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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Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date.
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While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
7 days
6 nights
What's Included
16 meals (
6B, 5L, 5D
)
2 expert-led lectures
12 expert-led field trips
An experienced Group Leader
6 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
Check-in, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Location:
El Paso, Texas
Meals:
D
Stay:
Radisson El Paso Airport
Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).
Afternoon:
Program Registration: 4:00 p.m. After you have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table in the hotel meeting room to meet with program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation: 5:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. This is a Road Scholar On The Road (OTR) program. OTR journeys take participants to multiple study sites in a region with a number of overnight stays. Lectures, talks, discussions, field trips, and on-board commentary will amplify the program theme. Long or short, On the Road journeys are learning experiences that make the most of our time together. A Texas Master Naturalist, along with our Group Leader, will serve as our Study Leaders throughout the program and provide educational information on the areas we explore, both on site and during travel and transfers. Program-related travel and transfers will be via private motorcoach unless noted otherwise. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/ conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner:
At the hotel.
Evening:
At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Day
2
Marfa, Big Bend Ranch State Park, Indigenous History
Location:
Terlingua, Texas
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Lajitas Resort
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 300 miles, approximately 5 hours total riding time. Walking up to 1 mile over the course of the day; standing at parks and rest stops.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will check out of the hotel, board our motorcoach, and head out on our educational adventure into the least populated area of Texas. En route, we’ll stop at Marfa to stretch our legs. Since the 1970s, this quirky town has been internationally renowned for its art scene. We’ll visit the Hotel Paisano, a historic hotel built in 1930 for cattle ranchers passing through the area. We’ll have a few moments to check out memorabilia that showcases life in Presidio County over the last 100 years before lunch.
Lunch:
At the Hotel Paisano.
Afternoon:
We’ll then get back on the motorcoach and continue South back toward the Rio Grande. En route, our Group Leader will teach us about the colorful history of Presidio and its sister city, Ojinaga, Mexico. The drive through Big Bend Ranch State Park is one of the most scenic in Texas; take this opportunity to sit back and appreciate the remoteness of this desert landscape. An interpretive guide will meet us at the park's visitor’s center and give a presentation on the prehistoric and indigenous peoples of the area. Presence of early humans has been recorded in this region as early as 9,000 BCE. Experts believe nomadic hunter-gatherers were successful here for an estimated 7,500 years before the introduction of clay pottery allowed for a more agricultural lifestyle. More recent inhabitants include the Chisos, Mescalero Apache, and Comanche groups. Upon arrival in Lajitas, we’ll check in at the resort with time to freshen up and relax before dinner. If you’re feeling up to it, you may enjoy taking a scenic stroll outside to soak up the surrounding natural beauty.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure.
Day
3
Big Bend National Park, Santa Elena Canyon
Location:
Terlingua, Texas
Meals:
B,L
Stay:
Lajitas Resort
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; riding about 150 miles, approximately 3.5 hours total riding time. Elective: hiking about 1 mile uphill; rocky, natural trail, varied and uneven terrain in places with 50-60 steps to overlook.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We’ll begin our exploration of Big Bend National Park with a scenic trip by motorcoach down the Ross Maxwell Drive. We’ll be joined by a local expert who will tell us about the plants, animals, and ecosystems of the area as we ride. We’ll make a few stops along the way to take in the scenery and stretch our legs. One hundred miles from the nearest grocery store, we’ll marvel at views from the Sotol Vista overlook where we can see the entire western side of the park. We’ll then head to Santa Elena Canyon with its impressive cliffs rising high above the Rio Grande. Those who wish may join our local expert on a walk up a trail to a canyon overlook. Those who prefer not to go up to the overlook can admire the exceptional views from the riverbank with our Group Leader.
Lunch:
Boxed lunches en route.
Afternoon:
We’ll reboard the motorcoach and continue exploring the remote beauty of Big Bend National Park with our local expert. We’ll make stops along the way to observe beautiful scenery and wildlife. As we ride, we’ll learn more about the plants and animals that call this park home. On our way back to the resort we'll drive past Terlingua. This ghost town was once a thriving mining community centered around the production of Cinnabar—an ore that is a source of mercury. Once the mines were no longer profitable, the town was abandoned.
Dinner:
This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. You may want to eat at one of the resort restaurants, or walk to the nearby general store.
Evening:
At leisure. If you like, join the Group Leader at the resort theater to watch a movie and enjoy some popcorn! Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Day
4
Davis Mountains State Park, McDonald Observatory
Location:
Alpine, Texas
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Hampton Inn Alpine
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; riding about 225 miles, approximately 4 hours total riding time. Standing up to 2 hours at observatory; some seating available. Walking approximately 1 mile on unpaved trails.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
After checking out of our hotel, we’ll head east and drive along the northern edge of Big Bend National Park. Please note: We will not be entering the Chisos Basin area as Chisos Visitor’s Center will be under construction beginning in spring 2025. We’ll stop at the Fossil Discovery Exhibit and examine the fossilized remains of plants and animals that roamed this region over the last 130 million years. We’ll continue on to Davis Mountains State Park where a ranger will give a presentation on Texas’ most extensive mountain range. We’ll learn about the formation of the mountains and how this unique landscape provides a home to a range of species from treefrogs to black bears. We’ll go on a short walk with our guide along the Skyline Drive Trail to observe some local flora and fauna before returning to the visitor’s center where we can observe birds from an enclosed viewing station.
Lunch:
Boxed lunches en route.
Afternoon:
Next, we’ll ride to the McDonald Observatory for a behind-the-scenes visit. We’ll begin with an introduction at the Observatory Visitor’s Center. We’ll set out on a walking field trip with observatory staff to observe and learn about the large, state-of-the-art telescopes and the important research conducted here. Afterwards, we’ll have some time to independently explore exhibits in the visitor center and contemplate advances in the world of astronomy.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure.
Day
5
Big Bend Museum, Davis Mountains, Chihuahua Research Inst.
Location:
Alpine, Texas
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Hampton Inn Alpine
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 130 miles, approximately 3 hours total riding time. Standing up to 1 hour in museum, limited seating available. Walking up to 1 hour on unpaved dirt trails.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We’ll board the motorcoach and head to the Museum of the Big Bend at Sul Ross University. On arrival, we’ll explore the museum with a docent and learn about the life, history, and culture of the Big Bend area and Northern Mexico. As we explore the exhibits, we’ll observe how the area was shaped by the confluence of cultures brought by Native Americans, Europeans, and U.S. citizens. We’ll have a catered lunch on the patio while the museum curator provides a lecture on the Buffalo Soldiers, a regiment of African Americans who played a key role in defending frontier settlements throughout West Texas.
Lunch:
At the museum.
Afternoon:
We will start the afternoon driving the Davis Mountains Scenic Loop, a 75-mile trip circling a sky island, an isolated mountain range surrounded by a lowland environment. As elevation increases, we’ll observe changes in vegetation and wildlife; as we go up, the desert will be replaced with trees and greenery. Common flora are the alligator juniper and gray oak, as well as pinyon pine and quaking aspen which can’t be found anywhere else in Texas. Over 277 species of birds call this oasis home alongside an impressive array of large mammals including mule deer, black bear, and cougar. Almost 100,000 acres of this land is managed by the Nature Conservancy. Next, we’ll head to the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute for an expert-led exploration of this unique nature center. For over 40 years, the CDRI has served as a biological research station with the goal to encourage and promote research on the natural resources of the Chihuahuan Desert. We will explore the botanical gardens, cactus museum, and there will be time for independent exploration which could include a hike or learning more about geology and mining in the area.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Day
6
Fort Davis, Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Location:
El Paso, Texas
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
Radisson El Paso Airport
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 275 miles, approximately 4.5 hours total riding time. Walking up to 1 mile.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
After checking out of our hotel, we’ll board the motorcoach for a field trip to the Fort Davis National Historic Site. As the U.S. Park Service describes it, Fort Davis is one of the best surviving examples of an Indian Wars frontier military post in the Southwest. We’ll learn about how hard life was here and begin to develop an appreciation of native inhabitants of the region, Buffalo Soldiers, early settlers, and the importance of mail coaches and freight wagons during the westward expansion of the United States. At the post hospital, we’ll get a glimpse of what frontier medicine was like. We’ll depart the Fort Davis area and venture north toward New Mexico.
Lunch:
Boxed lunches en route.
Afternoon:
We’ll continue by motorcoach to the Pine Springs Visitor Center in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, where a ranger will meet us to provide an overview of the landscape. Although the park includes over 85,000 acres, very little of it is accessible by vehicle. It is part of the 400-mile-long Capitan Reef, a fossil reef dating back 260 million years. We’ll stop at several overlooks and view El Capitan, a limestone monolith that looms a thousand feet above the desert. We’ll then make our way back to El Paso and check in at the hotel.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.
Day
7
Program Concludes
Location:
El Paso, Texas
Meals:
B
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 12:00 Noon.
Breakfast:
At the hotel. This concludes our program.
Morning:
If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to like our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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