BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK.....IN PICTURES

Big Bend National Park is huge....nearly 1 million acres of rugged beauty in the very southern part of the State of Texas.   There are mountains galore every where you look....as a backdrop to the unforgiving beauty of the Chihuahuan Desert in the foreground.

Here is an example of the mountain ranges than ring Big Bend. These make up part of the Sierra Del Carmen range in Mexico.

We didn't find out exactly what these white rocks are....but they add a great contrast to the more typical dark rock of the Big Bend.

April is a great month to visit the deserts in the US as this photo of the Prickly Pear Cactus attest....there are many examples of beautiful flora throughout the desert.

As we approach the very southern reaches of the park, the view ahead is of the Del Carmen range, with the Santa Elena Canyon in the center cut.   The Rio Grande, which is known as the Rio Bravo in Mexico, made this dramatic cut in the mountains over the millennium, creating the 1500 foot high canyon walls.

Here is a closer look at Santa Elena Canyon....and yes, I was knee deep in the Rio Grande river when taking the photo.  If only the river had more water in it....we could have kayaked up into the Canyon.   Maybe next time!!

A view of the Del Carmen range in the background taken from the Castolon Outpost near the very southern part of Big Bend.

As the sign notes, the Panther Junction headquarters of Big Bend Park is 21 miles east...but our route was west to Lajitas, via Study Butte and Terlingua.   Our visit to the park was over several days...but our best day was our visit with John and Alison before they had to depart back to England.   Big Bend is out of the way....one really has to want to go there...and we're glad we did.