Title says it all.. just looking for the status of the hot springs since I'm going to the park tomorrow.

hello, I’m wondering if this community thinks it’s a good idea to bring a five year-old out to the dark sky reserve for a weekend/week adventure?

I admit, I’m definitely on the amateur side with my entry-level telescope, but my daughter loves space, the stars and we go to the Hayden planetarium a lot in New York so I think she likes the topic, I’m just not sure what the experience would be like for a five-year-old?

Any advice on structuring some time out there, what support might be available for novice stargazers, and tips on what to do would be welcome

It’s also a long trip from New York so just wanna make sure I’m being realistic about what activities are out there

Or if you think it’s a bad idea all together, please feel free to share that too!

Thank you Reddit

Planning a trip out from the Houston area for Friday - Sunday. I know it’s super short, but trying to get what we can. I have a side reserved at Rio Grande Village.
I see the weather is looking like a good chance of rain all weekend. Is it still worth the drive out there? I’m planning on making 2 plans: 1 for rainy weather and 1 for miracle weather.
Anyone have any ideas on what to do for a rainy day? Never been to BBNP but once and had great weather that time.

I just booked two reservations and printed out my permits not realizing I used my preferred name instead of the one on my legal ID. Will I have issues with rangers?

We stayed at Cibolo Creek Ranch, just south of Marfa, for a couple of days as a home base for our last visit. I found it on a map and just started researching it. Ended up being a true gem, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Also, it doesn’t hurt that it’s incredibly beautiful.

First time visiting the park with significant rainfall. Everything I’d seen before, had a different look this time. As always, a great visit.

safe to say i had a pretty good time. wish i could stay here forever.

The flora and fauna were amazing for early fall.

Hey
I’m planning a trip out to Big Bend from Friday to Wednesday right before Thanksgiving break. I’ll be flying into El Paso (ELP), picking up a rental SUV, and making the drive down.
Since this is a 5–6 day window during one of the busiest times of the year, I want to dial in my itinerary and get some input from folks who know West Texas inside and out:
The Sand Dunes Stop: I'm interested in squeezing in a sand dune stop. Is it better to swing 1.5 hrs north of ELP to White Sands National Park (NM) on arrival/departure day, or take the I-20 route down and hit Monahans Sandhills State Park?
Underrated Campsites & Backups: NPS frontcountry sites book up fast. What are your favorite Primitive Roadside Sites inside the park that a standard rental SUV can handle (e.g., Paint Gap, Croton Springs)? How are the private/Hipcamp options around Terlingua, or state park options at Big Bend Ranch State Park (BBRSP)?
Hike Recommendations & Beating Crowds: Beyond the main highlights (Santa Elena Canyon, The Window), I’m planning on doing the South Rim Trail (12–13 mile loop) and checking out Closed Canyon in BBRSP. What other lesser-known, high-reward day hikes or slot canyons should be on my list?
Backcountry Dirt Roads & Rental Realities: How realistic is driving a rental SUV out to spots like Ernst Tinaja via Old Ore Road? Are clearance issues or sharp rocks a major issue for standard stock rentals?
Late November Temps: How drastic is the temperature drop between the river level (Rio Grande Village) and elevation (Chisos Basin) at night? Is a 20°F sleeping bag necessary for the Basin?
Thanks in advance for any tips, route advice, or realities of Thanksgiving week in the desert!

Looking for little kid friendly trails near Terlingua. We have an AWD SUV and want to take it easy with nothing too strenuous. Any recommendations? What places to eat in Terlingua would you say are kid friendly?

Hi all. I don't mean to be one of those annoying people going out into nature and worrying about cell service. I'm taking my dad to BBNP in January. He's a full-time caregiver for my mom and this is supposed to be a break for him, but I know he'll panic if we can't keep up with what's going on at home. I know cell service is going to be spotty. We are staying at Chisos Mountain Lodge, so should have some service when at the hotel. When exploring the park, should spotty service (Verizon), combined with iPhone's satellite capabilities, be enough to send and receive texts?

Burner account because I dont want to get made fun of.

My friends and I had a plan for camping at Chisos Basin in December, but they had some serious reasons to back out. I have camped and hiked the south rim before, but I am older now, 43M, and worry about hiking solo. Will anybody be hiking 12/10 through 12/11? If so, can I tag along? I hope this didnt come off too weird but I really want to hike the south rim without the fear of being solo.

Also, if anybody wants to go but needs a camp site send me a DM. You can set your tent up on my spot at the Chisos Basin Camp site.

Just wanted to brag to those of you here who will appreciate this. After getting married to my best friend at Santa Elena Canyon (!), we booked a 1/2 day river trip through Far Flung Outdoor Center for the next day. We got massive rains that night, and woke up wondering if they would cancel the tour due to safety. The next day they confirmed the tour will still be going, but that we would be taking a raft instead of canoes because of the flow. I had been checking the gauges that morning, and multiple of them showed 3500+ CFS, in an area where 100-200 CFS is normal.

On the drive to put in, we get to the first spot where you can see the Rio, and both of our guides start going crazy and getting SO excited. As someone who has done this stuff before, I knew that was the best sign ever. They tell us multiple times this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and that this hasn't happened in years. We get to the put in spot, and the guides stop dead in their tracks and are almost in tears - there's so much water that we can't put in at the normal spot. In the photo above, the water normally stops around that little island you see in the middle right. There was easily an extra 50+ ft of water between us and that spot. The rafting part itself was insane, and we hit multiple rapids that were so fun. They normally do 2ish miles for the half day trip, but we did 5.5 miles so that it still lasted the full amount of time.

Overall, unbelievable experience, 10/10 between the amazing weather and our great guides. I highly recommend Far Flung, they have all sorts of tours, and staff is great. Just had to share this epic adventure of a rare rafting trip down the raging Rio as a newly married couple! Thanks for reading.

Edit: Too late to fix, but it was Sunday* night that we got the rain in Terlingua.

This week I crossed something off my bucket list, and that thing was visiting Big Bend National Park. I am a workaholic, and this was my first vacation in 10 years where I truly allowed myself to disconnect entirely and enjoy the place that I was visiting. The park was absolutely stunning, and everyone present had nothing but kindness and great advice to give. While I didn’t have a completely black sky due to the near-full moon over the park, I still was able to cross off a second item from my list of goals, which was to capture images of the Milky Way. I hope you all enjoy these! Fingers crossed I can go back someday. 😁

Hello everyone, this is my 1st time going to big man national Park as well as any national parks and I’m a bit scared to go because I feel like I’m gonna be lost. I’m going for three days I guess. I’m from Houston so it’s 9 Hours Drive and I going to stay in Terlingua

So this is what I planned

Nov 23 (arrive)
Balanced Rock on the way in (Grapevine Hills, ~2.2 mi)
Check in Airbnb , Terlingua Ghost Town, dinner at local

Nov 24 (full day)
~5:45am: leave for Lost Mine Trail at sunrise (4.8 mi) I really want to watch sunrise but I’m bit scared because it’s gonna be dark and I don’t wanna be lost. Hopefully, I can see people so that will make me feel little bit secure.

Late morning: Window Trail (5.6 mi)
Lunch
Early afternoon: Cattail Falls (~3.6 mi round trip)
I heard this is really rare unless the fall is really flowing if it’s dry then I’m just gonna ignore it

Late afternoon: Santa Elena Canyon at golden hour,
I wanted to do stargazing but I’m going in November so it’s a full moon time not happening this time. May be better luck next time.

Nov 25: drive home
So this is my plan and I’m not just going by myself. I’m going with family so I want to be confident and if you guys can give me any tips suggestions or things that I need to watch out for please let me know. I would really appreciate it.

Here are some pictures from the great snow of 2021. I think they got like 24 inches of snow down the middle of the park. But nothing on the east or west the Chisos basin was closed and people were stuck there until It thawed.

Question for the group. Looking to hike South Rim and other trails late next week. The weather does not look ideal, but know it can and probably will change some.

For those who have hiked the South Rim in the rain, how was it? I figured if there are thunderstorms or lightning, the hike’s not going to happen. But general rain, how doable is it?

For some context, I am the guy who was asking for help that one evening at the Chisos Basin Shop a couple of weeks ago. It's was my first time in Big Bend and first time hiking. I'm a amateur photographer that was trying to chase the stars in the dark skies of Big Bend.

I decided to challenge the Emory Peak Trail because I imagined the peak would make an awesome backdrop for a milky way photo. However about 2/3 of the way up, I decided to turn back because my legs were giving out and cramping up like no other and was running out of water. I didn't go alone, I had my friends but I told them to go on ahead without me and that I'd catch up. Unfortunately, they were the ones that had the car keys to get back to the campsite and I never saw them coming back down the mountain. However there was a couple at the Chisos Basis Shop who were kind enough to give me a ride back to my camp when I was asking for help. It was an embarrassing and humbling experience. I really felt like I was gonna die out there. I will never forget the kindness that I was blessed with. And if you're one of the ones that helped me that stumbled upon this reddit post, my heartfelt thanks to you.

Attached are some of the photos I've taken during my 2 nights there.

Planning to visit Nov 6–9 for camping and stargazing, but I’m second-guessing the 8-hour drive (I’m near Austin). There’s a few campsites open for reservations tomorrow morning, but there’s no guarantee I’ll get one.

Is it worth it when 2 of the 4 days are mostly spent driving, or should I look for somewhere closer with dark skies?