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When to go
Spring break (March 5 through 21 this year) is perfect, but this is no secret. Giant-sized Big Bend bluebonnets start popping up in mid-February, and other plants soon burst into full color. The park is most crowded throughout March and around Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. During these periods, advisories are posted at park entrances if lodging and campsites in the park are full. Still, on a peak-capacity day, there are rarely more than eight thousand visitors in the park -- slightly less than one person per one hundred acres.

Even in March, the temperature can dip below freezing or break 100 degrees. However, daytime highs typically remain in the seventies and eighties. The heat is usually at its infernolike worst from May to July. The monsoon season of almost daily afternoon rains begins in July and peaks in September, typically the wettest month, greening the desert and dropping temperatures to a more tolerable level. In winter, the climate is typical of the desert--mild days and cold nights--but can be brutal when a norther blows through.
What To Bring
Pack sturdy walking shoes or hiking boots, a wide-brimmed hat, long pants for desert hikes, sunscreen, lip balm, hand lotion, insect repellent, containers for water, a day pack, maybe a swimsuit for a dip at Hot Springs, and layers of clothing to adjust to sudden changes in the weather. Since the closest hospital is 102 miles away in Alpine, a first-aid kit is a good idea. A pair of binoculars and a guide to the stars will come in handy too; unless you go to McDonald Observatory, you'll never see so many stars at night. Carry water in your car; it's a long way to the next store if you're thirsty. Specialty foods and fresh fruits and vegetables are hard to come by, so picky eaters should BYO.

How To Get There
By car, Panther Junction is 232 miles from Midland and 329 miles from El Paso, the nearest commercial airports. Other distances: 603 miles from Houston, 559 from Dallas, 744 from Texarkana. Lone Star Airlines (800-877-3932) resumes service between DFW Airport and Alpine on March 1 with five flights a week via nineteen-seat prop planes. Amtrak's Sunset Limited between New Orleans and Los Angeles stops in Alpine, as do Greyhound buses. Big Bend Aero (915-837-3009) in Alpine has a limited number of cars for rent, priced from $20 to $55 a day plus 10 cents a mile. If you have the time to drive an extra one hundred miles (or if you're starting out from El Paso), use the western entrance to the park via Marfa, Presidio, and the Camino del Rio (the River Road, which is Farm-to-Market Road 170). The scenery is exceptional, especially at the roadside pulloff high above Colorado Canyon, fifteen miles west of Lajitas. Gasoline is readily available outside the park in Marathon, Alpine, and Study Butte, the park's western gateway, and inside the park at Panther Junction and Rio Grande Village. Prices are higher than those in urban Texas. Stations in the park close at seven in the evening.

When To Arrive
Daytime. Big Bend's remoteness from civilization means that many visitors reach the park after dark. They miss the transition from plains to desert and the unforgettable approach to the Chisos. If your schedule calls for you to reach the park at night, consider staying outside the park and driving in the next day. Alpine has more lodging options (I suggest the Sunday House), but Marathon via U.S. 385 is closer to the park headquarters at Panther Junction and has the Gage Hotel (386-4205). This historic jewel designed by noted West Texas architect Henry Trost looks and feels like a real Old West hotel, which is exactly what it is. Branding irons, saddles, chaps, and other cowmen's accoutrements decorate the rooms and hallways. The ambience is enhanced by a steady clientele of area ranchers who drop in at the restaurant for dishes like fiery cabrito enchiladas ($10.95). The omission of telephones and televisions in guest rooms is intentional. Last fall the Gage opened an adobe wing of rooms furnished with antiques from northern Mexico, as well as a heated pool in the courtyard. A standard double in the new wing is $140 with a fireplace or $120 without. In the original hotel, rooms with a private bath are $85 and rooms with shared baths are $65.