Location: Alpine, Brewster County, Texas Map
Area: 801,163 acres (324,219 ha)
Official site
Big Bend National Park is a national park located in the south of the state of Texas, United States. It is bordering Mexico with the Rio Grande as the southern boundary of the protected area. It extends for about 100 km, with a maximum width of 90 km. More than 95% of the surface is desert or semi-arid, as it is an extension of the deserts of Mexico and New Mexico. In the central part rises a mountainous massif, of uneven relief and formed by naked rocks, the Chisos mountains, whose highest mountain is the Emory peak that reaches an elevation of 2388 above sea level. The vegetation is represented by diverse species of cactus and wild yuccas, and among the fauna we can highlight some endemic species of gambusias (like Gambusia gaigei) that live in small isolated lagoons, located in hollows of the rock. Snakes, desert rats and roadrunners are other frequent animals in the area.
The entrance fee to Big Bend
National Park will get you a seven-day pass, a paper slip which you
attach to your vehicle's windshield. The park gates are always open;
if you arrive after hours you can get your pass in the morning from
the Panther Junction Visitor Center.
Vehicle: $25
Individual (by bicycle, motorcycle, on foot, or group members): $12
(The group member fee applies to all those 16 and older and replaces
the vehicle fee — contact the park to determine if your traveling
party qualifies as a "group".)
Children (15 and under): Free
Annual Pass: $50 and good for the rest of the month plus one year.
Fees for educational groups (who may be able to get in free) and
commercial tours have special rules — contact the park for details.
There are several passes for groups traveling together in a private
vehicle or individuals on foot or on bike. These passes provide free
entry at national parks and national wildlife refuges, and also
cover standard amenity fees at national forests and grasslands, and
at lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of
Reclamation. These passes are valid at all national parks including
Big Bend National Park:
The $80 Annual Pass (valid for twelve
months from date of issue) can be purchased by anyone. Military
personnel can obtain a free annual pass in person at a federal
recreation site by showing a Common Access Card (CAC) or Military
ID.
U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or over can
obtain a Senior Pass (valid for the life of the holder) in person at
a federal recreation site for $80, or through the mail for $90;
applicants must provide documentation of citizenship and age. This
pass also provides a fifty percent discount on some park amenities.
Seniors can also obtain a $20 annual pass.
U.S. citizens or
permanent residents with permanent disabilities can obtain an Access
Pass (valid for the life of the holder) in person at a federal
recreation site at no charge, or through the mail for $10;
applicants must provide documentation of citizenship and permanent
disability. This pass also provides a fifty percent discount on some
park amenities.
Individuals who have volunteered 250 or more
hours with federal agencies that participate in the Interagency Pass
Program can receive a free Volunteer Pass.
4th graders can
receive an Annual 4th Grade Pass that allows free entry in for the
duration of the 4th grade school year (September-August) to the
bearer and any accompanying passengers in a private non-commercial
vehicle. Registration at the Every Kid in a Park website is
required.
In 2018 the National Park Service will offer four days
on which entry to Big Bend National Park is free for all national
parks: January 15 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), April 21 (1st Day of
NPS Week), September 22 (National Public Lands Day), and November 11
(Veterans Day weekend).
Backcountry permits
Depending on
your planned activities, you may need to obtain a backcountry
permit. Camping at developed sites and day hiking do not require a
permit. Certain types of day-use, such as floating the river or
traveling by horse, necessitate a permit but it's free of cost. For
any overnight backcountry use, the required permit is $10. There's
no reason not to get one; it goes to a good cause (maintaining the
backcountry for future visitors) and helps keep you safe. The park
will record your itinerary and other information, such as your shoe
print — all of which will make you easier to find in case of an
emergency — plus they'll give you critical information on current
trail and road conditions.
Backcountry permits to Big Bend
National Park are good for up to 14 consecutive nights. The permit
can be obtained up to 24 hours in advance at any park visitor center
during business hours (for the main center at Panther Junction, the
hours are 8AM-6PM — other visitor centers have variable hours). If
you arrive after business hours, you are not permitted to camp in
the backcountry. In addition, they can only be purchased in person,
on-site. If you arrive by car, you must have a license plate.
Desert-like landscapes cover most of the national park area. Striking
plant species in these areas are yuccas and various cacti. Otherwise,
bushes dominate these areas. However, the deserts of the park are among
the wettest deserts in North America, so that a relatively large number
of animal species can be found here. Typical animal species of these dry
zones are collared peccaries, mule deer, jackrabbits and roadrunners.
As the park's elevation ranges from 500 meters up to 2300 meters,
there is a diversity of habitats and a wide variety of animal and plant
species present. On the slopes of the Chisos Mountains, forests of oak,
pine and juniper are found with increasing altitude. There are still
some black bears in these forests. Their population in the park is
estimated at around 8-12 adult animals. Riverine forests also occur on
the Rio Grande. Although the main area of the park is covered by shrub
deserts, there are also savannah-like areas where grasses dominate. In
the past, this landform made up a significantly larger proportion of the
area.
Big Bend National Park is still home to cougars and over
150 sightings are reported by visitors each year. Other typical park
mammals include coyotes, white-tailed deer, Audubon cottontails, foxes,
and bobcats. Among the most conspicuous bird species are the vultures.
Turkey vultures inhabit different habitats in the national park from the
mountains down to the deserts and up to the river landscapes of the Rio
Grande. Black vultures, on the other hand, rarely leave the area around
the river. A total of over 1,200 species of plants and 3,600 species of
insects are found in the park. Vertebrates are also well represented
with 40 species of fish, 11 species of amphibians, 56 species of
reptiles, 75 species of mammals and 450 species of birds. This makes the
national park the most species-rich in the USA.
The rocks in the park are rich in fossils from the Cretaceous period,
e.g. remains of several skeletons of Quetzalcoatlus, the largest known
pterosaur, were discovered here. There is also evidence of human
settlement up to 9000 years old.
Various groups of Native
Americans lived in the Big Bend area before European discovery. The
Chiso Indians were a loosely organized group of nomadic hunter-gatherers
who also practiced agriculture to some degree. Their origin is not
clear. Linguistically, they are associated with the Conchos Indians of
northern Chihuahua and northwestern Coahuila. Their language belongs to
the Uto-Aztec group, which was spread from central Mexico far into the
United States. The Jumano were a nomadic group who traded in west Texas
and southeast New Mexico. Some sources indicate that they were enemies
of the Chisos. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Natage
(pronounced Na-tah-hay, derived from Nadahéndé = "People of the Mescal",
the name of other Apache groups for the Mescalero), who were closely
allied with the Mescalero Apache, began to immigrate and the Chiso and
the ousting Jumano. The Comanche were the last to enter Big Bend because
a branch of the Great Comanche Trail passed through this area and was
used by them on their regular raids into central Mexico. These forays
continued into the mid-19th century.
The historically documented
time begins around 1535 AD when the Spanish began exploring this part of
North America. The Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vacas expedition passed near
what is now the National Park. This and subsequent expeditions were in
search of gold and silver, arable land, and Indian slaves. In order to
secure the northern border of Mexico against the raids of the Mescalero,
Natage and Lipan, a chain of forts, so-called Presidios, was built along
the Rio Grande around 1700. However, many of these forts were soon
abandoned, on the one hand for financial reasons, on the other hand
because they offered no effective protection against Indian
encroachments on Mexican territory.
In the wake of the US-Mexico
War that ended in 1849, the uncharted area of Big Bend was explored by
military reconnaissance missions. Fortified stations were built to
protect settlers from Indian incursions. Around 1870 the land began to
be settled permanently and by 1900 most of the land was used for sheep,
goat and cattle farming. However, intensive use soon led to overgrazing.
Ore deposits were discovered around 1900. As a result, more and more
settlers came to work in the mines or to do work around the mines in
smelting works or as lumberjacks.
From 1930, efforts began to
protect the country, which was now also valued for its unique,
contrasting and beautiful landscape. The state of Texas acquired the
land and Texas Canyons State Park was established. On June 12, 1944, the
state park became Big Bend National Park.
To date, there is only
one hotel in the national park, the Chisos Mountain Lodge.
There
are current plans by the governments of Mexico and the USA to expand Big
Bend National Park, which lies on the border between the two states,
into a US Mexico International Park. The border crossing to Mexico in
the Maderas del Carmen Nature Park has been open again since April 2013.
It was closed in early 2002 as a result of the terrorist attacks on
September 11, 2001. The crossing can only be used on foot through the
shallow waters of the border river or by passenger ferry. National Park
Service rangers are present at the checkpoint, border control is
provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in El Paso, around 500 km
away, to which the passports of those entering the country are presented
through cameras and scanners.