Day Trips

Photo by Gerald E. McLeod

Everything about the Big Bend Ranch State Park outside of Presidio is hard. It's hard to get to, it's hard to stay, and it's hard to forget. The park's motto is "unforgiving and unforgettable" for good reason.

On the west side of Big Bend National Park, BBRSP is desert surrounded by mountains. The state's largest state park covers more than 400 rugged square miles. The landscape is either exposed rock or covered with thorny bushes.

The ideal way to see BBRSP is to fly into the airstrip at the park and rent the Big House. In this austere environment, the former ranch owners' house seems palatial. The three bedrooms are spacious, well-appointed, and come with indoor plumbing. At $100 per bedroom, this might be one of the best values in the state park inventory. If you can get to it.

For most of us, a private airplane isn't an option. From Austin, it's 500 miles to the turnoff into the park. The last 27 teeth-rattling miles is an hour and a half drive to Sauceda, the park headquarters.

It's not the clearance of the vehicle as much as it is the kind of tires it has that dictates the level of difficulty. Face it, your car probably has "city" tires. "Slow down and you'll make it just fine," says park superintendent Rod Trevizo. If you're going beyond the warning signs, he advises bringing two spares.

The state purchased the 311,000-acre overgrazed cattle and sheep ranch in 1988. Despite the ecological damage still evident, the land supports a variety of plants and animals.

Making improvements to the remote park has been slow for the cash-strapped state park system, especially a park that receives around 10,000 visitors per year. The staff is justifiably proud of the improved access, new services, and 55 new campsites.

Each of the campsites comes with a covered picnic table. Buena vistas are everywhere, but shade is spare. There are chemical toilets, but the showers are at the headquarters. The new gift shop sells T-shirts, first-aid kits, ice, and rents bicycles, but little else.

One luxury BBRSP offers is meals. You can buy food at the bunkhouse, a barnlike building that sleeps 15 males on one side and 15 females on the other. For $25 per night, per person, the dormitory and living area are often filled with groups.

At the end of the day, the desert cools rapidly. The moon illuminates the open landscape like a giant street lamp, and once it sets, the stars look so big and bright that you think you can reach out and touch them.

Big Bend Ranch State Park also includes the Fort Leaton State Historic Site in Presidio and the Barton Warnock Environmental Education Center in Lajitas. For information on the park, go to www.tpwd.state.tx.us. To contact the park directly, call 432/229-3416.

932nd in a series. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of "Day Trips 101-200," is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.