This was our second time visiting Big Bend National Park and the Leh-Garza’s first. The beauty of the park’s landscape is realized immediately. This is where deserts, mountains, and rivers meet, and the view of the stars is like no other.
We got a bit carried away with our sign photos but that’s what happens when you travel with photographers.
Dark Skies
On our first day we fit in a little bit of off-roading and a short hike. We recommend exploring the back roads if you are looking for a bit more solitude in this amazing landscape. If you have the time to stay on the back roads until after sunset you should most definitely do it. The colors of the Big Bend sky are magnificent as the mountains are blanketed with the beautiful orange tones of the sunset. The true magic is the dark night sky, after the sun disappears, you are left with more stars than you can imagine!
Big Bend National Park was named as an international dark sky, it’s one of only ten places in the world certified for dark-sky stargazing and the park has the darkest measured skies in the lower 48 United States. The clear view of the Milky Way is one of the best we’ve seen, which makes time-lapse photography that much more awesome!
Camping & Hiking
We set up camp at the Cotton Wood campground and had a dinner of burgers and s’mores. We topped it off with some local brews and prepared for a cold night. Sleeping in 30-degree weather is not always the plan but you just have to roll with the punches when you’re out in nature.
Morning brought us straight to Santa Elena Canyon. One of the most popular destinations in Big Bend, it’s truly amazing inside the canyon. The Rio Grande has carved through this rock for many, many years, creating a beautiful canyon that visitors can kayak and hike into. The hike is a short climb with an easy walk to the end of the trail, where you can find a spot to sit and reflect.
Our perfect end to the day was more bridal photos. We only had one day left in Big Bend so we had to play trash the dress one more time. We watched the sunset behind the canyon and prepared for our last day. Freezing temperatures, thick fog, ice, and threats of snow; we didn’t care. We braved the cold for one last rendezvous with this amazing park.
Hot Springs
Hot springs in Big Bend! We were not prepared to go into the springs this time, but we wanted to get a look at them. We found that right across the river, which is Mexico, someone lived in a hut. They would swim (or boat, we don’t really know how) across the river to set up their crafts for sale. Then at the end of the day, they would come back to retrieve their money and remaining items! We had to get in a photo of us with the Mexican hut. (The small black hole behind us = Mexican hut)
