Over the last 3 years, I’ve made 5 visits to Big Bend National Park. While my overnights have been very diverse: tent camping, squaredrop trailer camping, and vehicle camping…one constant has remained. I’ve never entered the park without a 4-wheel drive vehicle.
A significant number of visitors that I personally encounter while inside the park are traveling in 2WD (Two Wheel Drive) or AWD (All Wheel Drive) automobiles…and I’m sure they are more than capable of capturing some great shots and filing away some lifelong memories. So, while touring Big Bend National Park in a 4×4 isn’t necessary, I compare it to visiting the Louvre and leaving without seeing the Mona Lisa.
Here are 4 reasons you want to have a 4-wheel drive vehicle when you visit Big Bend National Park, not only to maximize your enjoyment during that particular visit but to stay safe so that you may experience many future adventures!
Escaping the Masses
There is so much beauty to behold inside the borders of Big Bend National Park that you should definitely go. Period. Any way that you can, regardless of what vehicle type you are driving. But, you can’t compare a visit in a 4×4 vehicle to a visit in a 2WD or AWD vehicle. Once you experience the remote, low-traffic areas that are not accessible to all vehicles…you’re gonna be hooked. For perspective, during my last trip to the park, I spent the first night at a primitive campsite on Old Ore Road. Persimmon Gap Visitor Center was my point of entry to the park and I made my way directly to the north end of Old Ore Road to gain access to my site. I did not see or hear another human being from the moment I left the main park road till the next day when I chose to hit the pavement again. That won’t always happen. But I can tell you for sure where it ain’t gonna happen: Main Park Road, Gano Springs Road, Panther Junction Road, Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive…the paved roads with drivers that are losing their minds because they are stuck behind me…doing the park speed limit.
Those folks are exactly the reason why I travel to a place like Big Bend. Solitude… Nature… Peace and quiet. I definitely do not want to deal with them in my happy place, so I seek out the areas where they are unable to go. I can experience their road rage, tailgating, hurrying, selfishness, blaring music, etc by staying in the city. I’m only on pavement in the park when there is no other choice. Not having a 4WD vehicle precludes them from entering the unimproved areas of the park. And that is where you will find ME!
More Campsite Choices
Big Bend National Park has too much going on to tackle in a day trip. In order to fully appreciate a visit to the park, and to maximize the time spent traveling to a destination that is more out of the way than most, you will want to camp so that you can experience the park over a number of days.
Unless you are staying at one of the 4 campgrounds inside the park, there are only 64 campsites available to visitors that do not require backpacking to reach the site. Of the 64 vehicle-accessible sites, only 34 of them are available to be reserved online. Of the 34 available online, only 19 of the sites are suitable for a vehicle that is not a high-clearance, 4-wheel drive vehicle. The remaining 30 sites not available online are only available first come / first serve and the first question the park ranger will ask you is: “What are you driving?” So, if you are looking for a private site in Big Bend in a passenger car there are only 19 choices available.
At the time of writing, 15 of the 19 online, “car”-accessible campsites are available. But it is also currently 101 degrees, so getting a campsite (and heat stroke) during the hottest time of the year is not a difficult task. This, however, is not the norm. It is the norm though for every campground to be full and for every “car” accessible campsite to be booked during the Big Bend “in season.”
But, if you had a Jeep Wrangler, you have 15 additional online choices as well as 30 first come / first serve choices at your disposal. Having four-wheel drive gives you options. No matter how busy the time of year, I’ve never been unable to secure a campsite because I can access anywhere in the park with my Jeep.
More Experiences
All of the experiences that I cherish the most from Big Bend have taken place beyond a “Four Wheel Drive Required” sign.
I love ruins. I mean, I love things that aren’t ruined too…but it’s rare to find pristine vestiges of our past. The Mariscal Mine is just one of the ruins within the park that can only be safely visited via a four-wheel drive / high clearance vehicle…and it is a must-see. These remnants from the past remind us that the national park history is such a small part of their overall history. Folks lived and died, worked, and played, suffered and thrived on these lands. The ruins provide an insight into what their lives were like and bring greater meaning and understanding to visitors. Without a four-wheel drive vehicle, this insight is being missed.
Maybe it’s because I’m a native Kentuckian, but I love the snot out of horses…. I’ve never seen a horse in Big Bend from the pavement, but I’ve encountered them every time while exploring the more remote areas of the park. Notwithstanding the controversy surrounding the horses, they are majestic to behold. Although they are not wild, it is rare to encounter our equine friends in such beautiful country, free from all restraints…grazing, walking, loping… Watching the herd hierarchy play out as we spot each other is for me the same as what a trip to the symphony may be for someone else. Instead of identifying the instrumentation used for the interwoven melody and harmony, I find myself identifying the lead mare as she begins to look for, and lead the herd to a more defensive area. I hunt for the alpha male who is invariably giving me the “You want a piece of me?” stare down as he slowly yields the roadway or shoulder so that I can pass. I’m giddy every time I encounter them and I never take it for granted. I would miss this every time if I were in my Rogue.
The Rio Grande. The first time I approached the Rio Grande I lost my mind. It was overwhelming to walk up to…and into the river that is filled with so much history and mystique. Santa Elena Canyon is likely the most photographed section of the Rio Grande within the park. And I fully understand why. But much of the magic is lost when it is shared with dozens or hundreds of others at the same time. Santa Elena Canyon wasn’t my first encounter with the Rio Grande at Big Bend. Tally Road was. I knew from the park map and my research ahead of time that the Tally 3 (TY3) and Tally 4 (TY4) campsites were on the Rio Grande. When I visited Big Bend for the first time I made a beeline for Tally Road. Admittedly the landscape of the Rio Grande at the end of Tally Road is nowhere as breathtaking as Santa Elena Canyon. But, it was mine alone. No sight or sound of another human being. Just me, the river, and Mexico on the other side. Never would have experienced this in a Cadillac CTS-V.
Safety
If you’ve read this far you may be thinking, “My Subaru (or insert the non-4×4 vehicle of your choice) can tackle anything Big Bend can throw at me.” On my last trip to Big Bend, I actually saw a Subaru exploring beyond the “4 Wheel Drive Required” signs. Granted, it had no front bumper, so there’s that… I saw it on the far east end of River Road and later on at the far west end of River Road. Based on the direction we were both heading (them east and me west), I am led to believe they only explored each end of River Road and had the sense to not attempt a drive all the way through. But then again, I did mention they had lost their front bumper, right?
There’s also the lore of the Honda Civic that attempted driving River Road and made it a mile before having to be towed back out…with serious damage. According to one park ranger I spoke with on my first visit, it’s a minimum of $1500 to be towed out of such areas.
I choose to explore in a modified Jeep Wrangler because I prepare for the worst. I want my adventures to be ones that I choose…and hope to avoid the unnecessary ones that occur because I’m unprepared. The unplanned challenges that I do face have favorable outcomes because in advance I’ve prepared my rig and my mind to tackle them.
On a perfect day in perfect conditions with rainbows in the sky and unicorns prancing among the cactus, a Subaru Outback is the only transportation you’ll ever need in Big Bend National Park. March 15, 2020, was that perfect day. Until it wasn’t. I’ve been able to piece together the timing of that day using the metadata from my photos and dash video.
I was parked high up overlooking the Rio Grande at Loop Camp off River Road West (3:43 pm). It was one of those surreal moments looking across the water into Mexico. Some of the horses that are known to wander across the border were nearby. A gentle breeze caressed the desert.
Then the lightning strikes began from far off in Mexico (4:00 pm). It took some time for the storm to move close enough for the sound of thunder to accompany the strikes.
At 4:19 pm I began to evacuate Loop Camp. I don’t remember my original intent…probably to head back to my campsite on Tally Road. The rain was coming down pretty heavy with some intermittent hail. By 4:21 pm (yes, only 2 minutes later) visibility was minimal and the desert ground….varying shades of brown only moments ago was now white. Hail covered all of the ground. AND, the golf ball plus sized hail broke through my side window and was pelting my dashboard from behind. Good times!
As I made it back to the “main road”, River Road…a question that lingered in the recesses of my mind was suddenly and violently answered. During my trips to Big Bend I’ve noticed hundreds of what look like dried creek beds. But…Big Bend is the desert. It isn’t just dry…it’s “cheeseburger under the heat lamp at the gas station all day and night dry.” Not after a hailstorm apparently. Flash flooding was rampant throughout the Park. Hardly an inconvenience for me in my Jeep…until it was.
I came across two dual sport motorcyclists. They were unable to do much of anything other than become repeatedly stuck in the present conditions. These were not rookies. The desert was just that tough during flash flood conditions. After assisting them, then following them for a short distance, they surrendered to Mother Nature, abandoned their bikes in the desert, and became passengers in my Jeep.
Next on the agenda was the overlanding family in a sweet Land Cruiser. While their rig was more than adequate, their knowledge of the park wasn’t sufficient to allow them to choose the best way to safety. Relying on taking the shortest distance to safety would have placed them in a miserable and dangerous situation. After a short conversation, they turned around and began following me back to civilization.
At the top of Tally Road, a Tacoma silently joined the procession. Let me tell you…it was hairy getting back to higher ground and pavement. The road became a river in places. I’m not talking about the water “crossing” the road. The river WAS the road. I recommend to most everyone to “Turn around, don’t drown.” While there was still some danger in our exodus, all 3 of our rigs were highly trail tested and operated by folks with above-average offroading experience. We also followed principles that allowed us to safely navigate our way out.
It was 7:40 pm when our caravan made it back to asphalt and ensured safety. I say all this to bring you to this point…If you ventured beyond the “4 Wheel Drive Required” sign in your Outback on that perfect day, that became “unperfect”…at best you would have been stranded in the desert overnight (hopefully with adequate supplies). At worst there would now be a roadside cross with your name on it.
There is a reason when discussing Mariscal Mine that I wrote it can only be “safely visited via a four-wheel drive / high clearance vehicle.” You likely could make it there in other vehicles. You also might need a divorce lawyer afterward. I’m certain at least one contrarian reader is a 95-year-old grandmother that visits the Mariscal Mine every day in her Prius, blindfolded, with a donut spare on the driver’s front…sigh… Four-wheel drive vehicles increase your level of safety when exploring because they increase your level of preparedness. The more prepared you are, the safer you are. It’s just that simple.
Experience It!
Stop reading and start experiencing. Grab a calendar, circle some dates, and plan your trip. But remember, if you choose to make your visit in a 4WD vehicle you are choosing to safely visit the more peaceful/remote areas of the park, have more campsite choices, and experience more of the wonders that Big Bend has to offer!
