Wife and I are going to Lajitas/Big Bend next week. Flying to Midland and driving down Sunday. Never been to Balmorhea so we will stop there on the drive down Sunday or on the way back Thursday and go through Alpine the other day.
Three days and we don't want to spend all day everyday in the parks - golf at Lajitas will be the other activity. Maybe one full day in the National Park including a raft trip and maybe two 1/2 or 3/4 days. We can play golf early or late and will be fine.

What hikes or other activities are "must dos".

Thanks

If Terlingua Creek is not too high, the Santa Elena Canyon trail is a good one. Conversely, you could do the Boquillas Canyon and also go over to Boquillas while you're on that end of the park.

South Rim Loop (tough hike - not for amateurs)

Lost Mine Trail (moderate enough for my kids)

Santa Elena Canyon - float or hike

I like the state park, as well - Cerro Chilicote Loop hike

Sit on the porch in Terlingua, have a beer, and watch the sunset.

We liked the Window Trail. Pleeled off before the end and you hike up and around on the bluff on the right. You get a very wide view of the window looks at.

Per the TPWD website, Balmorhea State Park is closed as of September 17th. Not sure when it will reopen or when you were travelling there.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/balmorhea

edit - Your post says you are going next week. Might want to give them a call.

Lajitas course is fun but hard. Try the Starlight Theatre in Terlingua for dinner one night, great food and atmosphere. La Kiva is good for a cocktail.
Enjoy, cool country.

The Star Parties at McDonalds Observatory are pretty cool. I'd definitely have lunch at Hotel Saint George in Marfa. Also you could stay the night at the Gage Hotel in Marathon.

You may want to work a visit to historic Fort Davis into the trip since you will be passing by it. It is hard to fathom living in isolation, the indians, disease and the elements 160 years ago.

Wife and I are big fans of Reata in Apline for dinner. If you enjoy beer, check out Big Bend Brewery.

River trip. That was the most memorable activity we did. I would recommend a guide from one of the outfitters down there.We made a couple of stops along the river and one was a spring pool. The pool area was crystal clear with blue/green water.

The wife and I did the south rim loop from the basin and back in one day. It's not so bad unless you are out of shape or have leg issues.

Unless you plan on swimming don't stop in balmorhea. There's nothing else to do there. And don't let the drive from Midland to Alpine scare you. It gets better. Grab lunch at La Casita in Alpine if you time it right. Reata is really good as well.

So right now we are looking at the following:

Sunday - drive through/check out Alpine and Terlingua, maybe Marfa. Dinner and drinks in Alpine or Terlingua

Monday - Raft Santa Elena Canyon

Tuesday - golf and resort activities at Lajitas and a trip to McDonald Observatory for the Starlight show.

Wednesday - Hikes in BBNP, take a rowboat across the Rio Grande with Capn' Pablo as our guide for lunch, another hike on the way back to Lajitas

Thursday - drive back to Midland. Maybe a short hike in BBR St Park or a trip to Balmorhea if it is open or more golf before we leave. I really want to swim at Balmorhea since I don't know if I will ever get back.

What say you?

Where are you staying? Tuesdays itinerary going from Lajitas to McDonald' Observatory is around 120 miles, 1 way. Gonna be a late drive back to Lajitas

isn't there a poster on here that's a BB guide (or was)? YellowPot something or other?

Sounds like yall are staying at the resort. Just know things close pretty early, like the restaurant / bar closes at 9 or 10. Take 170 west to presidio...it follows the river through the state park and is an awesome drive, not at night though. Go to the visitors center at the top of the mtn in bbnp...seems very out of place to have alpine micro climate in west tx, and it will be cooler up there as well. Window hike is ok but we prefer the ones closer to the river. Golf course is great. Also, if you haven't already, find the texas monthly article about the history of lajitas...mainly how the locals didn't take kindly to the development, and how much money one man sank into it.

rintintin221 said:

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Where are you staying? Tuesdays itinerary going from Lajitas to McDonald' Observatory is around 120 miles, 1 way. Gonna be a late drive back to Lajitas

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This!

As cool as the star party is, just download a constellation app on your phone and look at the stars from Big Bend. I would say that is most definitely not worth the 4 hr round trip

https://texags.com/forums/34/topics/2818431/2

Mr. AGSPRT04 said:

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You may want to work a visit to historic Fort Davis into the trip since you will be passing by it. It is hard to fathom living in isolation, the indians, disease and the elements 160 years ago.

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If you do, make sure to watch the movie (there's a movie) and see how long you can go before you start quoting Airplane!

IF the pool is open Balmorhea is actually pretty cool. The park is OK too, a bit small but the views are nice and the spring has some interesting nature exhibits.

If you have time, try to work in a drive from Lajitas up the River Road (FM 170) toward Presidio. One of the most picturesque drives in the state.

Bumping this thread for advice & recommendations. Wife and I are heading to Big Bend area for about 4-5 days in February.

Here's a rough itinerary we've come up with so far.

Day 1 - drive from Corpus to Balmorea & swim. Then drive to Alpine, explore town & drink beer, and spend the night.

Day 2 - drive to Marfa, explore town & drink beer, and spend the night. Look at weird light thing before passing out.

Day 3/4 - stay in Terlingua, explore Big Bend. One day of hiking and one day of canoeing is my thinking.

Day 5, drive home.

So, questions -
1. Are we spending enough/too much time in Alpine & Marfa? Is Balmorea worth it?
2. For Big Bend, we are planning to drive a 2wd car (Kia Optima) for the duration. Is that sufficient for getting to hiking spots and canoeing in the park, or is a 4wd SUV needed?
3. What are the best, fun hiking trails for people who are about 50 and average hikers (but excellent beer drinkers)?

There are a lot of good day hikes up in the Chisos. It is a loooong day, but would be a shame to not hit the south rim and back, if the weather is clear.

The scenic drive west to Santa Elena canyon is nice views too and the Canyon has a very short easy hike.

Aggie87 said:

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Bumping this thread for advice & recommendations. Wife and I are heading to Big Bend area for about 4-5 days in February.

Here's a rough itinerary we've come up with so far.

Day 1 - drive from Corpus to Balmorea & swim. Then drive to Alpine, explore town & drink beer, and spend the night.

Day 2 - drive to Marfa, explore town & drink beer, and spend the night. Look at weird light thing before passing out.

Day 3/4 - stay in Terlingua, explore Big Bend. One day of hiking and one day of canoeing is my thinking.

Day 5, drive home.

So, questions -
1. Are we spending enough/too much time in Alpine & Marfa? Is Balmorea worth it?
2. For Big Bend, we are planning to drive a 2wd car (Kia Optima) for the duration. Is that sufficient for getting to hiking spots and canoeing in the park, or is a 4wd SUV needed?
3. What are the best, fun hiking trails for people who are about 50 and average hikers (but excellent beer drinkers)?

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If you spend a whole day in Alpine, see the Museum of the Big Bend on the Sul Ross campus.
If you're driving a Kia in Big Bend, you'll have to stay on paved roads. Ross Maxwell Scenic Loop.
Your hiking restrictions would probably limit you to The Window Trail, Lost Mine or Santa Elena Canyon.
Not sure canoeing the Rio Grande is a very good idea.

Canoe trip could be interesting but canoe + February could be really "interesting". If you are paddling up the Santa Elena canyon then that might be cool. Just don't flip.

If/when you are out and about (especially on foot), let someone know where you are going. Rangers. Aid station. Someone. Murphy's Law still happens, and it's a big place, so if you don't turn up, they know where to look.

Aggie87 said:

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Bumping this thread for advice & recommendations. Wife and I are heading to Big Bend area for about 4-5 days in February.

Here's a rough itinerary we've come up with so far.

Day 1 - drive from Corpus to Balmorea & swim. Then drive to Alpine, explore town & drink beer, and spend the night.

Day 2 - drive to Marfa, explore town & drink beer, and spend the night. Look at weird light thing before passing out.

Day 3/4 - stay in Terlingua, explore Big Bend. One day of hiking and one day of canoeing is my thinking.

Day 5, drive home.

So, questions -
1. Are we spending enough/too much time in Alpine & Marfa? Is Balmorea worth it?
2. For Big Bend, we are planning to drive a 2wd car (Kia Optima) for the duration. Is that sufficient for getting to hiking spots and canoeing in the park, or is a 4wd SUV needed?
3. What are the best, fun hiking trails for people who are about 50 and average hikers (but excellent beer drinkers)?

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IMO, Marfa is a waste of time. But I'm not really the artsy type. And there's so much to do/see in the park that I wouldn't want to waste a day in Marfa. However, if you do go through Marfa, I would consider going through Ruidosa on your way to the park via pinto canyon road (fm 2810). It's a very scenic road. I'm not sure of the road conditions at this time though so you might need to investigate if you're set on taking the Kia.

Balmorhea is worth it if you're stopping on your way through. No need to spend a night there or anything.

By the way, we have considered renting a 4wd vehicle, but it seems next to impossible to do, or at least to guarantee that the vehicle you rent will be a 4wd. That's why we're probably taking the Kia for the trip.

Is there a way to rent a 4wd from any of the regular rental companies, and be sure you get a 4wd?

A high clearance 8"+ truck/suv/Subaru can do most of the trails, except black gap and the western part of the river road if it has been raining recently.

Hewey Calloway said:

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Aggie87 said:

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Bumping this thread for advice & recommendations. Wife and I are heading to Big Bend area for about 4-5 days in February.

Here's a rough itinerary we've come up with so far.

Day 1 - drive from Corpus to Balmorea & swim. Then drive to Alpine, explore town & drink beer, and spend the night.

Day 2 - drive to Marfa, explore town & drink beer, and spend the night. Look at weird light thing before passing out.

Day 3/4 - stay in Terlingua, explore Big Bend. One day of hiking and one day of canoeing is my thinking.

Day 5, drive home.

So, questions -
1. Are we spending enough/too much time in Alpine & Marfa? Is Balmorea worth it?
2. For Big Bend, we are planning to drive a 2wd car (Kia Optima) for the duration. Is that sufficient for getting to hiking spots and canoeing in the park, or is a 4wd SUV needed?
3. What are the best, fun hiking trails for people who are about 50 and average hikers (but excellent beer drinkers)?

---

IMO, Marfa is a waste of time. But I'm not really the artsy type. And there's so much to do/see in the park that I wouldn't want to waste a day in Marfa. However, if you do go through Marfa, I would consider going through Ruidosa on your way to the park via pinto canyon road (fm 2810). It's a very scenic road. I'm not sure of the road conditions at this time though so you might need to investigate if you're set on taking the Kia.

Balmorhea is worth it if you're stopping on your way through. No need to spend a night there or anything.

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I drove Pinto Canyon Road in November. It's in good shape, but pretty rough for a car. It is a long trip to get from Marfa to Big Bend that route. Probably 3+ hours.

If it's too cold for Balmorea then you could go through Marathon on your way to Alpine and have a drink at the White Buffalo Bar. 12 Gage is a good restaurant connected to the the Gage Hotel and White Buffalo Bar.

YellowPot_97 said:

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too much time in Marfa/Alpine

don't canoe

you can easily spend 3 days driving around the park without ever leaving the pavement.

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this. not even sure I'd stop in either if its your first time out there. The park has way more to offer. Plus, if you aren't hitting Marfa on a thurs-sat, nothing will be open anyway.