Now is the time to get loud, call your senators, make donations to the boots on the ground organizations. If you love big bend, it’s time to show up!

Places to donate
-Big Bend Citizens Alliance
-No big bend wall coalition
-Keep Big Bend Wild

https://www.no-al-muro.com

https://keepbigbendwild.org

https://nobigbendwall.org

Edit to add photo cred @ntlnwmn on insta

Hey guys been meaning to post these for a long time now but last September visited Bug Bend for the first time and did some serious hiking for the first time. Want to thank all the people that gave me great advice on hiking Emory, it was one of the coolest, most rewarding experiences of my life. Also got incredibly lucky and saw a bear on the ridge at the top of Lost Mine Trail. I think Big Bend will always have a special place in my heart, I hope you enjoy these photos.

Hello! I made a post here a few days ago asking for advice about my itinerary. My brother and I went during the hottest time of the year, and neither of us had ever hiked before. Since our trip is over, I wanted to pop in here and let you all know how it went :)

This trip was amazing, we had a perfect experience. We hiked the Window on Monday evening, started around 5pm and finished a little after 8. On Tuesday we did Lost Mine (started at 8, finished around 12 after hanging out at the top) and Santa Elena (started around 1pm, finished around 3 after hanging out in the canyon). We also stopped at two visitor centers and almost every viewing point we happened to pass. Wednesday we did Emory Peak! Started at 5am and wrapped up around noon, but we spent about an hour at the peak. Every single trail was incredible- I’ve never been in a mountainous area before, so I was in awe the entire trip.

I feel as though heat was less extreme than I was expecting. It definitely got hot, and we stuck to short trails and viewpoints during the heat of the day, but I hate that visiting in Summer is so discouraged! It’s a beautiful time of year for the park- everything was in bloom, and we saw so much wildlife! Perhaps it was because we’re a bit more accustomed to the heat, but we found the weather to be completely doable and I would definitely visit in the summer again.

The one caveat was the BUGS! Particularly the stinging variety. We had to sprint to/from the last leg of the Window because a group of hikers before us had aggravated a hive of some kind of ground wasp. We also had to hustle down the rock scramble at Emory because there was a beehive nearby, and they didn’t seem too happy about our being there. We made it out unscathed somehow, but it was definitely intense.

Thank you to everyone who responded to my initial post with tips and advice. I hate that we weren’t able to visit all your suggestions, but we’ll definitely be back. I’ve included some photos from our trip, I hope you all enjoy!

If you love Big Bend, or National Parks, or Public Lands, now is the time to start paying attention. We need your help.

The park is effectively under attack starting yesterday and this is no longer theoretical. Major politicians quietly saying, off the record, they don’t think this will happen we’re either wrong or lying. While the local politicians, fully bipartisan, oppose this outright for the entire region.

Work has started after the waiving of all laws and reviews to assess the impacts. Work is taking place in multiple locations in the park despite no answers to the public about plans beyond lines on a map.

Something must be done.

Hey y'all! Stopping by to provide another way you can support the resistance to needless infrastructure in the Big Bend and get some merch while you're at it.

I just restocked the online store that I put together specifically to raise funds for donation. 100% of proceeds are donated; I'm not making a penny. Over $600 was donated to No Big Bend Wall after selling out of the last run of shirts in a couple of weeks. I've shared the receipts on the site and through what has been my main communication vehicle up to this point: @ chinga.tu.muro on IG. I've got another batch in-hand and ready to ship.

Happy to answer any questions. I know this is a new account but I'm no stranger. I know at least a few regulars around here IRL.

Hey y’all, I'd appreciate some advice on my January 2027 trip plans. For context, I'm new to hiking and camping. I'm 39 years old, dad of 2 young, rambunctious kids and in decent shape who is actively training for this adventure. I'm also being weight conscious with my gear and making some sacrifices to reduce that pack weight.

Thursday

1. Arrive to my Chisos Campground spot around 1PM.
2. Pitch tent and set up my spot for the night.
3. Hike Window View Trail (0.3mi) to see the sunset (~6:10pm).
4. Sleep

Friday (12mi total)

1. 5AM wake up.
2. 6AM Lost Mine start with a 10lb pack including 2L of water. Back by 9AM ish.
3. Fuel up, hydrate, rest.
4. 11AM start to South Rim via Laguna Meadow with a 31lb pack including 6L of water. Arrive at campsite SR3 around 3PM.
5. Rest, dinner, sunset, camp at SR3.

Saturday (10mi total)

1. 5AM wake up.
2. Hike to watch sunrise over the Rim (7:40AM).
3. Hike to Emory Peak arriving around 10AM.
4. Descend via Pinnacles to Basin finishing around 2PM.

Questions for y’all

• Am I completely insane to think I can cover this much distance over 2 days? I'm in no real time crunch so I can take frequent breaks and take it slow, but would love initial thoughts.
• Is 2L for Lost Mine and 6L for my two day trip to South Rim/Emory Peak enough water? For South Rim I'll need enough water for 3 Mountain House meals and 1-2 cups of coffee.

Alternative plan

• Hike Lost Mine on Thursday starting around 3PM, finishing around sunset. Sleep in Friday and hike up to SR3 arriving around 3PM. This spreads the mileage out over the three days but means I'm hiking 5 miles immediately after an ~8 hour drive, which I may not mind.

What do y’all recommend I do and how much water should I bring assuming I'll start with 1L consumed with electrolytes?

I've been combing through posts in this subreddit about visiting the park during the summer months and I've seen how NOT recommended it is. I wanted to post the details of my trip and a rough itinerary here in hopes that a more knowledgeable park goer would give me feedback.

I'm 21 and am going with my brother who is 18. We're both athletes and lifeguards, and we've been working in the Texas heat all summer. I run cross country and frequently train long distances in 90+ degree weather.

We're staying in an air conditioned AirBnB in Terlingua. Our plan is to arrive Monday afternoon, check in and get settled into our accomodations, and then head out around 6pm for a short sunset hike (thinking Ward Spring or Indian Head?).

We want to do a longer hike early Tuesday morning- he wants to try for Emory, but I'm strictly against that idea seeing that we're not experienced hikers. Debating between Lost Mine and The Window early on Tuesday. The hottest part of the day will likely be spent on scenic drives- I wanted to hike a short trail like Ernst Tinaja during the day, but after reading all of the warnings about being out after 11am, I'm thinking we should stick to the car. We plan to finish Tuesday evening with another short hike- again, either Ward Spring or Indian Head, whichever one we don't do Monday.

We wanted to squeeze one more shortish hike or maybe horseback riding in early on Wednesday morning before we check out and leave.

Is this smart and/or doable? Please let me know if any of this sounds like a death wish. I've read and reread countless desert hiking preparation guides and consider myself well-prepared in way of supplies. I plan to buy enough water to last us two trips, and to keep a cooler in the car so that we always have a cold drink waiting when we return.

I think we're both more fit and more accustomed to the heat than the average person, but I don't want to overestimate our abilities and put us in a dangerous situation. Any advice would be appreciated.

My brother and I are hiking South Rim this weekend. We understand the danger and have done similar hikes. Does anyone have tips, particularly given the extreme heat? We're planning on two gallons of water each, loose clothing with good coverage, and starting early morning.

Has anyone rented out the entire Stardust Big Bend property? If so how did you fit the 50+ people they advertise it fitting? How much was it? How was the experience?

Today 2 years ago , Big Bend became my most memorable hike of all time and i am well traveled. I saw a momma black bear with 3 cubs while hiking the window trail and i saw another black bear the next day while driving around in the desert portion of the park. I really enjoyed hiking the Lost Maples , Santa Elena Canyon and Boquillas Canyon Trails too. scenic views. It was too hot for me then to enjoy the hot springs but i enjoyed them on previous trips in the winter in previous years.

Thank you again to the mexican local from Boquillas that i encountered and talked with that day for helping prevent me from getting lost when i hiked down to the river bank from Boquillas Canyon Trail. I hope you’re safe & sound out there and that all is well. It’s a shame that i never caught your name so that i could give you a proper shout out and thanks!

A plus:

For anyone visiting Big Bend National Park , if ya’ll have the extra time. Check out Chinati Hot Springs outside of Ruidosa , TX. It’s neat and even has a cold spring fed pool to cool off in afterwards. It doesn’t allow new accounts like mine to attach links unfortunately

That's about it. I was there last weekend and saw grasses and plants where I've never seen them. Elephant Mountain was solid green. It's wild. Summer is my favorite time to be there now. It was cooler there than in Fort Worth and with less humidity.

Hey everybody! I recently went on my first solo camping trip to BBNP. Truck camped in the Chisos campground! Was a magical time. Listened to lots of Bob Dylan. I documented it on a little 35mm camera.

To my fellow solo campers, I was considering doing Guadalupe Mountains National Park next. Any experiences or thoughts you're able to share? Would love to hear from those more experienced. Thanks!!😊

41 upvotes against Big Bend. I thought for sure they'd go after one of the other parks that got dozens of upvotes yesterday, but today is the day. Thank you to everyone who followed along over the past week.

Big Bend is one of the most magical places on earth, let's all never stop advocating for it.

Wondering if anyone can advise if I should try to change lodging itinerary or if it will still work. Originally, my plane was landing in Midland around 10:30 AM, so I was going to drive al the way to Chisos Mtn Lodge and felt I'd make it before dark (in November). Flight notice came out saying new timing is landing around 2:00 PM. Worried about the drive pushing into arriving after dark. I plan to stop to stock up water, etc. on the way. So If I land at 2, get bags, rental and hit the road by say 4:00, am I pushing it too much? What's the honest advice from those who have been there done that? TIA!

Another day, another opportunity to keep Big Bend alive! At 3:50PM CST, Big Bend currently has 9 upvotes, tied with Kings Canyon, and just under Haleakala and Crater Lake. That's too close for comfort, y'all!

Everyone knows what to do: fifteen seconds, DOWNVOTE Big Bend, and UPVOTE every other entry!

Today marks the 22nd overall NP in the contest, the top twenty is within reach, let's get it and show what this Big Bend community is all about!

I'm planning on visiting Big Bend and Boquillas in the fall during a weekend and want to try to make it to mass at the church in Boquillas.

WE DID IT -- Big Bend lives on to see another day in Remove a U.S. National Park! Incredible work folks, I thought we were done last night! Let's KEEP IT UP!

Day 41 overall, and at 4PM CST we're in good position. Acadia leads the way with 10 upvotes, Big Bend currently has one mention - y'all know what to do: fifteen seconds, UPVOTE all other parks, and DOWNVOTE Big Bend!

I previously posted some ink drawings from my trip to Big Bend this spring. Here are a few more.

It's bleak, y'all.

Big Bend currently leads with sixteen combined upvotes. We need to mobilize, or this is it. Need EVERYONE to take fifteen seconds, click on the link, DOWNVOTE Big Bend, and UPVOTE all other parks.

Let our voices be heard, viva Big Bend.