Drip Dry McFleye

The "best" place to stay is in the park if at all possible. The driving back and forth from outside the park is long, boring and a great time waster. I know that because we did the driving the first two days we were there. There are cabins to rent at Chisos Basin but they are often booked well in advance. There are also two campgrounds that are tailored to RV camping. We camped in a tent in another campground located at Chisos. Even those tent/small RV sites were at a premium when we were there (spring).

bplotz Loc: Wildwood Missouri

There are a couple of really cool areas to shoot. I got some awesome BW photos at the “Ghost town” Terlingua just outside of Big Bend. There is also a old abandoned mine inside the park. It’s along the 4wd trail that is along the Rio Grande. I’d say about 1/2 way along the trail. I was driving a Toyota 4wd Pickup and had no issues getting threw.

quote=Ferlong]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[/quote]

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

This park is big, as others have stated. It is also vertical, with very interesting topography, geography, and geology. There are a surprising number of species thriving in the park, including black bears and mountain lions. Don't be in a hurry. I'm not familiar with the southeast corner of the park, but the main road into the park from the north passes numerous places and items of interest (you will have to be on the lookout for them...they are not obvious, and the road to Castolon presents many opportunities. Terlingua (outside the park on the west side) is pretty interesting as well.

We are right now at the end of the three month rainy season, so vegetation may still be pretty attractive. Before this area was a national park, it was noted for mercury mining.

In line with the cautions stated above, remember that the closest hospital is in Alpine, which is about 100 miles away. So make good choices. Cell service is available only in the near vicinity of Panther Junction (the main park crossroads), and (if installation has been completed) in the Chisos Basin near the lodge.

Have fun. I wish I was able to go back. The Milky Way should be close to overhead or slightly to the west at Sunset. There is a turnout and parking area at Milepost 2 on the road to Castolon which is good for night sky photographs with the Chisos Mountains visible to the east. There is also a location at Milepost 9 north of Panther Junction which I have not used at night, but which should also be quite good both for night sky and for good views of the Chisos Mountains. You should have close to a new moon while there, but you might have to wait a short while for it to set.

Let us know how you do.

whatdat Loc: Del Valle, Tx.

Enjoyed reading the comments on Big Bend. We have been there 12 times over the last 47 years; 9 of those times with our horses (could cover more ground than hiking). Going back again this November. You have gotten some great advice from UHH members here. Check out the places you were told about.
As for the gent on horse back; he was probably from Boquillas, Mexico across the river. Absolutely beautiful. They do have mountain lions as well as a few black bear and, of course, rattlesnakes. Just be aware of your surroundings. Enjoy!!!

Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast

I second the side trip to the McDonald Observatory and try and go when a 'Star Party' is on the schedule, worth every penny and that's about what it costs, cold at night at 8000' +...go on a moonless night if you can. Hamburger joint on west side of Marfa, Mando's Grill, is great, worth a stop, good burgers with jalapenos. And of course the goofy Prado artist expression on hwy 90.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Hmmm...... I don't want to encourage illegal immigration, but, considering the sense of entitlement some of our citizens have, his entrepreneurial effort, as small as it is, might be a welcome addition to this country.

ewelling Loc: Salt Lake City, UT

Interesting that you photo showed him to have a lasso tied to his saddle. I'm sure that he has no cattle or sheep in that area. You're lucky that he didn't tie you up to a Joshua tree or cactus and make off with your gear!

tkeegan Loc: North Texas

You will love Big Bend. I have been a couple times a year for the last 10 years and several times before that. Now that I'm retiring and buying a small RV, I will likely be spending more time there. I agree with many of the remarks here. Carry a hydration bladder on hikes, no matter the time of year. Humidity averages below 40% most of the time. Wear long sleeves and a hat. Even when cool, the sun is still intense. Like someone else said, keep your gas topped off. Gas is only available at Panther Junction (central) and Rio Grande Village (east side of park). There is gas available outside the extreme west park entrance at Study Butte, or Terlingua beyond that. I was there for a short trip last October (just two nights), intending to do some astrophotography, but unfortunately there were low scudding clouds, so I didn't get a single image of the galactic center that was not partially obstructed. I will try again next May. There are so many good foreground opportunities for astrophotography in the park. Tuffa Canyon is one. Lots of weird formations of the light colored volcanic ash that reflect ambient light. Cerro Castelon is another on the same side of the park, as is Santa Elena Canyon. If you are in a 4 wheel drive vehicle or at least a high clearance two wheel drive, you can drive the River Road which has lots of possibilities. On the east side of the park, the Hot Springs are a great place to shoot. You have limestone bluffs as you go down the trail and then remains of the hot spring spa built around the Pancho Villa days. These of spa foundations contain the hot water with a nice sandy bottom just the right height fore a good soak as you wait for the right time of night, right on the the Rio Grand. mudduck is right that the best place to stay is in the Chisos BAsin, either in the stone cottages or the motel. Clean rooms, great views, decent food and drink in the lodge. No A/C in the rooms because it is not needed. Take a jacket for nights though. The Basin is usually 10 degrees cooler than the river locations, and I've experienced a light dusting of snow in early November.

As for the politics of "illegals", things are now closer to the way it has always been. Before 9/11, you could cross the river into Boquillas without restriction. There were locals that would row you across the river for a couple bucks. It was usually a two man operation, because a second was needed to bail water out with a coffee can. Then on the the Mexican side, you could rent a burro for another $2 to take you up to the village. There the local kids would try to sell you Chiclets and pretty pieces of quartz and you could sit on an open patio and have a genuine street taco and drink a cold cerveza. This was part of the BB experience. 9/11 changed all that. The border crossing was closed. In the last several years it was reopened but you now need a passport to enter Mexico even there. It's great that some sanity has returned, because the closing just killed a micro economy where Mexicans freely came across to shop and work in the US and return to their homes in Mexico at the end of the day.

I also agree with mudduck that you should not limit yourself to just BB, but also see McDonald Observatory where on most nights you can look through a 10" telescope and see the rings of Saturn clearly. Great planitarium too. While visiting, stay in Fort Davis, nice little artsy (Texas style) town. Historic Ft Davis is where the Army billeted the "Buffalo Soldiers" and experimented with using camels intead of horses in the southwest. And don't forget to look for the Marfa Lights, the cause for these ghostly lights still has not been determined. Have a great time!

tkeegan Loc: North Texas

BTW, if you are worrying about the border issues you hear about near other border towns, you shouldn't. Yes, lock up and hide your expensive camera gear, but Big Bend is too remote and too rugged for the cartels to deal with. Driving north out of Lajitas or BB, you may come across the occasional Border Patrol checkpoint.

Ferlong Loc: Texas

Thank you very much for your informative comments. I am sure they will be most helpful.
John

aubreybogle Loc: Albuquerque, NM

This is almost certainly not needed for some as experienced as you are, but for readers who are not: in addition to the above, I would recommend obtainind good topo maps where you plan to travel off road, and a good magnetic compass, and the knowledge and skills to use them properly. They will also come in handy both when the GPS dies and when it is working. File a back country use permit for overnight camping, and keep someone informed of your back country hiking plans. I don't know for certain, but the Park Rangers may accept a hiking plan. Take emergency signaling devices such as a whistle and signaling mirror, and know how to use it. I live in New Mexico, and every year we have a few experienced and inexperienced hikers who get lost and are found too late, or fall off a perilous hiking path to their death. `Sounds like a fabulous trip. Take lots of great photos.

whatdat Loc: Del Valle, Tx.

Must comment: unless things have changed very recently, the river road is 51 miles from one end to the other, so if you go the whole length make sure your vehicle is in good shape. Help will be very scarce. At least, that’s what we were told. Going a short distance from either end & back may not need that caveat.

Floyd Loc: Misplaced Texan in Florence, Alabama

Check out the McDonald Observatory site. They have an excellent program for an evening (on Friday and Saturday nights many locals drive up for a nice evening)
and the Milky Way is fantastic from there!

aubreybogle Loc: Albuquerque, NM

Great idea. Thanks. Sign me up. For future planning, do these programs book up early?

Floyd Loc: Misplaced Texan in Florence, Alabama

I was there last summer and had no problems; however, I signed up and prepaid about 2 months in advance. Again, the Observatory web
site should give you adequate information. They offer 2 programs: a tour of one of the huge telescopes that is very interesting, and lan evening consisting of
two or 3 very interesting presentations about our universe and another after dark, outside, weather permitting and in deep SouthWest Texas(andit usually is),
both programs costing $22.00. With no lights for miles around night photography is really nice.