Planning on riding down from Oklahoma City, spend a couple or 3 days in the Big Bend area, then up to Carlsbad NM to meet some family. Any good suggestions on roads to ride or things not to miss?

 

Best time to go is Sept/Oct from now until then it is HOT down there. I went last year at this time and was lucky that a cool spell happened, it was just 100 during our stay.

Enjoy!

 

Hit the Davis Mountains if you can. Run the loop (118 + 166) to the west of Ft. Davis. Nice observatory to checkout along that route. 118 down from Alpine to Study Butte/Terlingua is a good road. Stop in Harry's Tinaja in Alpine and have a beer. Tell Harry, Brad from Indy said hi. There's a good steakhouse in Alpine called Lone Star if I remember right.

Down in Terlingua, the Starlight Theater has good food. Next to the theater is a cool store that sells books by local authors, books on TX and the area, plus some other cool things. Worth checking out.

From Terlingua take 170 west running along the Rio Grande to Presidio, or, at least ride it halfway and then back. Great road. The movie Fandango filmed the scene where they dig up "DOM" and Costner throws the bottle off a rock pile into the canyon there just a little ways west of Lajitas. Very cool vista there. In Lajitas, there is a resort with a very good restaurant and bar. Cool place to stop.

The road inside Big Bend that goes to Castolon is a don't miss ride that has absolutely beautiful scenery.

Just north of the park on FM2627 about 5 miles east of the main entrance is a place called the Stillwell Store. Quaint little place. You can rent an air conditioned trailer for the night for cheap and the people are the nicest you'll meet anywhere. Nan is the lady that runs the place. She is an amazing person and will keep you laughing with her stories. Google them for the website and more info. They love bikers there.

As Cayers said in post above, it will be hot, very hot. Take some frozen water bottles - lots, sunscreen, hat, bandana, etc. Also, fill up frequently while in west TX. Some of the gas stops can be many miles apart and you don't want to pass up gas if you have a half tank...stop and fill it. For example, no gas between Alpine and Terlingua which is 80+ miles. Enjoy the ride.

 

I'd go to the park headquarters and then head to Chisos Basin which is about as high as you get in the park, it's much cooler than down by the river, sometimes about 15 degrees or more. At the Basin there is a good store, restaurant, and camping grounds if you're taking a tent. Go early and get a good campsite then hike the Window Trail which is only about a two mile hike, but has great view. Lost Mine Trail is also a good hike, but longer. If you hike take water. North of the park entrance is Marathon and if you have money you can stay at the historic Gage hotel or if you're on a budget at the Marathon RV & Motel which is about a quarter of a mile west of the Gage. Check out my blog at http://swriding.blogspot.com which has more information on West Texas. Go to Ft. Davis and the McDonald Observatory which has the highest paved road point in Texas. The Ft. Davis State Park is also nice. There's a couple of million acres of land that's burned in West Texas so you'll be seeing stuff that hasn't been seen before. If fires are still going then hotel rooms are hard to find since they're taken up by fire fighters. I agree with previous post that the River Road running to Presidio is great and a different ride going west then going east. Did anybody say it's hot? My wife and I were there in July and we never saw another bike in the park! What's that say? Santa Elena Canyon in the park is another must see place. Park speed limits are a max of 45mph and it's a big park so don't think you can see it all in a day. There is a gas station in the park, use it. There is gas in Study Butte, use it. Gas in Marathon, use it. Take water. Fort Davis has some cheap motels on the north side of town. If you're coming from SA or Austin take highway from Rocksprings to Brackettville (filmed the Alamo there) which is a great ride and little known highway. Then head to Del Rio...there's a Rudy's BBQ there next to a WalMart where you should get what you need before heading west. Stop at Langtry home of Judge Roy Bean, it's a TxDot Information Center where all publications are free including Ride Texas. Stop at the overlook of the Pecos River which has the highest suspended bridge in Texas. Then stop in Sanderson, Marathon, Alpine, Ft. Davis, etc. Marfa has the "lights" and a big art cult so it could be a nice stop? I'd go to Marathon then south into the park, about 80 miles to Park Headquarters from there; then see the Basin, Santa Elena Canyon, exit on westside at Study Butte, then take river road, then back to Study Butte, then Alpine, Ft. Davis, the Observatory, then stay in Marathon and finally see the water pools in Balmorhea the I10 w/80mph back home!