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Texas

Hiking in the Unspoiled Beauty of Big Bend

Program No. 11958RJ
From desert vegetation to the lush floodplains of the Rio Grande, from dinosaur fossils to Native American pictographs, come hike and learn the story of Big Bend, in Texas.

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Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
Activity Level: Outdoor: Spirited (12)
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Jan 21 - Jan 26, 2024
Starting at
1,849
Itinerary Note

Hiking up to 6 miles daily over varied terrain; elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Feb 4 - Feb 9, 2024
Starting at
1,849
Itinerary Note

Hiking up to 6 miles daily over varied terrain; elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Oct 13 - Oct 18, 2024
Starting at
1,849
Itinerary Note

Hiking up to 6 miles daily over varied terrain; elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Nov 3 - Nov 8, 2024
Starting at
1,849
Itinerary Note

Hiking up to 6 miles daily over varied terrain; elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Nov 24 - Nov 29, 2024
Starting at
1,849
Itinerary Note

Hiking up to 6 miles daily over varied terrain; elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Dec 8 - Dec 13, 2024
Starting at
1,849
Itinerary Note

Hiking up to 6 miles daily over varied terrain; elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Jan 5 - Jan 10, 2025
Starting at
1,899
Jan 19 - Jan 24, 2025
Starting at
1,899
Feb 2 - Feb 7, 2025
Starting at
1,899
Oct 12 - Oct 17, 2025
Starting at
1,899
Nov 9 - Nov 14, 2025
Starting at
1,899
Nov 30 - Dec 5, 2025
Starting at
1,899
Activity Level: Outdoor: Spirited (12)
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Jan 21 - Jan 26, 2024
Starting at
2,199
Itinerary Note

Hiking up to 6 miles daily over varied terrain; elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Feb 4 - Feb 9, 2024
Starting at
2,199
Itinerary Note

Hiking up to 6 miles daily over varied terrain; elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Oct 13 - Oct 18, 2024
Starting at
2,199
Itinerary Note

Hiking up to 6 miles daily over varied terrain; elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Nov 3 - Nov 8, 2024
Starting at
2,199
Itinerary Note

Hiking up to 6 miles daily over varied terrain; elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Nov 24 - Nov 29, 2024
Starting at
2,199
Itinerary Note

Hiking up to 6 miles daily over varied terrain; elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Dec 8 - Dec 13, 2024
Starting at
2,199
Itinerary Note

Hiking up to 6 miles daily over varied terrain; elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Filling Fast!
Jan 5 - Jan 10, 2025
Starting at
2,249
Filling Fast!
Jan 19 - Jan 24, 2025
Starting at
2,249
Filling Fast!
Feb 2 - Feb 7, 2025
Starting at
2,249
Filling Fast!
Oct 12 - Oct 17, 2025
Starting at
2,249
Filling Fast!
Nov 9 - Nov 14, 2025
Starting at
2,249
Filling Fast!
Nov 30 - Dec 5, 2025
Starting at
2,249
Activity Level: Outdoor: Challenging (8)
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
Jan 28 - Feb 2, 2024
Starting at
1,849
Itinerary Note

Hiking 7-12 miles daily over varied terrain; Elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Feb 11 - Feb 16, 2024
Starting at
1,849
Itinerary Note

Hiking 7-12 miles daily over varied terrain; Elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Oct 20 - Oct 25, 2024
Starting at
1,849
Itinerary Note

Hiking 7-12 miles daily over varied terrain; Elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Filling Fast!
Nov 10 - Nov 15, 2024
Starting at
1,849
Itinerary Note

Hiking 7-12 miles daily over varied terrain; Elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Dec 1 - Dec 6, 2024
Starting at
1,849
Itinerary Note

Hiking 7-12 miles daily over varied terrain; Elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Jan 12 - Jan 17, 2025
Starting at
1,899
Feb 9 - Feb 14, 2025
Starting at
1,899
Dec 7 - Dec 12, 2025
Starting at
1,899
Activity Level: Outdoor: Challenging (8)
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
Jan 28 - Feb 2, 2024
Starting at
2,199
Itinerary Note

Hiking 7-12 miles daily over varied terrain; Elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Filling Fast!
Feb 11 - Feb 16, 2024
Starting at
2,199
Itinerary Note

Hiking 7-12 miles daily over varied terrain; Elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Filling Fast!
Oct 20 - Oct 25, 2024
Starting at
2,199
Itinerary Note

Hiking 7-12 miles daily over varied terrain; Elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Nov 10 - Nov 15, 2024
Starting at
2,199
Itinerary Note

Hiking 7-12 miles daily over varied terrain; Elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Dec 1 - Dec 6, 2024
Starting at
2,199
Itinerary Note

Hiking 7-12 miles daily over varied terrain; Elevations up to 6,850 feet.

Filling Fast!
Jan 12 - Jan 17, 2025
Starting at
2,249
Filling Fast!
Feb 9 - Feb 14, 2025
Starting at
2,249
Filling Fast!
Dec 7 - Dec 12, 2025
Starting at
2,249

At a Glance

Hike your way through Big Bend National Park, one of the most remote, wildly beautiful and peaceful places in America. Geological history spanning millions of years and a discussion of the “brief” era of the dinosaurs in Texas will add to the appreciation and mystique of what the early Spanish explorers called “El Despoblado” — the empty land.
Activity Level
Varies by date
Varies by date. Outdoor: Challenging – Hiking 7-12 miles daily over varied terrain. Outdoor: Spirited – Hiking up to six miles daily over varied terrain. Elevations up to 6,850 feet.
Micro Group
Micro Group
These adventures feature our smallest group size, with 12 participants or fewer.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • There is more than meets the eye in the small but vibrant town of Marathon, TX. Surrounded by mountains and sitting just above 4000ft, we will get a closer look at the community, culture, and industries which have shaped this diverse west Texas town.
  • Hike through three ecosystems — mountain peaks to desert springs and river trails.
  • See Native American rock art and soak in the Hot Springs after a six-mile hike along the Texas Rio Grande.

General Notes

Listening devices are available.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Tara Shackelford
Tara’s love for adventure and family roots in the desert of West Texas prompted her to share her passion for community, adventure and conservation with the world through her company, Hidden Dagger Adventures. She has worked for various companies in the outdoor field, including Outward Bound California, and is thrilled to be back in her home state of Texas to deliver top notch trips.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Tara Shackelford
Tara Shackelford View biography
Tara’s love for adventure and family roots in the desert of West Texas prompted her to share her passion for community, adventure and conservation with the world through her company, Hidden Dagger Adventures. She has worked for various companies in the outdoor field, including Outward Bound California, and is thrilled to be back in her home state of Texas to deliver top notch trips.
Profile Image of Joe Lorenz
Joe Lorenz View biography
Joe Lorenz hails from northern Wisconsin. He attended St. Norbert college, graduating in 2015 in biology. After working a year at the University of Colorado-Boulder, he completed a Master of Science in Molecular Biology at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He completed wilderness medicine training through NOLS in Lander, Wyoming, earning his EMT license, which led him to Terlingua, Texas, working as an EMT and river guide. Since then, he has worked as a football coach, substitute teacher, wildland firefighter, and in safety management.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Big Bend, The Story Behind The Scenery
by Carol E. Sperling
This book is dedicated to all who find nature not an adversary to conquer and destroy, but a storehouse of infinite knowledge and experience linking man to all things past and present. They know conserving the natural environment is essential to our future well being.
The Big Bend, A History of the Last Texas Frontier
by Ron C. Tyler
A study of four centuries of human society-Indian, Spanish, Mexican, Texas and American - in a region remote and little known.
I'll Gather My Geese
by Hallie Crawford Stillwell
The New York Times identified Hallie Stillwell (1897-1997) as a "rancher and a Texas legend." At the age of nineteen, Hallie decided to take a job teaching school in the remote border town of Presidio, Texas. Her father thought it a dangerous proposition and told her she was getting into a wild goose chase. She responded, "Then I'll gather my geese." After teaching for a year, she got a proposal from an old-fashioned rancher twice her age, Roy Stillwell. Hallie's escapades as a bride in the rough environs of the Big Bend ranch have appealed to thousands of readers.
Beneath the Window: Early Ranch Life in the Big Bend Country
by Patricia Wilson Clothier
A memoir by Patricia Wilson Clothier. Before it became a national park, the Big Bend was home to a number of ranches and mining operations. On the Wilson ranch, which stood at the center of the current park, Mrs. Clothier spent her youth exploring the wonders of ranch life in the Chisos. Patricia's richly detailed memories, coupled with a backdrop of Depression era hardships, bring the Big Bend to life in this original and vivid description of a childhood spent "Beneath the Window".
Naturalist's Big Bend
by Roland Wauwe
An introduction to the trees, shrubs, wildflowers, cacti, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects of the Big Bend.
God's Country or Devil's Playground
by Edited by Barney Nelson
In this anthology of nature writing, Barney Nelson gathers nearly sixty literary perspectives on the landscape and life of the Big Bend region, broadly defined as Trans-Pecos Texas and northern Chihuahua, Mexico. In addition to Leopold and Webb, the collection includes such well-known writers as Edward Abbey, Mary Austin, Roy Bedichek, and Frederick Olmsted, as well as a wide range of voices that includes explorers, trappers, cowboys, ranch wives, curanderos, college presidents, scientists, locals, tourists, historians, avisadores, and waitresses. Following a personal introduction by Barney Nelson, the pieces are grouped thematically to highlight the distinctive ways in which writers have responded to the Big Bend.
Hiking Big Bend National Park
by Laurence Parent
Comprehensive guide to 44 most popular hikes in the national park as well as three hikes in Big Bend Ranch State Park
Big Bend, A Homesteader's Story
by J.O. Langford
A story of the Langfords' life in the rugged and spectacularly beautiful country which they came to call their own. This account is told with the help of Fred Gipson, author of Old Yeller.
Big Bend Vista, A Geological Exploration of the Big Bend
by William MacLeod
The Story of Big Bend National Park
by John Jameson
This book offers a comprehensive, highly readable history of the park from its founding in 1944 up to the present.





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