Big Bend National Park: A Texas Treasure

01Today on our national parks journey, we head to the far western part of Texas.

02The landscape here is severe.

03The Chisos Mountains rise from the desert.

04The Rio Grande River cuts deep into ancient limestone rock.

05Cactus plants flower under the intense sun.

06Welcome to Big Bend National Park.

07At first sight, Big Bend seems empty of life, but the park is home to many plants and animals.

08Over 450 kinds of birds can be found within the park, along with 75 mammal species and more than 50 kinds of reptiles.

09The park's diversity comes from its three different ecosystems.

10Within the park are mountain, desert, and river environments.

11The Rio Grande sustains the park.

12The river starts high up in the rocky mountains.

13Melting mountain snow is its main source.

14It travels more than 3,000 kilometers on its way to the Gulf of Mexico.

15The river cuts through the dry Chihuahuan Desert.

16Big Bend National Park contains the northernmost part of this desert.

17It is the second largest desert in North America.

18Much of the desert is south of the border in Mexico.

19The Rio Grande serves as an international border between the United States and Mexico for about 1,600 kilometers.

20The park itself shares a border with Mexico for 189 kilometers.

21The Chihuahuan Desert is the largest ecosystem in the park.

2280% of the park is desert.

23Animals like jackrabbits, roadrunner birds, and mule deer live in the Chihuahuan.

24Many cactus and yucca species thrive.

25These are succulent plants.

26Most succulents have thick, heavy leaves that store water.

27Cacti store water in their stems.

28High up in the park's Chisos Mountains, you will find fir and pine trees, aspens, and maples.

29Temperatures here are much cooler than down on the desert floor.

30The entire Chisos Mountain Range exists within Big Bend.

31It is the only mountain range in the United States that is fully within a national park.

32Its highest mountains, Emory Peak and Lost Mine Peak, each rise more than 2,000 meters above the hot desert floor.

33The woodland environment in the mountains is home to black bears, mountain lions, and gray foxes.

34It is also home to many kinds of birds.

35Visitors are drawn to the park because of its rare and unique bird species.

36One of these is the Kolyma warbler.

37These small gray, yellow, and red birds arrive at Big Bend in the springtime to mate and nest.

38Then they return south to Mexico.

39In the late summer, mountain sage flowers appear.

40Hummingbirds, blue-throated, ruby-throated, magnificent, and lucifer seek out these flowers.

41Along with its plant and animal life, the park is also rich in cultural history.

42Archaeological records of humans in the area go back about 10,000 years, beginning with the prehistoric Paleo-Indians.

43Later on, the Chisos Indians lived here, as did the Comanche and Jumano people and other native groups.

44Spanish explorers began to arrive in the area in the 1500s.

45They were searching for gold and fertile land.

46They described this land as despoblado, or uninhabited.

47Much of what is now Big Bend National Park was Mexican territory until 1848.

48Mexican settlers farmed and raised animals here.

49In the early 1900s, many Anglo-Americans began settling in the area.

50Big Bend became a national park on June 12, 1944.

51It covers more than 320,000 hectares.

52President Franklin D.

53Roosevelt established the park just one week after D-Day.

54That is the day American and British troops invaded Normandy, France.

55As America's attention centered on World War II, Roosevelt established a new national park for future generations to enjoy.

56For several years before the park was created, hundreds of men worked to build roads and trails to prepare the area for visitors.

57They built the 11-kilometer road that leads to the Chisos Mountains Basin.

58A basin is a large area of the Earth's surface that is lower than the area surrounding it.

59Today, the basin is a popular place within the park.

60Visitors can stay in the Chisos Mountain Lodge there or at campgrounds.

61Many of the park's hiking trails begin near the basin.

62One of the most popular is the Lost Mine Trail.

63It starts near the Chisos Mountain Lodge.

64The trail goes up sharply through forests of pine, juniper, and oak trees.

65The 8-kilometer-long hike passes by lookout points for viewing Casa Grande Peak, one of Texas's major mountains.

66Hikers can also enjoy a view into the park's Juniper Canyon.

67More than 300,000 people visit Big Bend each year.

68Most come between November and April when the weather is cooler.

69A favorite way to explore the park is by boat on the Rio Grande.

70Many tour operators organize rafting trips.

71Rafting trips take you through many kilometers of beautiful deep canyons.

72They may last half a day or several days.

73On longer trips, travelers sleep next to the river in tents.

74Another way to enjoy the Rio Grande is in its many hot springs.

75These are places where hot water flows up from underground.

76The water temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius.

77The river's hot springs are said to have healing properties.

78Big Bend National Park has offered beauty, excitement, and recreational challenge to visitors for more than 80 years.

79It is a true treasure of Texas and the larger United States.

80I'm Katie Weaver.

81And I'm Ashley Thompson.