National Trails Day!

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Details: Created on Thursday, 02 June 2011 04:03; Published on Thursday, 02 June 2011 04:03; Written by Abe Connally

Question: What’s 940 miles long, connects 953 sites, and features 57 wildlife-watching sites? Answer: The Great Texas Trail! This month we’re celebrating the inauguration of the final link to this 15-year-old Texas wonder.

The Great Texas Trail is the first thing of its kind all the US. It’s a celebration of wildlife and natural beauty in the Lone Star State, connecting many of Texas’ cities, stretching from Orange to El Paso and from Amarillo to Brownsville (that’s the same as saying “from A to Z and back again). The trail is indeed a huge circuit that will bring you back to where you started. texas-road-map

Now, on June 2, the final part of this Great Trail—the Far West Texas Wildlife Trail—will be announced finished by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The Far West Texas Wildlife Trail is but one of nine such trails that come together to make the massive Great Texas Trail. It passes through three major sites: Fort Davis, Monahans, and El Paso. These will be the three locations for the celebration planed for the first week the trail will be open, which just happens to overlap National Trails Day, Saturday, June 4.

On June 2, you can attend an early morning bird walk at Davis Mountain State Park followed by a party at 10 AM. On June 3, you can expect another morning bird walk followed by official events at Monahans Sandhills State Park and a morning event the same day at Keystone Heritage Park in El Paso.

There will be free giveaways throughout the morning, including T-shirst, maps, hats, and sticker featuring National Trails Day and the Wildlife Trails. Don’t miss out on the fun.

Of course, if your in the mood for a road trip this summer, driving at least part of the Great Texas Trail won’t disappoint, especially if it just happens to take you around close to Big Bend National Park for a day or two of camping! Combine that with the Summer Discounts already being offered at the park, and you have nothing short of a good deal indeed!

Worth a Thousand Words

There are some views you just can't take in all at once. Like a dazzling sunset or breathtaking field of wildflowers—you just can't appreciate such beauty in the moment, a moment that is often over before you realize it, the forms and colors of that marvelous vista already fading in your memory. Perhaps it was with the goal of preserving such scenes that the first camera was invented, a goal that you may still share when you visit a place as beautiful as Big Bend and the surrounding area. Why not take a look through our new and improved photo galleries to see what amazing sights have been preserved by astounded visitors and appreciative locals? When you see the mountains, plains, flora, and fauna displayed in those images, you'll be glad the gallery contributors took their camera along.

Birding in Big Bend

Among the many activities available in Big Bend National Park that highlight the region's diversity of wildlife, birding can be enjoyable and promising. Big Bend engulfs a vast area, bounded by the the rushing Rio Grande valley to the south, containing high peaks in the Chisos Mountains, and boasting both desert and forest climates between the two. It embodies the very diversity that makes America great, providing countless opportunities to spot more than 450 birds in one area.

Your Big Year is Here

What are your new year's resolutions for 2012? Did you keep your resolutions for 2011? While the top resolutions each year include losing weight, learning something new, traveling, or getting out of debt, here's a new challenge you can take on this year: spot all the bird species in Big Bend National Park.

Big Bend Video Collections

Big Bend has some of the most spectacular scenery in Texas, if not the entire US. Our big sky country rivals any other state and our night skies are as dark as anywhere for excellent star gazing. The beautiful light and great scenery make for a photographer’s paradise.

Trails and Wildlife

There are many things you may love to do in Big Bend National Park in the heat of summer, but running or jogging is probably not one of them. With 90+ degree temperatures, there simply is no such thing as a nice July run in West Texas. With the dry weather we've had this year, you have truly hostile workout conditions. That all changes this time of year, though, as temperatures drop and the sun gives us a break for a few months. What a great time to get out on some trails in Big Bend!

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