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Photo: Yinan Chen / Public domain · source

Canyons & deserts

Big Bend National Park

Terlingua, TX · Chihuahuan Desert, West Texas$$30 per vehicle, good for 7 days

About

Big Bend covers 801,163 acres of Chihuahuan Desert on the Rio Grande in Texas, and the Park Service calls it one of North America's best places for dark skies. In the middle stand the Chisos Mountains, about 20 degrees cooler by day than the river. The Lost Mine Trail, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, climbs into them on a 5-mile round trip. Friday through Monday, with a passport, you can cross the river by rowboat at Boquillas and walk a quarter mile into the Mexican village of Boquillas del Carmen. The park counts more kinds of birds, bats, butterflies, ants, scorpions and cacti than any other national park. Average highs at Rio Grande Village are 78 in November and 107 in June.

Highlights

Rio Grande along the Mexico borderSanta Elena Canyon, 1,500 feet deepChisos, only range fully inside a park801,163 acres of Chihuahuan DesertGold Tier International Dark Sky ParkBoquillas crossing, Friday to Monday

Getting there

1 Panther Junction, Big Bend National Park, TX 79834

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