Texas
On The Road: Discovering the Rugged Landscapes of Big Bend
Program No. 25132RJ
Immerse yourself in the best of Texas — visit remote state and national parks, explore Fort Davis Historic Site and stargaze in the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve.
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Protecting the Environment
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7 days
6 nights
16 meals
6B 5L 5D
1
Check-in, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
El Paso, Texas
2
Marfa, Big Bend Ranch State Park, Indigenous History
Terlingua, Texas
3
Big Bend National Park, Santa Elena Canyon
Terlingua, Texas
4
Davis Mountains State Park, McDonald Observatory
Alpine, Texas
6
Fort Davis, Guadalupe Mountains National Park
El Paso, Texas
7
Program Concludes
El Paso, Texas
At a Glance
Explore the mountain and desert habitats of Big Bend National Park on this venture into the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. Cross the Chihuahuan Desert with a naturalist who will interpret all you see, then enter Santa Elena Canyon to explore Big Bend’s rugged landscapes. Visit Museum of the Big Bend, Fort Davis National Historic Site and much more.
Activity Level
On Your Feet
Hiking up to two miles over varied terrain. Standing up to one hour. climbing two flights of stairs; getting on/off coach. No porterage. Elevations up to 7,000 feet.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Explore the darkest skies in the country in a star party with a local expert.
- Travel back in time with a visit to Fort Davis National Historic Site.
- Study over 200 species of cactus at the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Natallia Fodemski
Natallia Fodemski began her career as a group leader in 2009. She started a small business, and led private and group outings including hikes and adventures all over Colorado State, gradually adding other states. In 2019, she graduated from International Guide Academy in Denver with a Certificate of International Tour Director and Guide. She also has years of experience working as a program coordinator at the Center for Creative Leadership and at Colorado College Fine Art Museum.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Natallia Fodemski
View biography
Natallia Fodemski began her career as a group leader in 2009. She started a small business, and led private and group outings including hikes and adventures all over Colorado State, gradually adding other states. In 2019, she graduated from International Guide Academy in Denver with a Certificate of International Tour Director and Guide. She also has years of experience working as a program coordinator at the Center for Creative Leadership and at Colorado College Fine Art Museum.
Suggested Reading List
(7 books)
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.
On The Road: Discovering the Rugged Landscapes of Big Bend
Program Number: 25132
Little Big Bend: Common, Uncommon, and Rare Plants of Big Bend National Park
Plant life in Big Bend National Park is incredibly diverse. The wide range of habitats within the park—desert, foothills, mountains and moist woodlands, river canyons and floodplain—as well as the Big Bend’s three major blooming seasons of spring, summer, and fall—guarantee a stunning show of botanical variety throughout the year.
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History
S. C. Gwynne’s Empire of the Summer Moon spans two astonishing stories. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. The second entails one of the most remarkable narratives ever to come out of the Old West: the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches.
The Land of Open Graves: Living and Dying on the Immigrant Trail
Jason De León uses the four fields of anthropology to chronicle the journeys of people attempting to cross the border between the US and Mexico. This book takes a hard look at the human consequences of the US immigration policy.
Driving Southwest Texas: On the Road in Big Bend Country
Byron Browne's book is a great ride through the harsh yet beautiful landscape of the Big Bend and Davis Mountain areas of Texas. No other part of the state is as rugged, or remote, as this land nestled in the bend of the Rio Grande. Browne is thorough on his subject, knowledgeable about the rich history of the area, and thoughtful about those he encounters on his journey.
Big, Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas
Written by a great story teller, this readable, monumental work is exactly what the title implies: a comprehensive history of Texas complete with wonderful historic photographs and a focus on the stories of individual people. Not for the fainthearted, the time invested in reading this is well-spent. Actually, the book is so readable that devouring it is a pleasure. It has been described as “a must read for Texas aficionados.”
Rock Art of the Lower Pecos
This author takes research on rock art and makes it concise and understandable for all of us who are interested in rock art in the Americas. But more than that, she takes us to the next level and gives us a basis for understanding WHY the images were produced in the first place and what function they served for the culture. This is must reading for anyone who wants to understand these images and who wants to go to the next level in understanding rock art world wide.
Big Bend Tales
Travel deeper into the Texas outback with writer-historian Mike Cox as he recounts the lesser-known stories from Alpine, Fort Davis and Marfa. Revisit the grandeur of Alpine's Holland Hotel, peer through the telescope at the McDonald Observatory and dip your toes in the water hole at Ernst Tinaja--if you dare. Travel back to a time when the Comanche Trail stretched one thousand miles from Kansas to Mexico, making the Big Bend difficult to defend and impossible to resist trying.