Road Trip Austin to Big Bend – Wild Texas Desert

Austin Big Bend National Park
700
km
7h30
drive
Winter
season

The Itinerary

Big Bend, in southwestern Texas along the Rio Grande, is one of America's least-visited national parks — but one of the most spectacular. Chihuahuan Desert, Chisos Mountains and Rio Grande canyons.

Santa Elena Canyon (easy trail in 460-m walls), Lost Mine Trail, Window View, Boquillas Canyon. Natural hot springs on the Rio Grande shore. The tiny Boquillas del Carmen (Mexico) is accessible by rowboat ($5). En route, stops: Fredericksburg (German heritage), Marfa (contemporary art), Terlingua (ghost town). El Camino del Rio (FM 170) between Big Bend and Presidio is one of Texas's most beautiful drives.

Points of Interest

  • ✦
    Santa Elena Canyon
    Sentier dans canyon Rio Grande 460 m.
  • ✦
    Boquillas del Carmen
    Village mexicain accessible par bateau à rame.
  • ✦
    Marfa
    Capitale d'art contemporain dans le désert.
  • ✦
    Hot Springs Rio Grande
    Sources chaudes sur la rive du Rio Grande.

Take this route offline

Cell coverage thins out fast once you leave Austin. Export the map as a geo-referenced PDF before you go and open it in BorealMaps — your GPS position shows on the map with no signal at all.

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Practical info
  • Departure Austin
  • Destination Big Bend National Park
  • Distance 700 km
  • Duration 7h30
  • Category Very long (500+ km)
  • Best season Winter
Themes
desert park canyon Winter epic art unique

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