Spring Break 2025

For spring break this year, we decided to head out to Big Bend National Park. We spent half the week there and then took a long scenic drive back home including a stop at White Sands National Park.

Big Bend National Park

We left very early on Saturday morning to make the drive out. We had heard that there might be long lines, so we wanted to get there with plenty of time to sit in line for a couple hours and also be able to set up camp in the daylight. We might it mid afternoon, and there were no lines! Turns out the lines are inside of the park to popular spots.

Caitlin and Scout in front of the Big Bend National Park sign
Us at the Big Bend National Park sign.

We put our Subaru immediately to the test as our campsite was down a primitive road. We stayed at Paint Gap 3, which was in the backcountry sort of in the upper middle of the park. We were also car camping, we have a mattress for the back of our car. This is the second time we've tried it, and we're starting to get the hang of it.

A dirt road leading into a desert valley with rocky hills in the background.
The primitive road to our campsite.
A desert valley with rocky hills and two wooden log benches in the foreground under a cloudy sky.
The view from our campsite.

Big Bend is huge, it takes at least an hour to drive around the main loop. We spent the rest of the afternoon driving around, marveling at the views and discovering all the plants in the park. One of our favorites was the ocotillo, which we didn't learn the name of until the final day.

A few patches of prickly pear cactii in various colors.
A few patches of prickly pear cactii in various colors.
Some ocotillo plants.
Some ocotillo plants.

It was extremely windy that day, so we had to get creative with where we were going to cook food. We ended up finding a nice walled ramp that provided wind protection so we could use our camp stove. As a bonus, the spot had an amazing view.

Caitlin sitting on a stone wall with a desert mountain peak in the background.
Me in front of a mountain.
Caitlin and Scout wearing sunglasses and smiling in front of desert mountains.
Us while cooking dinner.

Ernst Tinaja

The first thing we did on the next morning was head out for our first hike at Ernst Tinaja. It was a very slow, bumpy drive down a primitive road to get to the trailhead. We spent about an hour on this one mile hike. Lots of rock climbing and neat formations inside the canyon. The rock formations inside of this canyon were very neat. This is one of the coolest hikes we did all week. It was also nice because there there were only a couple other people on the trail.

A dirt trail leading into a canyon with a rocky outcrop in the background.
Us at the trailhead
The view into the canyon from the outside.
The view into the canyon from the outside.
Inside was just very cool.
Inside was just very cool.

One of the "features" of Ernst Tinaja is a water pit with a slick water slide. Apparently animals used to go into it for water but wouldn't be able to get out, a literal death trap. It was also swarming with bees, so I didn't get get close at all. You could hear the a faint buzz throughout the entire hike. Despite the nightmarish sounds, it was still a super fun hike.

Scout in front of the bee pit.
Scout in front of the bee pit.
Us at Ernst Tinaja.
Us at Ernst Tinaja.
Such a cool view. Almost the whole hike inside the canyon was like this.
Such a cool view. Almost the whole hike inside the canyon was like this.
Scout posing on some rocks.
Scout posing on some rocks.
Scout climbing rocks.
Scout climbing rocks.
Me climbing up the same rocks.
Me climbing up the same rocks.
Us at the end of the trail, with a small balanced rock over a pool of water
Us at the end of the trail, with a small balanced rock over a pool of water

Boquillas, Mexico

The park has port of entry into Mexico, so we decided to visit for lunch. To get there, you have to cross the Rio Grande. You can wade across if you'd like, but you can also pay $5 to get ferried across in a tiny little boat. That's what we did. After you make it across, it's about about a mile to the village. They offer donkey rides, but we opted to walk.

Crossing the Rio Grande to get to Mexico.
Crossing the Rio Grande to get to Mexico.
Across the river, the sign for Boquillas.
Across the river, the sign for Boquillas.
The entrance into the village of Boquillas.
The entrance into the village of Boquillas.

Once you make it into town, you're immediately greeted by children trying to sell you trinkets. We walked into town a little bit and found a restaurant with a nice patio to sit down at. We didn't stay long because it was already late afternoon, and if you don't make it back to the border crossing when it closes at 4, you're stuck in Mexico for the night.

Scout at lunch in one of the restaurants.
Scout at lunch in one of the restaurants.

After lunch, we stopped at the hot springs in the area. It was also crowded and I didn't take any pictures, but got in the water and relaxed there until dinner time.

Window View

For the a great view of the sunset, the visitor center recommends a tiny hike called the Window View Trail inside of the Chisos Basin. There were tons of people here. We ended up cooking dinner here and sat down on the edge of the trail to watch the sunset.

The view from the Window View Trail
The view from the Window View Trail
Us at the Window View Trail
Us at the Window View Trail

Window Trail

The next morning, we decided to do the Window Trail Hike. This is a 5 mile hike down into the Chisos Basin that takes you right up to the Window that we watched the sunset from the night before.

Inside the Chisos Basin is the only place we really saw any greenery. You walk for a few miles going down through the trees, and then you enter a little canyon with a tiny bit of rock climbing to do. This trail was busy, we were constantly passing people on the way. At the end of the trail, there's the "Window" which is a little opening between the rocks. This was very crowded, with everyone taking turns to get pictures. This was the busiest trail we did in the park.

The trees inside the Chisos Basin along the Window Trail.
The trees inside the Chisos Basin along the Window Trail.
Entering the canyon on the Window Trail.
Entering the canyon on the Window Trail.
Me at the top of some rock stairs.
Me at the top of some rock stairs.
Us at the Window
Us at the Window

Santa Elena Canyon Overlook

The end of the Window Trail included a steep 500 foot elevation gain to get back out, which I absolutely hated. I was feeling pretty grumpy about more hiking after that, so we decided to do a smaller hike that we heard had a great view.

This trail went through a canyon alongside the Rio Grande.

The view from the start of the trail.
The view from the start of the trail.
An ocotillo plant on the trail.
An ocotillo plant on the trail.

The end of the trail did indeed have really great view. There were a lot of people out there playing in the water. Scout found a rock to climb out onto, and I eventually joined in. We sat out there for a while just relaxing as it was very peaceful.

Scout relaxing out on a rock.
Scout relaxing out on a rock.
The view inside of the Santa Elena Canyon.
The view inside of the Santa Elena Canyon.
Us in front of the Santa Elena Canyon view.
Us in front of the Santa Elena Canyon view.

For dinner this night, we decided to watch the sunset from our campsite.

Cooking next to our car for wind protection.
Cooking next to our car for wind protection.
Chairs set up for prime sunset viewing.
Chairs set up for prime sunset viewing.

Balanced Rock

We got up early to pack the car and fit in a couple more hikes before leaving the park. The first hike we did was Balanced Rock, which is about a mile hike to see a rock that is balanced between two other rocks.

The balanced rock itself was fine, but the views on the trail were wonderful. We enjoyed this more than initially expected. It was a cool hike through the canyon with a little bit of rock climbing at the end.

Us at the start of the trail.
Us at the start of the trail.
The trail to Balanced Rock.
The trail to Balanced Rock.
View of part of the trail through the valley.
View of part of the trail through the valley.
Some rocks we had to climb over to get to the top.
Some rocks we had to climb over to get to the top.
Us in front of the balanced rock.
Us in front of the balanced rock.

Lone Mountain

The last trail we did was a couple miles around a mountain called Lone Mountain. It was a pretty easy hike, was very secluded, and had nice views. It would be have been the perfect trail to do first at the park as it has a great mixture and close up views of all the various desert plants inside the park. However as the final hike after a few days, it was a little boring.

The trail around the the ridge of Lone Mountain.
The trail around the the ridge of Lone Mountain.

McDonald Observatory

A couple hours north of Big Bend is the McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis. At this observatory they have the second largest telescope in the world. We stayed a night in Fort Davis and got tickets to an event they ran called a Star Party. At a Star Party they show constellations with a laser pointer, and then they have telescopes for everyone to look through. Some of these telescopes were larger standard telecopes, but some were the big ones inside of the domes. We got to see: Mars, Jupiter, the Orion Nebula Cluster, M81 & M82 galaxies, and the Pleiades.

At the observatory wait for sunset, if you look closely you can see a javelina in front of the telescope.
At the observatory wait for sunset, if you look closely you can see a javelina in front of the telescope.

Three Rivers Petroglyphs

The next morning we drove up to Alamogordo, New Mexico as part of our scenic route back home. While we were waiting for the weather to warm up a little, we stopped at the Three Rivers Petroglyphs Site. This was about a mile loop around a ton of rocks, with thousands of petroglyphs on them. These are supposed to be nearly 1000 years old.

Lots of small petroglyphs.
Lots of small petroglyphs.
A ram with arrows in it
A ram with arrows in it
A bird with a bunch of others in the background.
A bird with a bunch of others in the background.

White Sands National Park

Our last major stop was White Sands National Park. This was so much fun. We did a 4.5 mile hike through the sand dunes, which took us three hours. Someone described it as "otherworldly" and it really is the best description for it.

It was really busy! As you drive through the park, you see families all over sledding down the dunes. The trailhead to our hike was all the way at the back of the park. Once we started the hike, we were in a much more secluded area. We still saw a few other people, but for the most part it felt like we were alone.

It was definitely challenging, as you were regularly climbing up hills of sand. But it also meant that you got to slide down them. The novelty never wore off, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole hike.

The best part is that we were able to do this barefoot. The sand was very soft and apparently doesn't get too hot in the sun. It was perfect temperature outside when we went.

Us at the White Sands National Park sign.
Us at the White Sands National Park sign.
Scout at a trail marker for the Alkali Flat Trail.
Scout at a trail marker for the Alkali Flat Trail.
A view of the dunes on the trail.
A view of the dunes on the trail.
Us near the start of the Alkali Flat Trail.
Us near the start of the Alkali Flat Trail.
Scout walking along a dune.
Scout walking along a dune.
Scout conquering a large dune.
Scout conquering a large dune.
Me climbing up the same slope.
Me climbing up the same slope.
Me walking along the edge of a dune.
Me walking along the edge of a dune.
The best part - sliding down.
The best part - sliding down.
It was so much fun.
It was so much fun.
Scout waving from the bottom of the dune.
Scout waving from the bottom of the dune.
Us! Sand!
Us! Sand!
Yet another view of the dunes.
Yet another view of the dunes.

Roswell

The drive home was pretty uneventful, however we did stop in Roswell to visit the UFO Museum. It was exactly as cheesy as you'd expect, but we enjoyed it.

Scout in front of the UFO Museum.
Scout in front of the UFO Museum.