This road trip offers tumbleweeds, armadillos, volcanic ash rock canyons and towers of 1,000 feet, adobe buildings, and a breathtaking 1,500-ft-high limestone gorge.
Drive south out of Fort Stockton via U.S. 385 to get a long stare at the real Texas. West Texas armadillos and tumbleweeds crossing the highway for a couple of hours will get you warmed up for the amazing scenery ahead. There is natural beauty unlike any other in the somewhat barren landmass that lies between Big Bend and Fort Stockton National Park, but Big Bend country is the best.
Head west, roughly 125 miles south of Fort Stockton, on Route 118 into Big Bend. The best part of this journey starts at Santa Elena Junction in the park and is one spot worth seeing. They name it The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and it’s a 32-mile trip through the 801,163-acre Big Bend National Park. Drive south
from the Santa Elena Junction into Big Bend National Park, and the Chisos Mountains are on the left and Burro Mesa is seen on your right. Continue south to Sotol Vista, which provides vistas of the Santa Elena Canyon and the fertile floodplain of the Rio Grande. Pass the Tuff Canyon, the Mule Ears Peaks formation, and the Cerro Castellan rock towers on your way to the Chihuahuan Desert. Tuff Canyon is composed of gray, volcanic ash rock, and Cerro Castellan is a mountain of volcanic rock towers that stand around 1,000 feet.
Be sure to stop at Castolon, an old Army complex, where a frontier trading post is still open for business. Here, the path crosses the floodplain. Adobe buildings, marking previous farms, remain throughout the area. One of the most scenic panoramas in any part of Texas and the Big Bend country lies about 8 miles just past Castolon at the Santa Elena Canyon Overlook. Here you can view the Rio Grande as it separates Mexico and Texas flowing through a 1,500-foot-high breathtaking limestone ravine. A trailhead for the 1.5-mile travel into the mouth of the canyon lies at the road’s end.
Starting Point:
Fort Stockton, TX
Distance of Drive:
189 Miles
Must Eat:
Burrito Inn
805 N Alamo Street, Fort Stockton, TX 79735
Phone: 915-336-3141
Call ahead to confirm hours of operation.
Good Stop For: Great Mexican dishes
Best Time of Year for Drive:
Year round
Points of Interest on Drive:
Santa Elena Canyon Overlook
Tuff Canyon
The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive
Chisos Mountains
Big Bend National Park
Rio Grande
Filed under: Best Road Trips