My father introduced me to National Parks when I was very young. We spent each Summer, beginning when I was 3, on road trips throughout the US, camping & visiting various Parks & Memorials. The Summer of 1970, shortly after turning 13, we spent a week in Big Bend and I embarked on my very first official ‘hike’, the trail within the gorgeous Santa Elena Canyon…. pictured here, in the yellow t-shirt. I was hooked, and have spent a lifetime as an avid hiker and my love for National Parks have deepened profoundly over the years. I have both volunteered & worked in a number of Parks & feel my love for the NPS was one of the most profound gifts given to me by my father, who passed away when I was 17.
Sincerely,
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park features broad expanses of Chihuahuan Desert shrubland and grassland interspersed with smaller areas of high-elevation woodland in the Chisos Mountains. Rugged rocks and deep canyons along the Rio Grande are among the park's most striking features; wetlands and springs add to the park's biological diversity. Visitors can explore the rugged trails, seek out the colorful array of birds and wildflowers, and spread out on a blanket after dark enjoying some of the darkest night skies in the country.
State(s): Texas
Established: 1935
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