BIG BEND RANCH STATE PARK
Big Bend Ranch State Park offers outdoor recreation for the truly adventurous. This remote park features rugged mountains, steep canyons, amazing views, unparalleled night skies, and solitude in a high desert setting. The park stretches along the Rio Grande in far west Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Visitors can hike, mountain-bike, backpack, paddle, ride horses or explore by vehicle the park has two- and four-wheel-drive roads. The park has been designated an International Dark Sky Park learn more about stargazing here. This is Texas' biggest state park.
Campers can choose from drive-up or hike-in primitive sites, or equestrian sites. All sites except backcountry can be reached by vehicle. Some roads require four-wheel-drive or high clearance. Campsites offer solitude and great vistas all except backcountry offer some camp amenities.
Big Bend Ranch State Park is
1. Big Bend Ranch State Park offers numerous picnic spots with stunning views of the Chihuahuan Desert.
2. Picnic tables are available at Fort Leaton and Barton Warnock Visitor Centers.
3. Visitors can enjoy a riverside picnic along the Rio Grande River, accessible by car or hiking trails.
4. The park provides grills for barbecuing near some designated picnicking areas.
5. For an adventurous experience, try backcountry picnicking in more remote parts of this vast wilderness area.
Exploring Big Bend Ranch State Park on horseback is a true wild west experience. Horses can be ridden in most areas of the park. Mules are allowed, also. Some campsites have pens. Agua Adentro Pens is the best base for a horseback trip.
The park has 238 miles of multiuse trails for hiking, biking and riding horses. Explore 70 miles of unmaintained dirt roads in high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicles. The Rio Grande/Rio Bravo area offers great day-use access. Float, fish and hike, or drive the scenic Camino del Rio FM 170.
More than 300 bird species live in the parks various Chihuahuan Desert habitats grasslands, desert scrub, canyons, and riparian woodlands and thickets.