GRANOLA GIRL DREAMS

Let’s talk about Big Bend National Park!!

I’ve lived in Texas for pretty much my whole life and it was only recently that I learned we had our very own NATIONAL PARK 😱

First and foremost, I want to say that this trip was NOT well planned and it’s entirely our fault. We had to learn everything the hard way. So I guess in a lot of ways, this post is what I wish I could’ve told my past self before going! We only went for one full day of hiking and spent the other 2 days driving. So for reference—Friday (driving to), Saturday (hiking and other activities), and Sunday (drove back).

The surrounding desert town is extremely remote!! It’s not at all developed if you are from the city, please keep that in mind. Everyone knows each other in that town and the people are extremely helpful and friendly, but in true desert fashion it is also drastically different than what you might be used to. There’s one main gas station in the area and it typically closes at 8 pm! Also make sure you pack PLENTY of water and Gatorade (you NEED electrolytes). The heat is NO JOKE! Especially as it’s getting hotter in the summer, it’s more likely to get dehydrated or heat exhaustion. Also don’t forget your SPF 🧴! I would also pack light, breathable clothes! I made the mistake of wearing long tights and tight sports bra and it was very uncomfortable when the heat got worse after the sun came up! Packing the essentials is KEY! And it’s better to be over prepared than underprepared especially in a remote location such as this. LAST but not least, make sure you bring a 4 wheel car or a truck. There are a lottttt of gravel paths and your tires will suffer ˙◠˙ like ours did!

The park itself is beautiful, definitely different than any other parts of texas. But the park is underrated and therefore not as funded as the others! The hiking trails are beautiful, but you need to plan atleast two hiking days if you want to do more than just one hike. We only managed to do one hike (the window trail) because we also planned to go horseback riding at 4:30 pm and that limited our time at the park for the day.

All in all, despite having had heat exhaustion (yes I speak from experience) and a very disorganised trip, I’d give this experience a 8/10 simply because I got a chance to disconnect from the city and connect with the stars. Fun fact, big bend is one of the darkest points of earth and therefore at night when the sky is clear—you can see so many stars with your naked eye!

Pleas please please do ample research before you go and don’t make the same mistakes we did. #bigbendnationalpark #granolagirlaesthetic #hiking2023 #naturegirly #desertaesthetic #remote #horsegirlthings