Bucket list: Big Bend

Big Bend has been #1 on my bucket list for a long time.  How can I have lived my whole life in Tx and never been here?

There are actually two parks in the Area:

1. Big Bend national park, which is what most people are thinking about; and

2. Big Bend Ranch state park, through which the Presidio - Lajitas drive runs (no charge to drive through).  It may be the most beautiful stretch of road in Texas.

I drove through the park and overnighted in Big Bend.  Camping there is problematic for boondocker, although better than state parks.    There are two ways to camp in the park:

• improved (normal) campsites - $14/night

• backcountry campsites - $12 for a period up to 1 week.

The backcountry sites sound closest to what a boondocker would want.   Unfortunately, all these sites (and there aren’t many) are all on “4wd required” trails and have to be “reserved” on your permit in advance if you want to keep the $12 price.   If you want to move around you have to know when and where you will move ahead of time.

I made it down the trail to my first spot, La Noria 1.  You can load up google maps with the coords to have a look.

The next night I was supposed to camp in the Solis campsite.  I didn’t make it.

The story my finding the PM’s limits will be in the next post.