The beautiful Davis Mountains in West Texas are often referred to as “the Alps of Texas.” Davis Mountains State Park is located in the foothills of the Davis Mountains only four miles...
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
Hwy 17 into Balmorhea State Park
Picturesque Highway 17 in West Texas. The road into Balmorhea State Park.
Franklin Mountains
Franklin Mountains in El Paso looking Northwest from Hondo Pass and Eclipse St.
The Rim at Chilicote Ranch
View looking Southwest from The Rim at Chilicote Ranch. Somewhere in the valley below runs the Rio Grande, separating Texas in the foreground from Mexico in the background. Near Valentine, Texas...
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...
Lake Balmorhea / San Solomon Springs by Drone
A look at a couple of the water holes in Balmorhea.
West Texas Red Clay
Red clay derives its color from iron oxide, and is usually created through the breakdown of rocks in lower substrates. Red clay is technically a subsoil, and it is usually found only where true...
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park in Texas.
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.
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
Marfa, Texas: There’s No Place Like Here
Here's a neat place to visit: Take a trip to the West Texas Chihuahuan Desert, where the road-side town of Marfa is an oasis for everything from stark cubes to crewelwork.
McDonald Observatory
We traveled to the McDonald Observatory to see the heavens on The Texas Bucket List.
Rio Grande River in Big Bend
Rio Grande River in Big Bend near Terlingua. Photo by Cornelia Leicht
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
The world's largest coral reef.
Rio Grande River, Big Bend
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico–United States border. According to the...
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...
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.
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.

