Feb 223 min read

Beautiful Big Bend & Terlingua, TX (Texas Road trip part 3)

Updated: Feb 22

Hopefully, you've read along for this road trip adventure so far! Our next stop was driving south to Big Bend National Park!

I had researched and knew this portion was going to be a long drive! My husband was a little nervous because my daughter and I were traveling alone. He hates these type trips bc there is no time to rest hahaha! I had fully thought of every situation that might arise and felt comfortable driving. We would get up super early and get on the road so there was no nighttime driving. I90 is a long stretch of interstate and miles and miles without stores or gas stations. I had the directions mapped out in case we lost phone service, a full tank of gas, and knew how to change the tire if needed. It took us all day, but we arrived safety! The stretch was gorgeous flat land for the most part. We saw lots of windmills and not a huge amount of traffic. We arrived in the tiny town of Terlingua that evening in time for checking into our accommodations for the night, watching the sunset, and diner in the small town.

Terlingua is known as the Ghost Town and neighbors Big Bend National Park. This town was nothing like I'd ever experienced. There are no street lights and the night sky is great viewed from here. There is no cell service except Wi-Fi that is included with lodging. There weren't even radio stations. It had one gas station, a liquor store, and a few local owned restaurants. I absolutely LOVED it! I think my teen daughter would have more if she'd had phone service; however, it's nice to unplug every once in a while.

We found our lodging and headed into the small town area to walk through the cemetery and get something to eat. The wait was very long with only a few restaurants. So, our first night was Mexican and a nice atmosphere.

Town of Terlingua, Dinner, Cemetary, and sunset view

Our first night's stay here was in this a frame lodging. I thought they were very IG worthy and the views were magnificent; however, they were not the best night's sleep. We had wind storms this night with 40mph winds and the door didn't secure so it flapped all night and the coyotes sounded like they were right beside us. My daughter and I got some good laughs and she was not fond of the shared showers, but I told her I at least selected somewhere with hot water for showers.

The next morning, we got up early and picked up our Jeep rental to explore Big Bend National Park. I didn't want to do a lot of hiking but wanted to see Balanced Rock. From my research, the road to it was very hard to drive without the proper vehicle. I am so glad I researched, and we rented the jeep. They have jeep rentals right in Terlingua and you can rent for a day. This was such a great decision after going down that road. My car would've never made it as low to the ground as it is. We made the treacherous hike to Balanced Rock. I will just say if this is an easy hike I would hate to see difficult! I scooted down lots of areas on my bottom, but we did it. We got some more good laughs and my daughter said we were finished with hikes at this point! We drove more of the park and to our new accommodations for the night.

After our day in Big Bend, we had dinner at the famous Starlight Theatre. You can plan to wait hours here! It's neat place with some unusual menu items! We tried antelope and it was great! It reminded me of cubed steak. Also, had their famous chili. Terlingua is known for chili and has a big chili cook off.

And, finally, for the highlight of our stay in Terlingua was this lodging in a bubble! It was unbelievable! We had to rive up the mountain side a bit but the views were simple stunning! It was very private and secure. There are 4 bubbles in this area. Ours had a private hot tub, outdoor shower, grilling and outdoor area. There is a Tesla charging station on property. This was very luxury glamping! The cost was quite a splurge but one of those once in a lifetime stays for my family! I enjoyed watching the sunset from the hot tub and lying in bed under the stars was unreal! I cannot recommend this experience enough!