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Terlingua
Starlight Theater, Terlingua
This rejuvenated ghost town harbors a mystique that is fed by Wild West legend. It was once a prosperous mining village that produced 40 percent of the quicksilver in the nation in 1922, but typical of places that sprouted early in the century, Terlingua became a ghost town by the 1940s. Today, it boasts an array of funky shops, art galleries, and a historically refurbished four-room guesthouse. For local flavor, stop by the Starlight Theatre, a converted bar, eatery, and live music venue. Though the city first gained notoriety for the Terlingua International Championship Chili Cookoff in the 1960s, it now offers many other recreational activities, including raft trips, jeep tours, and horseback rides. Terlingua has 128 moderate and 4 first-class accommodations.
Slide show about Big Bend
Eat! Sleep! Terlingua!River Rafting and Jeep Tours
Big Bend River Tours
A quarter mile past intersection of FM 170 and TX Hwy. 118
432-371-3033
800-545-4240
bigbendrivertours.com
Desert Sports
Five miles west of TX Hwy. 118 on FM 170
432-371-2727
888-989-6900
desertsportstx.com
Far Flung Outdoor Center
On FM 170, half a mile past intersection of TX Hwy. 118 and FM 170
432-371-2633
800-839-7238
farflungoutdoorcenter.com
Rio Grande Adventures
60 miles south of Alpine, TX Hwy. 118 S. (11 miles north of Study Butte)
800-343-1640
riograndeadventures.com
The water level of the Rio Grande will dictate whether your river excursion is a placid float or a challenging white-water adventure. Novices can hire a local commercial outfitter and guide service; experienced rafters can bring their own equipment. River trips range from half a day to a week in length. Trips within Big Bend National Park require backcountry use permits, which are available at any park ranger station. ATVs are now available.
Events
Terlingua International Chili Championship
210-887-8827
chili.org
Nov. 2–4, 2007
What started in 1967 as a contest between Wick Fowler, then the dean of Texas chili cooks, and Dave Chasen, a California restaurateur who insisted West Coast chili was better, has become a world-renowned cookoff. Four decades later, the party is still a hot ticket. Bands play Thursday through Saturday and on Friday the public has a chance to compete in salsa, bean, and hot-wing contests (proceeds benefit the National Scholarship Fund). Saturday is hats off to the chili cooks, and there’s also ample opportunity to sign up as a judge through the Web site.
Travel Itinerary
Big Bend National Park, Terlingua, Lajitas, Presidio - 5 Days
Majestic canyons and towering cliffs make Big Bend National Park an absolute must for hikers, bikers, birders, and all-around adventurers. This is Texas at its most rugged; it’s not surprising that the area attracts so many visitors each year, most of them filled with awe at this incredible landscape.
The park itself covers more than 800,000 acres, so it will take you a few days to explore it. Tune in to the serenity of the Chisos Mountains (the only complete mountain range within a U.S. national park) at the Chisos Mountain Lodge, located right in the park.
Have dinner at the Chisos Mountain Lodge Restaurant, which features Tex-Mex food and a selection of wines. It also opens at 7 a.m. for breakfast. In a hurry to tour Big Bend? Pick up a breakfast-in-a-box to take with you.
Terlingua, which celebrates the “three languages,” or “tres linguas” –of the Indians, Mexicans, and Anglos–that once dominated the area, is known for its prestigious chili cookoffs. If you’ve earned a showing at Terlingua, you’ve got some good chili in that pot. Pick up gems, rocks, and fossils at Many Stones Gifts. Stay overnight at the Terlingua Ranch Lodge, located at the foot of the Corazones Peaks and the Christmas Mountains, and enjoy lunch or dinner at the ranch’s Bad Rabbit Café.
Or if that scenario doesn’t suit, hold out for ultimate Western luxury at the Lajitas Resort on the Rio Grande. It’s called “the ultimate hideout” for good reason. This luxe resort attracts both celebrities and tourists for its gorgeous setting, spa, top-notch equestrian center, gourmet cuisine, and golf course–which includes an optional par one in Mexico, Hole 11A. Explore the desert on horseback with an hour-long ride, an overnight excursion, or a one- to two-day horseback/rafting trip.
It’s easy to pretend you’re touring Italy’s Amalfi Drive as you maneuver your ride along the two-lane River Road (FM 170), packed with hairpin turns and steep grades, to Presidio. Put on the brakes at El Patio (O’Reilly Street) and grab some real Mexican food before heading to Peguis Canyon, 2,000 feet deep, with 100-mile views from the top.
On the way out of Big Bend Country, have one final picnic lunch, at Big Bend Ranch State Park, 300,000 more acres of wilderness that stretches along the Rio Grande. Once privately owned, it’s now open to all and encompasses some of the most remote territory in all of Texas, with ancient extinct volcanoes (calderas), deep gorges, Indian pictographs, and miles of hiking trails.
