Big Bend

Today's our last recap of our recent camping trip. Our family had the best time and honestly, I love camping more than I ever thought I would. We left this trip, and I started asking DJ where we could go next. I'm begging him for a trip over Spring Break, but we may just take our big trip this summer and that be it this year. As fun as it is, it's also time consuming and difficult with kids in activities. 

Sunday morning was a big day! We had really wanted to spend this entire trip in Big Bend, but we opted to stay 2 hours north in the Davis Mountains so we could go to the UT observatory. We had also hears that Big Bend was pretty remote and their camping sites aren't full hook ups, and we weren't sure if that should be our first experience boon docking alone let alone being that close to Mexico. 

We left our campsite around 7 am, and it took us 2 hours to get in to the park. We've taken the girls in to a handful of national parks and have to get pictures with the signs! 

DJ had planned our entire day. Since we only had a few hours we really had to have everything planned out. Our first stop was Santa Elena canyon. When you go in to the park entrance, the canyon is about 45 minutes south, but the views were gorgeous. 

Mountains in Texas are definitely different than other mountain ranges you might be use to. I think they're definitely a must see. 

We stopped at a park stand and bathroom stop and had a gorgeous view. We were only about 15 minutes from the Rio Grande and the canyon we would be hiking. The bathrooms were so clean; I was highly impressed! This is also the location of a house from the 1950s. I couldn't believe that people use to live in such a desolate area. 

After our bathroom stop, we hopped back in to the car and made it to the canyon. We got out and were immediately surrounded by gnats. 

There's a nice little "sidewalk" down to the Rio Grande, and many people were putting canoes in to the water to canoe down the canyon. It's definitely a bucket list item for me when we return! 

We had to walk beside the river a bit, and then cross over on to the side of the mountain, and at this point I was cursing DJ. The gnats were still awful and the trail was steep. 

Once we made it down, the gnats began to clear and we had a flat trail. The girls found this little tree "hut" and went inside. 

We had to walk up several ramps that were nicely paved to get back in to the canyon. 

As we were walking up the ramps, we had a nice view of the Rio Grande. The river isn't as grand as it use to be. All of the flat land you see, use to be under water. 

Once we got back in to the canyon, we hiked right along the river. 

We took our time just enjoying and taking it all in. We also enjoyed yelling and hearing the echos. 

We made our way back out and it was time for lunch. On our way down to the Santa Elena Canyon, we spotted the "mule ears" and saw there was a little pull out. In our mind, it was the perfect spot for our picnic lunch. Until we got out of the car and were still surrounded by gnats. We grabbed our sandwiches out of the cooler, and hopped back in to the car to eat while we looked at the mule ears. 

Can you see the "ears"?

After lunch we stopped at another pull out. Can you see the little trench in the back mountains? That's the canyon we had just hiked. 

There were no gnats at this spot so it was much more enjoyable to be outside! 

Megan found a "rock chair."

We got back in to the car and drove about 30 minutes to Chisos Basin, which is more in the middle of Big Bend. 

From here there's the "window trail", which is essentially that "v" between the two mountains. You can take a longer trail to see the window more up close, but we were short on time, and we opted for the .3 mile hike to view the window from afar. 

After we saw the window, we headed back to the tourist center and store. There were also bathrooms and hotels in this area as well as camping spot. 

Adalyn grabbed my phone and snapped some pictures on our way out. 

Then we ran in to a park ranger teaching about rocks and minerals. 

This part of the park seemed less desolate. There was even cell phone service!

We watched a lot of You Tube videos about Big Bend before we went. A lot of the videos talked about the dirt roads and the remote camping. I was fully expecting to go in to this dangerous, desolate national park, so I was surprised with the tourist areas and camp stores. 

Big Bend is huge though! I'd recommend 2-3 days if you're able to go, and I told DJ that I want to go back for sure, but this time, I want to hit the east side of the park. There's a place where you can cross the river and head in to Mexico. We just need to get passports for the girls. They also have hot springs, and I would love to canoe on the River Grande. 

Our trip was wonderful. Being able to unplug, get away, be together as aa family- that's why we camp! We also love making memories and seeing new places.

I can't wait for our trip back!