Ferlong Loc: Texas

Around October 16 my wife and I will be spending 5 days in the vicinity of Big Bend National Park. I plan to work on my landscape photography, as well as my night photography. I welcome any comments or recommendations on areas of landscape interest as well as advice on photo techniques which might be peculiar to this area. I will be using a A7R3 and a Canon 5D Mark 4, with wide angle zoom and standard zoom lenses for both. I would be remiss if I did not try to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge and experience available on the site.

Thank you,
John

Drip Dry McFleye

We spent 8 days camping there last year in spring time. Big Bend is, well, big! Plan on spending a lot of time driving. Gasoline is only available in one or two places and they don't stay open late at all. Keep your tank topped up. My favorite things to photograph were cactus flowers and landscapes. Saw roadrunners, one bobcat and a few deer. A circular polarizer is very usefull to add saturation to the rocks and sky. My favorite area was up in the Chisos Mtns. Great sunset colors on the rock/mtns. right from the restaurant parking lot and trail there. Be sure to look behind you as well as directly at the setting sun.The only restaurant in the park is located at Chisos Basin. Would also recommend going to Santa Elaina (spelling?) to get a great view of the river canyon by hiking the trail up and then down closer to the river. Very worth the hike. We did a few of the rougher roads but if you have a car as opposed to a truck, SUV or van I'd not recommend it. We got some great cactus flower shots along one of those roads but not much else. You will get a lot of good advice if you stop in a visitors center and tell them what you are looking for. We did an awful lot of hiking and driving in those eight days.

Ferlong Loc: Texas

Thank you very much for your comments. They will be very helpful.
John

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Do you need anyone to carry gear, set up tents, gather firewood, dig latrines, etc? Have sleeping bag: will travel.

Ferlong Loc: Texas

Sorry, staying at a ranch house about 30 miles north in the middle of DARK SKY paradise.
John

ggenova64

Great Camera's!

ka5ysy

An important thing to remember : Big Bend National Park is an arid desert area. Always carry water with you in case of breakdowns . If hiking take a couple of large water bottles or canteens with you. Always carry more than you think you will drink.

If you plan on hiking, carry some kind of GPS and know how to use it to mark your start position. Some have a backtrack function that can take you back to your start point .

It is worth your life.

magpix Loc: St. Michaels, MD

As others have said, it's big and beautiful! We spent a week there camped at Rio Grande Village. The visitor center will give you good advice if you tell them you're there as a photographer. My only advice would be that if you're shooting near the border do not leave anything valuable in your car. There are signs everywhere warning of theft. Hiking on the designated trails near the Rio Grande, I found a number of makeshift "souvenir stands" on the ground with jars in which to deposit your money if you "purchased" something. Later that evening as I was hiking to catch the sunset, I came across an illegal on horseback who was collecting the day's receipts. I was a bit concerned as he eyed all my Nikon gear, but I smiled, and then he posed for a photo and went on his way. Also, unless you have a AWD car or truck, be careful not to get in over your head on some of the off pavement roads. It's an amazing, unforgettable place for hiking and photography. Enjoy!

whitehall Loc: Canada

Why “illegal”? Did you ask for his papers? surely even these days a different complexity does not translate into “illegal” or an assumption that he will relieve you of your camera. But then I am just a dumb Canadian!

mudduck

I go to the BB area every year for about the last 30. If you're not going in a 4x4 take one of the many off road companies in the area to go deep inside the park, One trip I recommend is to the old Mariscal mine (about 20 miles of gravel road). Don't forget a day trip to the McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis National Park and Marfa. The time of year is great, warm in the day cool at night. BB is the least visited NP in the lower 48 which means no crowds or traffic, very restful vacation. If hiking is in your agenda try the Lost mine trail, moderate difficulty, about 7 miles round trip, or the South Rim, 15 miles round trip, high difficulty. If you need more info on places and things to see contact me .

magpix Loc: St. Michaels, MD

I knew there would be someone who asked this question. The next morning we spoke with a park ranger and asked him about our experience. He said that this had become a fairly common occurrence, but that these horseback riders from across the river were harmless and only there to pick up the jars of money. He suggested that we do not "purchase" these souvenirs in hope of discouraging such activities.

Ferlong Loc: Texas

Thanks to all for their cautions and advice. Sad to see that politics is infecting a photographic site!

philz Loc: Rockaway Township NJ

I am thinking about going to Big Bend at the end of November, renting a vehicle in El Paso, but am concerned about where to stay. Especially the quality of the accommodations. Any input as to where to stay and what to see from there is appreciated.

Ferlong Loc: Texas

You might onsider this site.

https://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/texas/big-bend-country?k_clickid=EAIaIQobChMIjrOpne_n3QIVAQ9pCh3ALwOiEAAYAiAAEgLj9fD_BwE&ds_kids=p26952997363&ds_kid=43700026952997363&ksprof_id=700000001592040&ksdevice=c&ktarget=kwd-370514981180&kloct=&klocf=9028253&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjrOpne_n3QIVAQ9pCh3ALwOiEAAYAiAAEgLj9fD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CLzRh6Lv590CFYmOaQodaRQFvw

mudduck

The absolute best place in BB is the rock cottages in the Chisos Basin, the only problem with that is they're usually booked 6 months in advance. otherwise the golf resort at Lajitas ( high prices) or the BB Motor Lodge at Study Butte. Always call in advance to reserve rooms, some weeks ,Chili Cook-Off, thanksgiving, Xmas, spring breaks, are booked up. The best time to go in my experience is early spring(not spring break weeks) and hope you get there when the desert flowers are blooming. Another good place is the Chisos Mining Company (Easter Egg Motel) , look online and rent one of there condos.