An innovative archaeological dig has revealed the park's original wet prairie, buried by years of farming and development.
Read More »
Wild Texas
Out with the new, in with the old: prairie restoration at Sheldon Lake
A fierce battle is under way to vanquish invasive grasses and restore the prairie's native landscape.
Read More »
Booming Prairie Chickens at the Attwater Refuge
An early morning visit to the breeding grounds of the endangered Attwater's Prairie Chicken.
Read More »
Jupiter and its moons at McDonald Observatory
On a visit to the McDonald Observatory in West Texas, I gazed at Jupiter and the Orion Nebula and traveled in the footsteps of Galileo.
Read More »
Big Bend Ranch: West Rim Overlook Trail
The Fresno Rim trail offers a taste of a solitary desert hike - without the difficulties of most of Big Bend Ranch's more primitive routes.
Read More »Refuges
-
San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge
A sister refuge of Brazoria with several, short scenic hikes, extensive wetlands and the state's largest Live Oak tree.
Read More » -
Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge
-
Texas Point National Wildlife Refuge
-
McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge
Sanctuaries
-
Smith Oaks & The Rookery
The Rookery is a tenement for birds, where they gossip, fight and raise their families.
Read More » -
Boy Scout Woods Bird Sanctuary
-
Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary
-
Sabine Woods Sanctuary
Trails
Big Bend Ranch: Cinco Tinajas Trail
The Cinco Tinajas Trail gets its name from a chain of small ponds in the otherwise parched Chihuahuan desert of Big Bend Ranch State Park.
Read More »
Big Bend: Ernst Tinaja Trail
The Ernst Tinaja Trail follows a dry wash past colorful, uplifted limestone walls to a deep, dark pool carved in the canyon floor.
Read More »
Big Bend: South Rim trails
The South Rim overlooks a landscape of Chihuahuan desert and carpeted peaks that reaches into Mexico.
Read More »
Big Bend: Lost Mine Trail
The most picturesque short hike in the park, with a top-of-the-world view at the end of the trail
Read More »