National Parks

Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park, over 800,000 acres, encompasses the largest protected area of the Chihuahuan Desert and the only complete mountain range within a National Park in the United States. The boundary on the south is the Rio Grande River and the international border with Mexico.

The National Park site is your source for park maps and links to other resources. Visit Big Bend includes interactive map of area and link to virtual tours. American Southwest has lots of information and pictures of Big Bend. Big Bend Chat answers your questions about the Big Bend area.

The only campground that offers full hookups in Big Bend National Park is Rio Grande Village RV (432-477-2291). If you do not mind boondocking, there are two  other campgrounds in the National Park. However, they are not suggested for large RVs.

There are other RV camping options in nearby towns:

• Big Bend Travel Park - Study Butte, 432-371-2250
• Big Foot RV Park - Terlingua, 432-371-2518
• BJ's RV Park - Terlingua, 432-371-2259
• The Ranch RV Park - Marathon, 432-386-4511
• Stillwell RV Park and Museum - FM 2627, 432-376-2244
• Study Butte RV Park - Study Butte, 432-371-2468
  

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

In far west Texas, along the southern border of New Mexico, lies Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The unique geology, miles of hiking trails, and fossil forests are just some of the features that attract visitors to this magnificent mountain range. 

Bounded by the desert and pine forests, this is one of the most diverse parks in the Southwest US. Guadalupe Mountains National Park preserves one of the finest examples of ancient fossil reef on Earth.  An uplift exposed massive portions of the El Capitan Reef here and in the Delaware, Apache and Glass Mountains. View a large map of the area.

Most visitors enjoy 80 miles of trails in the park by hiking. Trails lead to Guadalupe Peak, around the base of El Capitan, up to the high country, and into McKittrick Canyon. You will need a 4x4 to journey far by wheels. 

There are two campgrounds in the park with RV spaces and tent sites, water and restrooms. If you are a seasoned backpacker, you might want to camp in the backcountry, which is free. Horseback riding also requires a free permit that can be obtained at the Headquarters Visitor Center or at the Dog Canyon Ranger Station. Click here to find RV and campgrounds.

Padre Island National Seashore

Padre Island National Seashore is the longest remaining undeveloped stretch of barrier island in the world.  The National Seashore stretches for 110 miles along the Texas coast, much of it cannot be accessed without 4-wheel drive or by boat.  Between the island and the mainland lies the largest lagoon in the world, the Laguna Madre.

Shallow, salty and teeming with life, the Laguna Madre covers 609 square miles of estuarine and coastal marine systems, stretching 200+ miles from southern Texas into northern Mexico. Meadows of seagrass thrive in the lower Laguna Madre, providing a nurturing home for young finfish, shrimp and shellfish. Having established an exclusive dependence on seagrass, more than 75 percent of the world population of redhead ducks winters in the Laguna Madre, which also provides wintering habitat for the endangered piping plover. Endangered sea turtles share the beaches and coastal mainland with two magnificent wildcats: ocelot and jaguarondi. Laguna Madre and Padre Island are considered to be world-class fishing, windsurfing and kiteboarding destinations.

San Antonio Missions National Historical Park

Remember the Alamo! John Wayne recreated the Alamo in Brackettville, Texas and spent a fortune to ensure that we would all remember the Alamo.

What is not remembered is that the Alamo is just one of many Spanish missions founded in Texas. The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park was established to preserve and interpret the chain of Spanish Missions that were built along the San Antonio River in the 18th century.

Start your trip at Mission San Jose with a 23-minute film, a ranger guided tour, and a visit to restored Spanish Colonial flour mill. Museums are located at Missions San Jose, San Juan, and Espada. Espada Aqueduct is the only functioning aqueduct from the Spanish Colonial Period in the United States.

Visit the National Park Services website to plan your visit.

Spend the day visiting missions that still serve as parish churches, light candles in dimly lit alcoves that echo with the prayers of centuries, and view some of the most pristine lands remaining on the San Antonio River. Ponder the priests that journeyed from Spain to Mexico to Texas to enslave the native population and build the enduring legacy that surrounds you. It is a breathtaking and a humbling experience.

Camino Real de los Tejas

The Camino Real de los Tejas was designated as a National Historic Trail in 2004. Many historical routes in Texas were named camino real (King's Highway). These reales followed prehistoric Indian trade routes from Mexico to the Mississippi and became the path for Spanish exploration and colonization in Texas.

The official website of the Camino Real de los Tejas is newly published and has information on East Texas and Louisiana sites on the road. This site will expand as the communities along the trail lend their historical knowledge and factual interpretation to the Camino Real de los Tejas.

• View a map of the missions and presidios on the Camino Real de los Tejas from the  UT Library Map Collection.
• Take a drive tour from San Antonio to San Marcos, Texas, loosely following the Camino Real de los Tejas.

You may follow the Camino Real del los Tejas from San Marcos to Nacogdoches, Texas and beyond. Journey on Hays Country Road 266; switch to State Highway 21 in Hays County; onto the Old San Antonio Road (OSR) that bypasses Bryan, College Station and Madisonville, Texas. Read about our Journey to Arkansas along this road.

Updqted 02/18/2011