Big Bend NP in summer

[trailernovice]

DW wants to see big bend NP...summer best for us, since we have a school-age child...

Park told me, no need for reservations over the summer months because park nearly empty

Would like to hear from folks who've been there, re. whether Big Bend is bearable in the summer months.

Thanks

[zb39]

Go for it. We took our kids every where in the summer. From Death Valley to Alaska. Just do it, you will be glad you did and the kids will love it.

[DougE]

How about going Thanksgiving week when the kid is out of school? The cold will be easier to compensate for than the heat of the summer. You may or may not get a freeze depending on the weather cycle. As a mid-way point I would suggest stopping for the night at Seminole Canyon State Park close to the Pecos River bridge on Hwy 90.

[2gypsies1]

Here's the park's web site with lots of good information:

https://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/weather.htm

It will be hot and it would be dangerous to go hiking if you don't know what you're doing in high heat. Take twice or 3x as much water as you think you'll need.

The coolest temps will be at the Chisos campground in the park. Read about it in the above link. It's at 5400' elevations so it will only be 'cooler' that the desert floor, not 'cool'. 🙂

The 'recommended' trailer length to get there via the paved road is 20' and I believe 25' for a motorhome. This is because of the narrow road winding up the mountain. However, since there will likely be no one else or very few up there, you might want to call the park and see if they would allow you to drive up there if you're a little over-length. I know some bigger rigs do, such as the campground host but for them the rangers would block the road off from others until they got up the hill. It doesn't take long. I don't know if they would do it for you or not.

A better alternative would be to go during a school break at a different time of year such as Thanksgiving which is an awesome time to be there when the cottowwoods are in their yellow glory.

For summer, how about driving into New Mexico to get cool. Ruidoso, NM is full of Texans! 🙂 Warning - not all of New Mexico is cool either. You have to go by elevations when you check out towns. To be really cool you need to be at least at 6500' EL; 7500'-8000' is better yet.

Good luck!

[Thunder_Mountai]

Just don't do it. Your AC will run 24/7 and you might get the inside down to 80 degrees if there is a cool spell. If nobody else goes there in the summer, there is a reason. Big Bend is beautiful. Put it on your bucket list for later.

[Lwiddis]

Nearly empty NPs are nearly empty for a reason. Too bad Big Bend doesn't have a more descriptive name like DEATH VALLEY.

[huachuca]

Big Bend NP is worth the visit at any time. Since it looks like you call Mission home, I'm sure you know what to expect with regard to temps. Lots of great hikes of less than four hours - start early in the morning, take one gallon of water per person and you'll be good with a reasonable amount of care, it will be cooler in the Basin.

There's a full hookup campground in the Park on the east end. Several good back roads for drives during the day. Again, take plenty of water and make sure your spare is in good condition and that your jack works.

[agesilaus]

OK we did it four years ago. My wife works for the school system so we are limited to summers. First make sure you have a working a/c. We didn't do any long hikes but seeing that you have a high clearance truck you can do what we did. Explore the back road network, get out do fairly short walks. Wear hats, we wear shorts but actually the brush and potential snakes make long pants more sensible. There is a spring at the east end of the park on the river which is a swimming hole. We've been there a couple of times but haven't made it there to the springs yet. I would not swim in the river, when the section you are looking at has actual water in it , it's muddy water and the Mexicans don't care what they pump or throw in it.

If you want to cross over to Mexico don't forget you'll need passports.

Drive the River road, that's a long day so carry drinks, snacks and probably a lunch would be a good idea. There are mine ruins, and a large ghost town that your child will really like. There are short side roads to the river. Very much worth the drive.

Visit Terlingua tho it will be mostly closed up, they have a historic graveyard and other places to look. The one open general store/tourist trap place (in the town not outside) had a lot of stuff mildly NSFW in large quantities. I guess that's the clientele they get in the busy season winter. So decide if you want your child in there.

There is a State Park: Big Bend River Ranch. It has an excellent cool temperature slot canyon right on the river. Maybe 1000-1500 feet do walk it. There was no river (dried up) when we went. It's called Closed Canyon on 170. Also there is a movie set town there were they filmed some TV and movies. Right off the road you'll see it. Stop there. There are some river access points where you can easily walk across from one country to another. No fences or Border agents in sight. Tho my wife says she saw a threatening sign.

Of course the best time to to hike is very early or later in the day but the park is big that it's hard to do. Drive up to the Chisos Basin, that's the only place you'll probably see a number of people, it's higher altitude and cool there.

Under no circumstances drive Black Gap road, it's a short body 4WD vehicle difficult 4WD road. Unless of course you are experts with the right vehicle, I understand it involves serious rock crawling. The rest of the roads are safe so far as I know.

We stayed at Study Butte right outside the west gate of the park, it was the only open RV CG (just a flat bare patch of sand) but with FHU. I understand there is a FHU CG in the park, stay there if you can.

Lastly shop at Alpine or Ft Stockton before you get there, prices are high at the park. There is a mini supermarket just south of Study Butte and there is fuel inside the park and at Study Butte. We planned for a week but called it quits after 5 days. It was hot hot hot. But we still had a good time. Don't plan on sitting in the CG the a/c might have trouble keeping up. And remember we are Floridians when we say that.

Have a good time, we did.

[TexasShadow]

There is a full service RV park in Terlingua, just outside the park. not fancy but it will keep the a/c going. 🙂 called the Big Bend RV park.

When you are touring the park, carry plenty of water.

[janechucknicode]

Was in Texas for 3 winters, every one that visited the NP says' IF you go,, GET there as early as poss.Right after school is out OR take you child out of school early to do this.

Also the road is one way, down and one way back,, Make sure you have fuel for the trip into and out.

A a Texan you know it gets warm sometimes quicker than you wish so make ready. Plenty of water and safety first.

Double check the paper work from the park services for the park.

Good fun and have a great time.
:B