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Sample routes · Texas

West Texas & Big Bend: 8 days of desert and starry skies

El Paso → Seminole Canyon · 8 Days

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Wide, empty Texas: from El Paso to the Guadalupe Mountains with the state's highest peak and a detour to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. Via Marfa with its art scene and the McDonald Observatory with star parties into Big Bend National Park – the Chisos Mountains, Santa Elena Canyon and the ghost town of Terlingua.

Long stretches without fuel: fill up before every leg and carry water. Best from February to April and in autumn.

A sample route to look at. If you copy it, your own copy lands in your plans – there you can change days, stops and order.

Stops
13
Driving
1666 km
Drive time
28 h 27 min
Sunrises
0
Sunsets
0
Car Golden hour as a tip Balanced

Numbered stops in order · golden-hour tip shown separately.

Tip: golden hour around 18:37 at Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site (day 8)

1 Day 1

07:28 19:07 66 km · 57 min 6 h 57 min on the road
  1. 07:28
    Sunrise
  2. 09:00
    Franklin Mountains State Park
    Daylight
    Time at stop 3 h
  3. 12:00
    Car · 66 km · 57 min
  4. 12:57
    Hueco Tanks State Park
    Daylight
    Time at stop 3 h
  5. 19:07
    Sunset

2 Day 2

07:21 19:02 146 km · 3 h 9 min 6 h 9 min on the road
  1. 05:51
    Car · 146 km · 3 h 9 min
  2. 07:21
    Sunrise
  3. 09:00
    Guadalupe-Mountains-Nationalpark

    Foto: Leaflet, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

    Desert mountains with dramatic rock formations and deep canyons, surrounded by diverse flora and fauna of the Chihuahuan Desert.

    Daylight
    Time at stop 3 h
  4. 19:02
    Sunset
3 campgrounds near the day’s end

3 Day 3

07:18 19:01 103 km · 2 h 51 min 5 h 51 min on the road
  1. 06:09
    Car · 103 km · 2 h 51 min
  2. 07:18
    Sunrise
  3. 09:00
    Carlsbad-Caverns-Nationalpark

    Foto: Eric Guinther, User:Marshman, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

    Vast underground chambers with dramatic stalactite formations wind through the Guadalupe Mountains of New Mexico.

    Daylight
    Time at stop 3 h
  4. 19:01
    Sunset
3 campgrounds near the day’s end
  • Dog Canyon Campground 42 km · National Park Service · 14 sites · RVs up to 23 ft (7,0 m) Recreation.gov
  • Frijole Horse Corral Campground 45 km · National Park Service · 1 sites · RVs up to 35 ft (10,7 m) Recreation.gov
  • Tejas Wilderness Campground 47 km · National Park Service Recreation.gov

4 Day 4

07:15 19:02 349 km · 4 h 28 min 7 h 13 min on the road
  1. 05:13
    Car · 289 km · 3 h 47 min
  2. 07:15
    Sunrise
  3. 09:00
    Chinati Foundation

    Foto: Jgc3, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

    Former military buildings have housed large-scale minimalist art installations since 1986.

    Daylight
    Time at stop 2 h
  4. 11:00
    Car · 60 km · 41 min
  5. 11:41
    Prada Marfa
    Daylight
    Time at stop 45 min
  6. 19:02
    Sunset

5 Day 5

07:13 19:01 131 km · 2 h 1 min 4 h 46 min on the road
  1. 07:13
    Sunrise
  2. 07:23
    Car · 109 km · 1 h 37 min
  3. 09:00
    McDonald-Observatorium
    Daylight
    Time at stop 2 h
  4. 11:00
    Car · 22 km · 24 min
  5. 11:24
    Fort Davis National Historic Site
    Daylight
    Time at stop 45 min
  6. 19:01
    Sunset

6 Day 6

07:09 18:59 227 km · 4 h 3 min 7 h 3 min on the road
  1. 04:57
    Car · 227 km · 4 h 3 min
  2. 07:09
    Sunrise
  3. 09:00
    Big-Bend-Nationalpark

    Foto: TripOfALifestyle.com, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

    Daylight
    Time at stop 3 h
  4. 18:59
    Sunset
3 campgrounds near the day’s end
  • Chisos Basin Group Campground (Big Bend, TX) 6 km · National Park Service · 7 sites Recreation.gov
  • Chisos Basin Campground (Big Bend, TX) 6 km · National Park Service · 62 sites · RVs up to 24 ft (7,3 m) Recreation.gov
  • Big Bend Backcountry Camping 10 km · National Park Service · 112 sites · RVs up to 30 ft (9,1 m) Recreation.gov

7 Day 7

07:09 19:01 110 km · 3 h 23 min 7 h 53 min on the road
  1. 06:33
    Car · 74 km · 2 h 27 min
  2. 07:09
    Sunrise
  3. 09:00
    Santa Elena Canyon

    Sheer limestone walls rise above the Rio Grande, carved by the river along the border between Texas and Mexico.

    Daylight
    Time at stop 3 h
  4. 12:00
    Car · 36 km · 56 min
  5. 12:56
    Terlingua
    Daylight
    Time at stop 1 h 30 min
  6. 19:01
    Sunset
3 campgrounds near the day’s end
  • Cottonwood (Big Bend, TX) 22 km · National Park Service · 31 sites · RVs up to 30 ft (9,1 m) Recreation.gov
  • Chisos Basin Group Campground (Big Bend, TX) 31 km · National Park Service · 7 sites Recreation.gov
  • Chisos Basin Campground (Big Bend, TX) 31 km · National Park Service · 62 sites · RVs up to 24 ft (7,3 m) Recreation.gov

8 Day 8

07:04 18:58 535 km · 7 h 35 min 13 h 35 min on the road
  1. 07:04
    Sunrise
  2. 07:17
    Car · 94 km · 1 h 43 min
  3. 09:00
    Big Bend Ranch State Park
    Daylight
    Time at stop 3 h
  4. 12:00
    Car · 441 km · 5 h 52 min
  5. 17:52
    Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site
    Daylight
    Time at stop 3 h
  6. 18:58
    Sunset
2 campgrounds near the day’s end
  • San Pedro Group Campground 42 km · National Park Service · 1 sites Recreation.gov
  • 277 North Group Campground 44 km · National Park Service · 1 sites Recreation.gov

Campgrounds: recreation.gov (RIDB) · Parks Canada, contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada

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