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Big Bend Ranch State Park
A Wild West Experience you can only find at the Biggest State Park in Texas!
PO Box 2319
Presidio TX 79845
432/358-4444
512/389-8919 (advance reservations for lodging, campsites, and backcountry use)
Due to extreme fire hazard conditions tha Park is under a burn ban. No ash producing fires are allowed. Only containerized fuel stoves are currently allowed for cooking.
Thursday, February 16 - Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012 - Join us for 3-days of Epic Mountain Bike Adventures at the Chihuahuan Desert Dirt Fest! Many day-ride options are available or check out the 2-day EPIC ride option - ride 29 miles on day 1, have a great dinner, hot shower, & a good night's sleep in 1 of the Park's historic lodging facilities. Wake up to a great breakfast & ride 25-miles back to Lajitas in time for Dirt Fest evening festivities. The Park will even shuttle a bag for you. The 2-day Epic Ride will be available on Thursday/Friday & Friday/Saturday.
Go to the Desert Sports website for more information on this "Epic" event!
Two separate "3-Night Adventure Camping" Texas Outdoor Family workshops will be held on Sunday - Wednesday (March 11 - 14, 2012) and Thursday (March 15 - 18, 2012).
The Texas Outdoor Family is continuing our annual Spring Break Adventure Camping series at Big Bend Ranch. This three night adventure will have you exploring the most beautiful and remote reaches that Texas has to offer.
March 11 - 14 Event Page
March 15 - 18 Event Page
Big Bend Ranch State Park, the largest state park in Texas, over 300,000 acres of Chihuahuan Desert wilderness in a remarkably rugged, remote and unpopulated setting. The park extends along the Rio Grande from southeast of Presidio to near Lajitas in both Brewster and Presidio Counties. Embracing some of the most remote and rugged terrain in the Southwest, it encompasses two mountain ranges containing ancient extinct volcanoes, precipitous canyons, and waterfalls. The area has been a crossroads of human activities for over 11,000 years, as diverse people and cultures have been drawn by the abundant resources of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo corridor.
If you are looking for a wild west experience, Big Bend Ranch State Park has an abundance of options. Currently the park offers more than 66 miles of trails with many more in development. In addition to primitive roadside and backcountry campsites, the park also has food, lodging and Wi-Fi available at the Saucedo Complex. The three-bedroom "Big House" provides luxury accommodations that sleep eight and has a full kitchen. Meal service can also be arranged. Larger groups can be accommodated at the casual Sauceda Lodge Bunk House.
With twenty-three miles of Rio Grande/Rio Bravo frontage Big Bend Ranch makes an excellent starting point for paddling excursions. Multi-use recreational activities such as hiking, backpacking, horseback riding and mountain biking is available on trails along River Road and in the interior. You can fish in the Rio Grande. The dark skies offer amazing stargazing opportunities. With over 300 bird species the area is a birders paradise.
The park has picnic areas along the scenic River Road and offers guided jeep/four-wheel and horseback tours. Mountain bike and horse rentals are available at Sauceda. In addition to many other events the park also offers a semi-annual longhorn cattle roundup.
Permits are required for use of Primitive Road and Front Country Campsites and for Backcountry Zone Camping. Day Use visitors are required to obtain a permit for entry in to the park. All vehicles intending to use the 4X4 unmaintained road, are required to obtain and sign an Acknowledgement of Use of Four Wheel Drive vehicles and Motorcycles upon entry into these areas.
Park information and permits for day use and camping may be obtained daily, in person, at three locations:
- Sauceda
Park interior
(8am - 4:30pm)
(7am - 4pm from May 17 - August 31)
432-358-4444
- Barton Warnock
Visitor Center
Lajitas
(8am - 4:30pm)
432-424-3327 - Fort Leaton State Historic Site
Presidio
(8am - 4:30pm)
432-229-3613
From the park entrance, there is 27 miles of dirt road to the Sauceda Ranger Station.
Reservations: Campsite, backcountry, and lodging reservations may be made in advance by calling (512) 389-8919 between 9:00am - 6:00pm, Monday through Friday. Permits must be picked up in person.
Detailed visitor information for Big Bend Ranch State Park.
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Watch
YouTube video of the Park. -
Watch
YouTube video of mountain biking at the Park.
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Watch
YouTube video of
the addition of Fresno Canyon to the Park.
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Watch
YouTube video of Writer Joe Nick Patoski & photographer Laurence Parent describing the special appeal of the Park.
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Watch
YouTube video about preparations for the Fiesta, held at the Park on Nov. 14, 2009.
