How To Spend One Day In Big Bend Ranch State Park

This post may contain affiliate links. We may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase. Read Disclosure.

If you’re travelling through Texas and want to explore some incredible national parks, then visiting Big Bend Ranch State Park should be high on your list.

Most people will travel to the state parks next door neighbor, Big Bend National Park, which is a little more famous. But Big Bend Ranch State Park is no less beautiful.

Although it’s the largest state park in Texas, much of the park are wild and remote areas, which means it’s totally doable to see it all in one day.

This park has spectacular scenery along the Rio Grande River, a couple of family-friendly hikes that are interesting for the kids, and a few off the beaten path adventures.

If you’re thinking of spending one day in Big Bend Ranch State Park, here’s what I recommend you do with your time…

About Big Bend Ranch State Park

Big Bend Ranch State Park TX was formerly private ranch land and its current untamed wilderness is very similar to its original landscape.

As the largest state park in Texas, it has over 300,000 acres of Chihuahuan Desert wilderness, and adventurers will love this rugged terrain that is some of the most remote in the southwest.

Big Bend Ranch State Park only receives about 8-10 inches of rainfall a year.

Despite this, it is sprinkled with a surprising number of cool canyons lined with cottonwood trees and fern-filled hanging gardens.

The Bofecillous Mountains make up the elevated western portion of the park and are visible off the River Road (the FM 170, which is the main road running through the park from Lajitas to Presidio.)

Due to complex geological processes, the backcountry of the park is an area that features many water features, which are critical habitats for plants and wildlife.

Most of these springs are located off-the-beaten-path and difficult it get to.

The West Contrabando Ojito Adentro and Cinco Tinajas trailheads offer easy access to some of them.

How to Get to Big Bend Ranch State Park

So where is Big Bend State Park? And how do you get there. Big Bend Ranch State Park is located in the Far West Texas.

From San Antonio, you’d take the I-10 highway west through to either Marathon or Alpine.

From El Paso you can go through Marfa (popular for the random Prada store in the middle of nowhere and art installations, and Alpine (it was covered in snow when we…