What's on in Big Bend National Park, United States through the year

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Darkest skies in the lower 48 (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

• Nature

  Desert bloom

  15 Feb – 30 Apr · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  Bluebonnets along the river road from late February, then the cactus — claret cup and prickly pear — into April. How much of it happens depends entirely on whether the autumn before was wet, so some years there is almost nothing. Source ↗

Still on: Darkest skies in the lower 48 (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))

Peak crowds — Spring break crush, Spring break in United States

• Holiday

  Spring break crush

  7–25 Mar · usuallySchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  The busiest fortnight of the park's year, and there are no overflow options: campgrounds and the Chisos lodge are booked months out and the entrance queue starts before nine. Come the week either side instead. Source ↗

Still on: Desert bloom (15 Feb – 30 Apr (usually)), Darkest skies in the lower 48 (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Desert bloom (15 Feb – 30 Apr (usually)), Darkest skies in the lower 48 (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Desert summer heat

  15 May – 15 Sep · usuallyExtreme heat

  The desert floor along the Rio Grande is the hot part; the Chisos Basin sits high enough to be bearable. Rangers pull people off the Marufo Vega and lower-elevation trails every summer, and the visitor centres at Castolon and Rio Grande Village shut. Source ↗

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Desert summer heat (15 May – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Monsoon flash floods

  1 Jul – 30 Sep · usuallyFlood seasonClosures

  Afternoon storms put water down the arroyos with no warning and cut the unpaved roads; Old Maverick Road and the Santa Elena approach have been closed by flood damage for long stretches. It is also the greenest the desert gets. Source ↗

Still on: Desert summer heat (15 May – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Desert summer heat (15 May – 15 Sep (usually)), Monsoon flash floods (1 Jul – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Desert summer heat (15 May – 15 Sep (usually)), Monsoon flash floods (1 Jul – 30 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Nature

  Darkest skies in the lower 48

  15 Oct – 15 Apr · usuallyDark-sky season

  The park has the least light pollution of any in the contiguous states, and the dry months either side of winter give the longest, cleanest nights for it. Go on a new moon and bring a red torch. Source ↗

Busy — Thanksgiving break in United States

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Darkest skies in the lower 48 (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Darkest skies in the lower 48 (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))