Brewster: Big Bend, Desert Landscapes and History

Brewster County is home to Big Bend National Park. U.S. Highway 385 enters the county from the northeast and continues south to the park. This provides a geographic reference point for planning your trip: when looking for a hotel, you can first consider whether landscapes, cultural history or nature observation will be the focus of your stay. The county’s landscapes, historic sites and nature trails each offer a distinct experience.

Mountains, Desert and Wildlife

The terrain in Brewster County is predominantly rugged and mountainous. Elevations range from 1,700 to 7,825 feet above sea level. Vegetation also changes with elevation: drought-resistant desert shrubs grow at lower elevations, while oak, juniper and pine forests are found on higher slopes. This means you’ll encounter different landscapes within the same region, from desert vegetation to wooded slopes.

The Black Gap WMA covers about 103,000 acres. It is located in an area of low elevations in the Chihuahuan Desert, where the Sierranias del Burro and Sierra del Carmen mountain ranges extend into Texas. Desert bighorn sheep, black bears, roadrunners, Painted Buntings and Colima Warblers are found in Brewster County. Bighorn sheep from the Black Gap WMA have expanded their range into Big Bend National Park.

Traces of History

The region’s mining history is also part of its character: for most of the first half of the 20th century, the Terlingua Mining District was one of the leading mercury-producing areas in the United States. The Mariscal Mine has been abandoned since the 1940s and is isolated by its remote location in the center of Big Bend National Park. It is considered the best-preserved mercury mining site in Texas and is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Brewster County Courthouse was built in 1887 and is recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. The history of human settlement in the Hot Springs Historic District spans from thousands of years ago to the recent past. Rock art can be seen there, and several buildings have been preserved. These places tell different parts of the past: mining, public architecture and a long history of human settlement exist side by side.

Another cultural landmark is in Alpine: the Museum of the Big Bend is located on the campus of Sul Ross State University. The Fossil Discovery Exhibit illustrates changes in the plants and animals of Big Bend over 130 million years of Earth’s history. It is fully wheelchair accessible and complements the historic sites with a natural history perspective on the region.

Nature Trails and Visitor Orientation

At Dugout Wells, the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail begins across the road from the picnic area; a brown wooden sign marks the trailhead. Dugout Wells itself is a shady oasis with cottonwood trees and tables for picnicking and birdwatching. Those interested in observing nature will find practical options here, both for spending time in the picnic area and for setting out on the nature trail.

The Rio Grande Village Nature Trail includes a level, wheelchair-accessible boardwalk that crosses a wetland. The trail is suitable for birdwatching and photography. The riparian corridor near Rio Grande Village also offers year-round birdwatching opportunities. There are other routes with different trail profiles for planning your outings: the hike to Dog Canyon is moderate, four miles round trip, and follows a well-marked trail. The Santa Elena Canyon Trail ends where the canyon wall meets the Rio Grande.

Big Bend Ranch State Park stretches along the Rio Grande from southeast of Presidio to near Lajitas and is located in Brewster and Presidio counties. In 2018, the International Dark-Sky Association designated it a Gold-tier Dark Sky Park. The park also offers about 238 miles of multi-use trails suitable for horseback riding. These details can help you weigh different interests when planning your trip: quiet nature observation, a hike with a known trail profile, or trails suitable for horseback riding.

For planning your visit to Big Bend National Park, visitors can download maps and content for offline use with the National Park Service Mobile App. Together with the route of U.S. Highway 385 and the detailed descriptions of the nature trails, these provide several points of reference to help you choose the destinations that suit your stay.

Discover more destinations: Alpine, Terlingua, Lajitas, Marathon, Wichita, Crosby County, Oldham, Kimble County.

For the broader travel overview: Texas.