Big Bend National Park, named for the great turn the Rio Grande River makes in southwest Texas, is America's least visited national park due to its remote location. This vast and extraordinary Park contains three natural divisions: the Rio Grande with its 118 miles of lush, green floodplain; the sprawling Chihuahuan Desert and the majestic Chisos Mountain Range.
The Park boasts more than 450 species of birds and a diverse range of mammals from black bears and mountain lions to javelinas and jackrabbits. Join us for this week-long glimpse into the splendors of the "Last Frontier of Texas" as we hike to the rim of the Chisos Mountains and canoe along the Mexican border through magnificent Santa Elena Canyon.
Inn & camp highlights: Our lodging ranges from a 1927 hotel built as a gathering place for ranchers and miners to a national park lodge set in the heart of the Chisos Mountains to a five-star resort and spa full of Old West ambience. Plus camp at the head of spectacular Santa Elena Canyon under star-saturated West Texas skies
Your Itinerary
Days 1-2: Fort Davis-Big Bend National Park
We shuttle from El Paso to Marathon, Texas ("Gateway to the Big Bend") with a stop at Fort Davis National Historic Site, a frontier military post during the Indian wars of the late 1800s. Then it's on to the Park for two spectacular hikes in the Chisos Mountains, featuring grand vistas and the diverse plant and bird life found in this transition zone. (B/L/D).
Day 3: Big Bend National Park
Today we do the Park's signature hike--a classic loop to the South Rim, with unparalleled views of the Rio Grande nearly a mile below and the mountains of Mexico in the distance. We first ascend through the Pinnacles, follow Boot Spring to the Rim and return via Laguna Meadows. The trail features oaks, pines, junipers and madrone trees--and few other hikers--concluding back at our lodge. (B/L/D).
Days 4-5: Rio Grande River
Get set for two days of breathtaking canyon and river corridor scenery as we canoe along the Mexican border on the Rio Grande. After canoeing through beautiful limestone and rhyolite canyons, a barbecue and Dutch oven dessert await at our camp site as reward for a great day of paddling. We launch the next day into incredible Santa Elena Canyon, with its walls towering 1500 feet above. Bring your camera! (B/L/D).
Days 6-7: Lajitas - Big Bend Ranch State Park
Pamper yourself at the pool and spa or choose from a myriad of new activities--horseback riding, mountain biking, golfing, bird watching, salsa lessons, mixology, flower arrangement and more. Our final Tex-Mex dinner is set in the fun west Texas atmosphere of the historic Starlight Theatre in Terlingua. Our final hike en route to El Paso is into a narrow slot canyon where the walls are an armslength apart. (B/L/D).
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Trip Fees Include: All meals, accommodations (double occupancy), T-shirt, water bottle, national and state park entrance fees, all necessary equipment for the canoe and camping trip including tent, sleeping bag and pad, life jacket, and dry bag, support vehicle, and professional guides.
Trip Fees Exclude: Airfare, personal insurance, miscellaneous hotel expenses (phone, fax, laundry, etc.), services not specified in the tour itinerary, lunch on Day 6, certain activities on the free day at Lajitas and guide gratuities (an appropriate gratuity to each trip leader is $75-$100 per guest).
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Hiking & Trekking
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