Plan Your Trip

• Lodging in the park
• Campgrounds
• Traveling to Big Bend: Directions, Maps, Arriving after dark
• Other ways to stay: Backpacking, and Permit-only primitive roadside camping  
• Reservations: Campgrounds, Lodging
• Regulations: Laws & Policies, Compendium
• Your Safety | Visiting a border area
• Things to know before you come | Brochures
• Activities/things to do, Ranger-led Activities 

How NOT to die in the Desert

With over 800,000 acres of remote desert and mountains, visitors to Big Bend can wander and explore to their hearts’ content. But with this freedom comes risk. Every year, park staff must rescue hikers who either underestimate the terrain and/or temperatures or overestimate their own abilities. This environment is not forgiving; hikers have died here after going just a few hours without water.

Explore Big Bend's backcountry

Big Bend's river, desert, and mountain environments provide a multitude of backcountry experiences. Primitive dirt roads offer remote car camping; the Rio Grande offers single and multi-day float trips through majestic canyons; the Chisos Mountains offer a high-altitude retreat from the desert, and open-zone camping offers limitless desert exploration.

Big Bend and the Border: <i>Is it safe?</i>

In addition to defining the curve that forms the Big Bend, the Rio Grande also serves as the international boundary between the United States and Mexico. Throughout much of its history the border along the Rio Grande has often been fluid, allowing people of both countries to come and go as needed. However, the border is an artificial boundary imposed on the natural environment, and as such is subject to political and social pressures. Visitors often ask if the border is safe; the following pages explore what you need to know when visiting a border area.