Big Bend National Park

Big Bend takes its name from the sweep of the Rio Grande that forms its southern boundary, and it packs three landscapes into one park: desert floor of creosote and ocotillo, the river cutting through Santa Elena Canyon between limestone walls that rise vertically for hundreds of metres, and the Chisos, a whole mountain range in the middle where oak and juniper grow and the temperature drops enough to sleep comfortably. The Chisos Basin sits in a bowl of peaks with the Window, a notch that frames the sunset. Because it is so far from anywhere, the skies are among the darkest in the country. Wildlife includes black bear, mountain lion and javelina, and the hot springs on the river bank still run into an old stone bath.

What you actually see

• Santa Elena Canyon - the river between sheer limestone walls, walked from the bank.
• The Chisos Basin and the Window - the mountain bowl and its sunset notch.
• The desert drives - Ross Maxwell scenic drive and the old ranch ruins.
• The night sky - among the darkest in the continental United States.

When to go

November to April is the season; summer on the desert floor regularly passes forty degrees and is genuinely dangerous, though the Chisos stay cooler. Spring break in March fills the park completely. The Chisos Basin lodge and campgrounds book out months ahead.

Honest expectations

It is remote in a way few American parks are: five hours from the nearest airport, no public transport, limited fuel and no phone signal across most of it, so arrive with a full tank and supplies. Summer heat kills people who go out unprepared. Accommodation inside is very limited and books far ahead, with Terlingua the alternative.

Nearby

Terlingua's ghost town and Big Bend Ranch State Park are west; Marfa is three hours north.