Visitor Information

Park Contact Information

Big Bend National Park. There are five visitor centers in Big Bend: Panther Junction, considered park headquarters, at the intersection of Western Entrance Road (which Hwy. 118 becomes) and Persimmon Road (which U.S. 385 becomes); Persimmon Gap at the park's northern entrance at U.S. 385; Rio Grande Village, on the eastern border near Boquillas Canyon and Mexico; the Castolon Historic District on Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, near Santa Elena Canyon in the southwestern corner of the park; and up high in Chisos Basin, by Chisos Mountains Lodge. Rio Grande Village, Castolon, and Persimmon Gap are closed May–October. Cost for vehicles entering the park (from the north and west gates) is $30, good for one week. Big Bend National Park, Texas, 79834. 432/477–2251; www.nps.gov/bibe.

Visitor Centers

Castolon Visitor Center. Here along the road to Santa Elena Canyon you'll find some of the most hands-on exhibits the park has to offer, with fossils, plants, and implements used by the farmers and miners who settled here in the 1800s and early 1900s. Nearby is an old adobe gallery displaying poster boards explaining the U.S.–Mexico "transparent border." Castolon Historic District, Ross Maxwell Scenic Dr., Big Bend National Park, Texas, 79834. 432/477–2666; www.nps.gov/bibe. Nov.–Apr., daily 10–5; closed for lunch. Closed May–Oct..

Chisos Basin Visitor Center. The small but informative center, by the park's only lodge, is one of the better equipped, with an interactive computer exhibit and a bookstore. An adjacent general store has camping supplies and basic groceries. There are nods to the wild, with natural resource and geology exhibits, a map of bear and mountain lion sightings, and a larger-than-life representation of a mountain lion. The center sponsors educational activities here and at the nearby Chisos Basin Amphitheater. End of Chisos Basin Rd., Big Bend National Park, Texas, 79834. 432/477–2264; www.nps.gov/bibe. Nov.–Mar., daily 8:30–5; Apr.–Oct., daily 8:30–4; closed for lunch.

Panther Junction Visitor Center. The park's main visitor center, near the base of the Chisos Mountains, contains a bookstore and impressive exhibits on the park's mountain, river, and desert environments. An elegantly produced 22-minute film detailing the wonders of the park shows on request in the theater, and there's a sprawling replica of the park's topographical folds. Nearby, a gas station offers limited groceries. 1 Panther Junction Dr., Big Bend National Park, Texas, 79834. 432/477–2251; www.nps.gov/bibe. Daily 9–5.

Persimmon Gap Visitor Center. Complete with exhibits and a bookstore, this seasonal visitor center is the northern gateway into miles of flatlands that surround the more scenic heart of Big Bend. Dinosaur fossils have been found here; the Fossil Discovery Exhibit is on the road between Persimmon Gap and Panther Junction. Big Bend National Park, Texas, 79834. 432/477–2251; www.nps.gov/bibe. Daily 9:30–4, depending on staffing. Closed May–Oct..

Rio Grande Village Visitor Center. At this seasonal center you take in the videos of Big Bend's geological and natural features at the minitheater and view exhibits on the Rio Grande. End of Rio Grande Village Rd., Big Bend National Park, Texas, 79834. 432/477–2251; www.nps.gov/bibe. Nov.–Apr., daily 8:30–4; closed for lunch. Closed May–Oct..