State Highway 118, or SH 118, is a 155.3-mile state highway in the U.S. state of Texas that runs from Big Bend National Park north to Kent and passes through the towns of Study Butte, Alpine...
West Texas
West Texas is Big Bend. Sandwiched between Mexico and New Mexico, the area integrates Hispanic culture into the American mix. The Pecos and the Rio Grande rivers are just two of the natural attractions in this part of the state, the latter forming a natural border between Texas and Mexico. In Big Bend National Park, one of the largest national parks in the United States, guests can hike, float on commercial float trips on the Rio Grande, camp and birdwatch.
The largest center in the region is El Paso, a city with easy access to its sister city of Juarez, Mexico. Attractions in El Paso include Fort Bliss, the Ysleta, Socorro and San Elizario missions, and the El Paso Museum of Art. Other areas of interest in this region include the Amistad National Recreation Area, Guadalupe Mountains National Park and the city of Del Rio.
Map of West Texas Points
Things to See & Do in West Texas
Franklin Mountains
Franklin Mountains in El Paso looking Northwest from Hondo Pass and Eclipse St.
El Cosmico, Marfa
If you find yourself in Marfa looking for an interesting place to stay, check out El Cosmico. It's an out of this world stop on The Texas Bucket List that provides visitors with a unique place to lay...
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park in Texas.
The Borderlands of Texas
Crowned with a sky so wide that it threatens to define infinity, the Big Bend region of Texas is situated roughly west of San Antonio, east of El Paso, and north of the mythic Rio Grande river. It...
Trent at Sunset
Trent, on Interstate Highway 20 twenty-three miles west of Abilene in northwestern Taylor County, was established in 1881 and served as a halfway station on the Texas and Pacific Railway between...
Flying Over Big Bend
Given it's 801,163 acre size, it's hard to comprehend all that is Big Bend.
McDonald Observatory
We traveled to the McDonald Observatory to see the heavens on The Texas Bucket List.
Mount Livermore in the Davis Mountains
Pine forests in the Chihuahua Desert!
Marfa Lights
If you are ever out in West Texas at night, you should spend an hour or two waiting for the “lights”. Native American residents knew about Marfa Mystery Lights long before the first...
Fort Davis National Park
Established in 1854, Fort Davis was important in guarding and establishing America’s western frontier. Troops stationed at this historic military post served to protect emigrants, families...
Hiking on the North Franklin Peak in El Paso
Our friend over at El Paso Hiking shared his video of a March hike up to North Mount Franklin Peak in the Franklin Mountains State Park, El Paso.
Marfa
Marfa is a city in the high desert of the Trans-Pecos in far West Texas, located between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park. It is the county seat of Presidio County.
Lost Mine Trail, Big Bend
Legend of the Lost Mine Of the many romantic legends which abound through the West, few match the Lost Mine story from which the peak takes its name. Is it true? Did the mine exist? Or was it a...
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
The world's largest coral reef.
Balmorhea State Park in Toyahvale
Balmorhea State Park was constructed by the CCC in the early 1930s to put folks to work during the Depression.
Ernst Tinaja, Big Bend
The Ernst Tinaja in Big Bend is the largest of a series of tinajas or natural water holes in this canyon. Because it rarely goes dry, it is a reliable source of water for desert wildlife. Photo Tom
Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center, Fort Davis
In 1978, the board and supporters of the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute purchased 507 acres of rolling grassland, oak-studded hills, and shady canyon springs in the foothills of the Davis...