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Four women pose and wave in front of the Big Bend National Park entrance sign in the rugged landscape of Texas.
Texas

On The Road: Discovering the Rugged Landscapes of Big Bend

Program No. 25132RJ
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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. Read More.
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
Included
16 meals ( 6B, 5L, 5D )
2 expert-led lectures
13 expert-led field trips
An experienced Group Leader
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
El Paso, Texas
On The Road: Discovering the Rugged Landscapes of Big Bend
Feb 7 - Feb 13, 2027
Program Number 25132
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Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously). Participants must be physically capable of participating in all planned program activities.
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 Leader 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 a local restaurant.
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.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 300 miles, approximately 5 hours total riding time. Walking up to 2 miles total; Hiking 1.5 miles over sandy, uneven terrain; 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 pass picturesque pecan groves, sprawling cattle ranches, and murals and sculptures in Marfa, a tiny town that has become internationally renowned for its art scene. We'll stop for lunch in the town of Presidio which marks the western border of Big Bend Ranch State Park.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
We’ll then get back on the motorcoach and continue South 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 and will give us the opportunity to appreciate the remoteness of this desert landscape. We will stop midway through the park to experience a slot canyon along the Closed Canyon Trail. This is a 1.4 mile roundtrip trail that progresses from easy to moderate making it easy for you to choose how far you'd like to journey. The trail is sand and slick rock.

Upon arrival in Lajitas, we’ll check in at the resort and spend the evening at leisure. Take a seat and observe the peaceful solitude of the area or head for the Longhorn Museum to learn about this Texas icon before popping outside for a closer view of the majestic Rio Grande.
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.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; riding about 150 miles, approximately 3.5 hours total riding time. Walking up to 4 miles total; Hiking about 3 miles over narrow, gradually sloping, uneven terrain; Santa Elena Canyon Trail begins with a series of paved steps to a viewpoint along the canyon wall.
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. Here we will be led by our local expert on a 1.4 mile roundtrip hike into the canyon alongside the river’s edge. This hike begins with paved steps which lead to a high viewpoint. The trail then slopes gradually down before ending alongside the riverbed.
Lunch:
Boxed lunches en route.
Afternoon:
We’ll reboard the motorcoach and continue exploring the remote beauty of Big Bend National Park. We'll then take a short walk to the Sam Nail ranch to get a glimpse into times gone by. See the remains of his house, chicken coop, and listen for the sound of the windmill that still pumps water to this day. The trail bed is rocky with exposed tree roots.

On our way back to the resort we'll drive through 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:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
This evening we will have the opportunity to observe celestial bodies in one of the darkest sky areas of the contiguous United States. At nearly 9 million acres the Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve draws in visitors and scientists alike to see figures usually obstructed by light pollution. We'll then look through and focus several high-powered telescopes as our expert points out constellations and other galactic forms.

Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; riding about 225 miles, approximately 4 hours total riding time. Walking approximately 2 miles total; 1 mile nature walk over uneven sandy terrain.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
After checking out of our hotel, 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.

Next we’ll head east and drive along the northern edge of Big Bend National Park. As we ride to the Chisos Basin area, we’ll learn more about the wildlife, geology, history and culture of the area. As elevation increases, we’ll observe changes in vegetation and wildlife; as we go up, the desert will be replaced with trees and greenery. Those who wish to may join our resident Naturalist for a short hike in the basin of the Chisos Mountains. Those who do not wish to hike may relax and enjoy the outdoors with the Group Leader or explore the exhibits at the visitor’s center on their own.
Lunch:
Boxed lunches in the park.
Afternoon:
After lunch we’ll meet with a Park Ranger who will provide an overview of Big Bend National Park and answer questions about this diverse natural area. The park covers more than 800,000 acres, comprising spectacular geology and an amazing range of flora and fauna — with more types of birds, bats, and cacti than any other national park in the U.S. Next, we'll continue our exploration of Big Bend National park with our Group Leader and Naturalist. We’ll learn more about the wildlife that lives in this desert ecosystem. We’ll also learn about the history and culture of the area. We’ll end with a stop at the Panther Junction Visitor Center. We’ll have independent time to explore its interactive exhibits. Lastly, we will ride via motorcoach through the Persimmon Gap section, exit through the north entrance, and travel towards Alpine. Along the way, our Naturalist will continue teaching us about the native plants, wildlife, and area topography. Upon arrival in Alpine, we'll check in at our hotel.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant.
Evening:
At leisure.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 60 miles, approximately 2 hours total riding time. Standing up to 2 hours in museum and observatory, limited seating available. Walking up to 2 miles total.
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:
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. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 240 miles, approximately 3.5 hours total riding time. Walking up to 2 miles.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
This morning 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 severed 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.

We'll then continue 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.
Lunch:
Boxed lunches en route.
Afternoon:
After lunch we'll drive back to Marfa and visit the Marfa and Presidio County Museum. The museum tells the story of how this tiny town went from a railroad water stop to a world-renowned movie setting and art destination. A docent will provide a brief introduction and then we'll have some time on our own to peruse their exhibits and see how life has changed here over the last 150 years.

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.
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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