, 2023
National Parks Urgently Need More Funding, Says Outgoing Big Bend Superintendent
“There’s a tremendous disconnect between the expectations of the American public . . . and the National Park Service’s ability to do those things,” says Bob Krumenaker.
Books
March 24, 2023
Her Grandfather Dug For Fossils in Big Bend. Now Her Photos Celebrate His Spirit of Adventure.
Sarah Wilson's ‘DIG’ combines photos, her grandfather’s Kodachrome teaching slides, and creatively staged paleontological artifacts.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Big Bend, Big Crowds
What happens when hundreds of thousands of people go to the same place looking for a little quiet time? One of our two national parks is finding out.
Sports
November 24, 2022
This Tiny West Texas HS Has Five Boys. Three of Them Made the State Cross-country Meet.
There’s no stoplight, no stores, and no walk-in businesses in Valentine. But there’s plenty of space to stretch those legs.
Travel & Outdoors
June 21, 2022
Paddling Down the Rio Grande in the Shadow of a Drought
My dream of navigating through Big Bend’s stunning canyons finally came true. I just had to start a little farther downstream.
Travel & Outdoors
April 27, 2022
First Look: The $22 Million Makeover of Big Bend National Park’s Chisos Mountains Lodge
Tentative plans call for the beloved dining-hall structure to be rebuilt and modernized—with even better views.
Travel & Outdoors
March 17, 2022
The “Keep Big Bend Wild” Effort Aims to Forever Protect Texas’s First National Park
Designating Big Bend as a federal wilderness area, advocates say, will ensure it stays rugged for decades to come.
Travel & Outdoors
February 28, 2022
Eleven Cozy Texas Cabins for Your Next Rustic Getaway
Fall asleep while floating on Baffin Bay, stargazing in Big Bend, or greeting giraffes and zebras in Glen Rose.
Country Notes
February 9, 2022
Marfa Meats Brings a Slaughterhouse Back to the Big Bend
Small-town locker plants, lifelines for rural Texans for generations, have vanished from parts of the state. Christy Miller’s company is an exception.
Travel & Outdoors
January 7, 2022
Folks, Please Don’t Mess With Texas Rock Art
Some idiots carved their names on prehistoric petroglyphs in Big Bend—and it's part of a disturbing spike in vandalism.
Critters
July 28, 2021
Do Not Fear the “Land Lobster From Hell” Skittering Across West Texas
Yes, it has fearsome pincers and shoots acid when threatened. But it’s essentially harmless!
Travel & Outdoors
June 17, 2021
Holy Smoke! Texas Has Actual Volcanoes. Here’s Where to See Ten of Them.
They’ve been extinct for millions of years, so you'll just need a little imagination—and this handy guide.
Country Notes
June 17, 2021
A Forgotten Burial Site in Presidio Tells the Story of a Disappearing Border History
A small group fights to save a cemetery and what remains of a Lipan Apache existence in the Big Bend.
Food & Drink
April 9, 2021
A Hedonist’s Guide to Dining in and Around Big Bend
For a food obsessive like me, Big Bend’s culinary scene rivals the nature.
Country Notes
February 11, 2021
The Girls of Lumber Club Marfa Work to Master the Craft of the Three-legged Stool
During the past few years, a small group of girls in Marfa has used the simple wooden stool to create a business that has, well, legs.
Travel & Outdoors
January 26, 2021
As More Novices Head to the Wilderness, Rescues Are Spiking at Some Texas State Parks
Big Bend Ranch State Park and Enchanted Rock State Natural Area both saw a 50 percent surge in backcountry rescues last year.
Style & Design
July 30, 2020
Expert Advice: How to Create the Perfect Texas Staycation
From design tips to sleep tricks (and cocktail recipes, too), this is your ultimate guide to enjoying a day off at home.
Critters
July 23, 2020
Why Black Bears Are Returning to Texas
Contrary to what a viral video suggests, it’s unrelated to the pandemic.
Country Notes
May 20, 2020
The Signs of the Big Bend Are a Sign of the Times
Some were written long ago. Some appeared this year. But whether it’s a sign about snakes or a sign about diesel fried chicken, a simple message seems to mean the most.
The Texanist
March 1, 2020
The Texanist: What in Tarnation Would I Do on a 38,000-Acre Ranch?
A Michigander with dreams of owning a massive piece of Texas land isn't sure how he would occupy himself on his $32.5 million spread.
Boomtown
February 18, 2020
Boomtown, Episode 11: The Last Frontier
Record-breaking oil production in the Permian Basin has brought the boom to the Big Bend’s doorstep for the first time. Is it too late to save this pristine landscape?
Country Notes
October 16, 2019
A Lone Postman Delivers the Mail to the Far Reaches of the Big Bend
Not many people will drive the mail to places the U.S. Postal Service won’t. Seventy-one-year-old Gilbert Lujan is one of them.
Parks & Recs
August 20, 2019
What’s on the Horizon for Big Bend National Park
After an eventful first year as superintendent, Bob Krumenaker has a vision for the park’s future as it celebrates its 75th anniversary.
Art
January 29, 2019
Telling the Story of a Texas Freedom Colony Through Decades of Photos
‘The Upshaws of County Line,’ a new book and exhibit currently at the Museum of the Big Bend, chronicles a safe haven established by African American Texans.
Parks & Recs
January 3, 2019
Where to Rough It (or Not) In and Around Big Bend Ranch
Choose from campsites, a bunkhouse, or a luxury resort. (And ¡Viva Terlingua!)
Parks & Recs
January 3, 2019
Big Bend Ranch State Park: Where Nothing Is Everything
The untouched vastness of the largest state park in Texas makes you feel like you’re exploring a whole other world.
Country Notes
June 22, 2018
A Land’s End: The Story of Casa Piedra
Ninety-three-year-old Armando Vasquez tells of a place that used to be.
The Texanist
January 27, 2018
The Texanist: Any Recommendations for a Big Bend Newbie?
A 39-year resident of Houston is gearing up for his first experience of the greatest road trip Texas has to offer.
Border & Immigration
January 23, 2018
The Trump Effect on Immigration
Donald Trump has profoundly discouraged people from coming over our borders. But is his influence wearing off?
Travel & Outdoors
January 20, 2013
River Deep, Mountain High
There are any number of fun, adventurous, and unexpected things to do in the Big Bend region of far West Texas. Here are fifteen of my favorites, including scuba diving in Balmorhea, gliding over Marfa, drinking a microbrew in Alpine, horseback riding in Fort Davis, and floating through the Lower
Travel & Outdoors
March 1, 2002
Big Bend 2002
Whether you want to hike it, raft it, drive it, or all of the above, here's everything you need to know to get the most out of a trip to Texas' greatest treasure.
Travel & Outdoors
September 30, 1997
Rough and Ready
The secrets of Big Bend Ranch State Park.
News & Politics
March 1, 1996
Big Bend, R.I.P.?
Air pollution from Mexico has descended on Big Bend big time and while officials on both sides of the border dither, our last unspoiled frontier is slipping away.
Parks & Recs
March 3, 1993
Big Bend Made Easy
It may be more than 800,000 acres, but you can easily cut Big Bend down to size. Here’s how.
News & Politics
July 31, 1992
Cattle Recall
John L. Guldemann scorns claims that Longhorns damage the natural area.
Critters
December 1, 1991
Bear With Me
Black bears have returned to Big Bend National Park, and our author is determined to find one.
Travel & Outdoors
December 1, 1989
Wild Forever
Once the private preserve of an oil executive, the 300,000-acre Big Bend Ranch, with all its desert grandeur, has now entered the public domain.
Travel & Outdoors
September 1, 1986
Wide Open Spaces
The Chihuahuan Desert is a place of extremes, where the visitor not only observes but participates in the struggle for life and death.
Travel & Outdoors
May 1, 1985
I Was a Dude on Tumbling Mare Mountain
My pack trip in Mexico’s Sierra del Carmen wasn't exactly the Gray Line Tour.
Travel & Outdoors
May 31, 1982
Big River
A photographic tour of the timeless Rio Grande, from its origins in the mountains of Colorado to the Padre Island dunes at the tip of Texas.
Parks & Recs
April 1, 1980
On the Edge of Texas
For hundreds of years man—from the Comanche to the backpacker—has tried to conquer Big Bend. Still, it remains wild, stark, and pristine.
Parks & Recs
April 1, 1977
Forgotten Places
Of canyons, creeks, and craters: the Big Bend as few have seen it.