Trip Overview
Experience the great outdoors by exploring Big Bend National Park in Texas. Take in stunning sunrises in the Chisos Mountains, explore the Rio Grande by canoe, take a dip in the hot springs, and visit a ghost town. Hiking outings will weave you through contrasting deserts and canyons followed by star-blanketed night skies.
Meet your fellow AdventureWomen guest and embark on a week exploring Big Bend National Park! You are accompanied by an AdventureWomen Ambassador, committed to helping make your experience a fun and personally rewarding adventure and cheering you on as you reach beyond your comfort zone to take on new challenges uniquely.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Get to know the frontier of West Texas with a hike and picnic lunch in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Move your legs and start to take in the vast beauty of Texas.
Stop at the Fossil Discovery Exhibit where you will see the astonishing Quetzalcoatlus northropi, the world’s largest known flying creature which had a 36-foot wingspan and weighed over 500 pounds!
Participate in a famed ‘star party’ at the McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas, Austin. Take a tour of the constellations and observe an assortment of planets and stars through various telescopes. See for yourself if the stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas
Big Bend National Park
Head out to hike in the Santa Elena Canyon – the most majestic within Big Bend National Park. The towering stone walls can be seen for miles as the Rio Grande abruptly changes direction. On another hike, head into the Chisos Mountains, the only mountain range in the United States that is completely contained within one national park. With the highest peaks stretching to about 7,800 feet above sea level, the Chisos Mountains offer a great setting for rewarding day hikes with great views.
The adventure isn’t all on your feet – time to paddle! After an orientation about the gear and safe paddling, launch your canoe (or raft if the water is higher) and paddle down the Rio Grande! It’s a gentle paddle with some faster sections and some stunning scenery. You will stop at the ruins of the Hot Springs Motel to explore the area on foot, eat a packed lunch, and enjoy a soak in the hot spring at the riverside pool. Then hop back in your boat and head down the river through the most dramatic part of the canyon.
Art, fossils, canoeing, hiking, stars, and a ghost town create a quintessential old-west feel by the ages in one of America’s prized national parks. Enjoy a farewell dinner as you share stories about the highlights of your time in Big Bend before heading off home.
Main Attractions
- Attend a Star Party at the McDonald Observatory
- Take in stunning sunrises in the Chisos Mountains within Big Bend National Park
- Explore the Rio Grande by canoe and take a dip in the hot springs
- See the fossils of the world's largest known flying dinosaur and visit a ghost town
What You'll See and Do
- Astronomy
- Canoeing
- Hiking
- Hot Springs
- National Parks
Download Extended Itinerary
- Nov 10 > Nov 16, 2023
Download Itinerary PDF - Nov 8 > Nov 14, 2024
Download Itinerary PDF