Santa Elena Canyon
Limestone walls.
R Hensley from US — CC BY 2.0 · Yinan Chen — Public Domain · National Park Service Digital Image Archives — Public domain · National Park Service Digital Image Archives — Public domain · Niagara66 — CC BY-SA 4.0
Big Bend National Park lies in West Texas on the border with Mexico, covering about 3,242 square kilometres; its centre is about 36 km from the town of Terlingua in a straight line. It is named after the great bend in the Rio Grande. It is the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert in the United States, protecting more than 1,200 plant species and 450 bird species. The Chisos Mountains, the only US mountain range lying entirely within a national park, rise in the middle, and archaeological sites here go back nearly 10,000 years. The river runs about 190 km along the park's southern edge, cutting striking canyons, the best known being Santa Elena Canyon, where the green river emerges between two towering limestone walls that glow orange and gold at sunset. The park is far from any city, so plan to stay inside it or in Terlingua, and fill your tank before you go in. Desert summers are brutally hot, so November to April is best; carry plenty of water on every trail.
Limestone walls.
Inside the park.
The border river.
Brewster County, West Texas, United States
November to April.
In the park or Terlingua.