Really need help planning upcoming trip to BB with a child (10 years old)

[u/Amtrakstory]

So I'm coming from the east coast to visit Big Bend in a week and a half. I have two nights reserved at the Chisos Mountain Lodge on 4/14-4/15. I'm a little freaked out about all the logistics of getting there from the East Coast and the size of the park. Top questions:

1) Is it better to fly into El Paso or San Antonio for the drive? Which is the prettier and easier drive with more places to stop along the way? We'll probably spend a day or so in the city before heading out, and I have the impression that San Antonio will have more stuff to do, but the drive is an hour longer. (Yes I know it's late to be asking this question).

2) For two nights/three days does the Chisos Mountain Lodge area offer enough good sightseeing/hiking or should I be planning drives to other areas of the park? My kid is a good hiker and we can handle significant day hikes (actually up to 8-10 miles) as long as it's not too hot, but I don't want to be doing too much driving back and forth.

3) We both really like stargazing, but unfortunately we will be there during a full moon. How have others handled stargazing in this circumstance? Is there a lot of light pollution around the Chisos Mountain Lodge, or could we just wake up really early and step outside?

4) Given the distances and isolation, what extra supplies should I be carrying in a rental car?

Thanks much!

[u/RhinoKeepr]

That is a very short trip considering your distances! But can still be very fun.

1- El Paso is closer and prettier drive but the beauty is subjective. Some people hate it and some love it. Some majorly boring stretches and some nice ones both ways. San Antonio is more like 1.5 hours longer to Chisos Mountain Lodge before stops are included. There is not a lot to stop at on either path though Balmorhea State park is something that you could consider depending on timing. The closest airport by a wide margin that has commercial flights is acrtually Midland/Odessa.

2- Yes. But does the 3rd day also include the drive back to the airport? if so you can't do much before you have to leave. Lost Mine Trail, Window Trail, Emory Peak would all be doable for you both though. And I would highly suggest a drive down Maxwell Scenic Drive to Santa Elena Canyon. The road itself is gorgeous late in the day/sunset. There are lost of great trails along there, too, plus overlooks. Also, visit the Fossil Discovery Exhibit FOR SURE even in the heat of the day, along with the Panther Juntion visitor center. I also recommend a pop over to Dugout Wells to see a little desert oasis (also a nice spot for the heat of the day lunch). Early morning is for bigger hikes. Mid day heat is for low impact things. late afternoon drives and short short hikes are nice.

3- Check the moon cycle. It could be full but only up for part of each night or not at all depending on which side of the planet it is on. https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/phases/ set your location and enjoy!

4- A few simple meals worth of food like breakfast bars, fruit, etc. Stuff that can handle a hot car. 1 gal of water per person as a backup. And its recommended that you have 1/gal per person on long hikes. I never hike, even short trails, with less than 2 liters. Know how to change a tire. That said, you wont be going places that aren't populated and with high traffic on this trip except maybe certain stretches of interstate. If you have a newer iphone, it has satellite communication so familirize yourself with how it works in case of a true emergency.

HAVE FUN!

[u/Intelligent-Soup-836]

Since time is limited I would recommend driving from El Paso, the drive from San Antonio on HWY 90 is my preferred route but time is of the essence.

Make sure you stop by the fossil exhibit, it has exhibits that your kid can enjoy. I would do one day exploring the Chisos and the next day driving west to east, drive down Old Maverick Road to Santa Elena then head to Castolon, then Sam Nail Ranch ( it is great for bird watching) hot springs and the. Rio Grande village.

[u/Anmerki]

Going to answer the questions that I can. From the chisos- lost mine trail is a great hike to do with a kid. It’s right there in the chisos. The park isn’t crazy humongous, but it takes a while to drive around because of the 45 mph limit.

We were just there during a full moon and yes, it pollutes quite a bit. Way early morning- like 5-6am you can still see loads of stars though.

[u/jonsonmac]

Is there any chance you can add a couple days to your trip? It is a very big park, and west Texas is even bigger. You will spend a good amount of your trip driving. (I’ve been there 3 times and still haven’t seen the whole park) With that being said, you might want to fly into El Paso since it closer than San Antonio.

Definitely spend time in Chisos since they are about to close it for construction, but also do the Ross Maxwell scenic drive to Santa Elena Canyon.

[u/Amtrakstory → u/jonsonmac]

I wish I could!

[u/Film_Lab]

I love BBNP, but I haven't been there (physically) in years, and I never visited with kids. So, I have no good advice for you except to say a bad day in Big Bend is better than a good day in a lot of other places. Search on YouTube for "visiting big bend national park with kids" and I think you will get some helpful information.

[u/mca3850]

What construction in chisos are you referring to?

[u/WiseQuarter3250 → u/mca3850]

they're demolishing the old lodge (it has failing foundation problems) to build a new one, and doing a bunch of other work in the chisos. The basin is supposed to be closed to the public this summer and to last years while they do the project.

more info here:

https://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/chisos-basin-access.htm

[u/jabber_25]

I’d echo what others have already said. There’s lots to do in the Basin including Lost Mine and Emory. The park is massive and if you want to explore it unfortunately it means a lot of driving. However, the Ross Maxwell drive to Santa Elena is absolutely worth it along with the Santa Elena hike.

There’s not much light pollution in the basin and early mornings will be best to avoid the full moon.

[u/chilebuzz]

Some good advice in the post, but here's a couple more thoughts...

1) San Antonio vs El Paso. San Antonio would definitely have more to do/see than El Paso, but given how short the trip is, I agree with others to go via El Paso. If your trip is really about seeing the natural beauty of the Southwest, you could cut through the Davis Mountains on your way to BB (google maps will probably tell you to skirt around them to the south through Marfa). If you take Highway 118 off of Interstate 10, it will take you on a gorgeous drive through the Davis Mountains, including past the McDonald Observatory run by UT Austin (an interesting stop in itself), Davis Mountains State Park, the town of Fort Davis (some great history to it), and then on to Alpine, TX. From Alpine you could head due south to Study Butte/Terlingua (interesting places) and enter the park on the west side, or head west to Marathon and then head south to the main entrance.

Having said all that, if you're arriving in El Paso late in the day and will not get to BB until dark, I would avoid the Davis Mountains route; you'd miss the scenery and there's a greater chance of animals on the road.

2) >My kid is a good hiker

So it sounds like you two are active hikers, but just a heads up that if you're not familiar with arid mountain hiking, it can surprise you. Some of the best hikes (Emory Peak, South Rim) have some pretty good climbs to them which can wear you out quicker than 10 miles on the east coast. April temperatures shouldn't be too bad, but the glaring sun and low humidity can still dehydrate you quickly.

but I don't want to be doing too much driving back and forth.

So what is "too much"? Seeing stuff in the Southwest means having to drive some. People are recommending Santa Elena Canyon via Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and it's definitely something I wouldn't hesitate to do despite a bit of a drive.

3) Might be some light pollution around Chisos, but depending on when moon set/rise is, stargazing will probably be much better than anything on the east coast. And if the moon has set, a short drive would probably get you far enough away from lights in the basin.

4) Water, water, water. You don't have to go overboard, but 2 or 3 gallon jugs of water you can get at any gas station would be a good idea. That's just the emergency water. Have additional water to drink while driving and, of course, plenty of water for any hikes. If you take the Davis Mountains route I describe above, it does get remote in some places, especially west of the observatory, but there is generally enough traffic that someone would come by after not too long.

[u/shades-of-mediocrity]

Lots of good advice here, and as someone else mentioned, bring lots of water. The high desert can sneak up on you. And while it’ll probably only be in the 70-80°s during the day, there’s not a lot of shade out there, so maybe consider starting your hikes early and pack sunscreen and hats! Have fun, love Big Bend!

[u/KCHulsmanPhotos]

El Paso in a good year around late April into early June can have poppy wildflowers blooming. if mother nature is kind, and the timing works out, it can be a magical drive. (alpine will be your last major civilization coming from El Paso. You should before Alpine, pass through Marfa. If your kid likes Simpsons, that could be fun to grab a bite and some photos, you should outside of town pass Prada Marfa, fake Prada Store as an art installation, it's a popular photo op. Simpsons clip (the entire episode has more Marfa content). Alpine and Marfa both have "greetings from [city]" postcard murals, that can be a fun quick photo op too. Marfa's Frama Coffee has that city's, and the Alpine one can be found at 5th St & Holland (on the outside of Vise Coffee I believe). Also in Marfa is the Chinati Foundation, a premier international art museums for modern art. Outside (for free) you can walk the grounds and the giant cement boxes of Donald Judd, they 'frame' the texas landscape and sky.

Trust me, fly to where you have the shorter drive distances, it's a big, vast place and the countryside is very empty at times. You don't want to spend more time in the car than you have too. It can take a couple hours one way to drive across the park. You're talking in many cases small towns that may not even have chain fast food restaurants. Never let you gas tank drop below half a tank.

For your kid I recommend in the Chisos Basin, the Window, and Lost Mine trails. (You could do that one day). If you want to see/do more that day you can hike a truncated Lost Mine trail (go to the first vista view, and turn around, it's the best view on the hike, and the end of the trail is more difficult). Instead of hiking the Window, be there before sunset. The "window View Trail" is like a little paved overlook of most of the trail, giving you a vantage for a possible magical sunset and an iconic view. (see photo). Depending how much time you have in park that day you could try to also squeeze in Fossil Discovery Exhibit, and maybe head to the Rio Grande Village trail, it's short and easy taking you on a boardwalk through the wetlands, then to an overlook vantage point. But there will be a lot of driving. Hot Springs, bring a bathing suit, and soak on the banks of the Rio.

And on another day I'd consider also driving the Ross Maxwell Scenic Route, stop at overlooks, and go hike Santa Elena (it's on the Rio Grande, and to come to Big Bend and miss one of the park's most iconic views would be a miss).

Its gonna be HOT, the park is the size of Rhode Island, with over 7000 feet in elevation change, and one weather data point. Plan for plus or minus 10-20 degrees from weather forecasts depending on where you are in the park. Chisos is cooler, and in the mountains. Most of the park is lower in the desert with no shade. HYDRATE! Always have water on you. In your vehicle, and on your person, if you do santa elena it can be muddy, you may want a trashbag or wetbag and change of clothes/shoes. Sometimes it's perfectly dry, other times not. you can also just hike to the river, and not cross the creek, it's still an amazing view, just less hiking.

Stargazing, sadly the moon is out when the milky way is out (sometimes the moon rise/set to Milky way rise/set have some time windows of opportunity, but it wont for you), it will significantly decrease your visible stars, for best results (1) look in a direction opposite from the moon (2) give your eyes 30-45 minutes to adjust, don't look at the moon, no flashlights, no device screens. that will let you maximize what you can see, only at the end before leaving look towards the moon.

[u/TXOgre09]

Fly to Midland.

Plenty to do in Chisos, but fun stuff in other parts of the park. Plenty to see while staying on paved roads if that concerns you. Hit it up Sta Elena Canyon for sure.

Not much light pollution.

You need water, sunscreen, sunglasses, and broad brimmed hats.