Big Bend National Park (Mar '26) Fossils!

Welcome to the MOST EPIC WEST TEXAS National Park! Big Bend is BIG and GRAND, and what a wonderful experience we had! If you have ever wanted to rent an RV and go to the WILD WEST on an epic adventure, this is the road trip for you! We did not rent an RV, but we will next time we come out here. We drove from Dallas to West Texas to visit this epic place. This was worth the drive! We used the Shaka Guide National Parks tour to get us through the park and to learn more about this great place.

It turns out that this is a rather new park (2019), and it is home to the Chisos Mountains Range and the Rio Grande River, bordering Mexico. What a great story of resilience! The park is in the Chihuahuan Desert, and lord, when they mentioned the 30+ types of snakes that are found there, well, it gave me another reason not to get out of the car. We recommend using the Shaka Guide Big Bend Audio Tour early since they start sharing info as you drive up. The history and stories of the park are truly worth the investment.

El Capitan is a reminder that this area used to be an ancient Coral Reef during the Permian era.

As you continue to drive (a long way) to the park, you see the first notable structure called "El Capitan". This amazing landmark was pushed up from the basin when the area was part of the Delaware Sea... you heard that right! This whole area was underwater! This is the place where the Great Dinosaurs roamed, and, in fact, you are NOT allowed to take any rocks or fossils with you, but looking through them is a great experience in itself! Anyway, El Capitan is at the southern end of an ANCIENT CORAL REEF! You read correctly, a coral reef! They have found all types of fossils there! It is about 1,000 ft high, and it is the 8th-highest peak in Texas.

There is an outlook close by (we stopped on the way out of the park), and they have picnic areas and tons of history to read at the visitors center. So be sure to check them out and learn all about this amazing place!

This landmark used to guide the Mescalero Apache and all other travelers through the Guadalupe Pass.

We started with the stop at the Visitor's Center for the obligatory Passport stamping and sticker acquisition ritual. Then we hit the fossil museum and checked out the giants that once roamed this area. Be sure to read all of the information provided about this place and the fossils found there!

We started on the trail to the outlook, and it was a pretty easy walk... then there were stairs, so be sure to take water and take your time!

Once you reach the top, you will have an amazing view of the area where the Great Giants used to roam! Here I am in great awe of how small we really are in comparison to the vastness of this former sea!

Here is my husband taking it all in. As a retired Army Vet (28 yrs), he has truly embraced slowing down and taking in the moment. I am grateful he has joined me in this mad adventure to visit as many national parks as we can.

Once we were done taking in the "vastness" of this area, we went into the exhibits and were floored to see the side of these two! No movie gives enough screen time to this mighty gator ancestor that used to rule Big Bend! Can you imagine? The one creature that used to keep the T-Rex in check was alive and thriving here in Big Bend!

We walk on the land as tiny creatures and forget that where we stand, many T-Rex met their arch nemesis and struggled to be the top predator of this area. This exhibit shows the size of the heads of these two night creatures, but I won't ruin it for you!

I will share this "Big Foot" that is in the exhibit. The entire place is covered, so the heat was not an issue. There are places to sit down and just marvel at the size of these creatures. The amount of fossils found has been inmense and there are several on display.

My favorite were the sea creatures and shells. And, as you are busy reading and exploring the information, you hear someone say, "OMG Look UP".

Well, I don't want to ruin the whole thing, but let's just say that you will definitely feel small and will see how we fit into the food web if dinosaurs were still around.

I am 100% sure that I would not be able to outrun any of these creatures and would be just a tiny little snack for them. So, if we were back in time when these giants roamed, you might want to hide too! And really, who would want to bring them back? I could not stop thinking about Jurassic Park, and who thought this was actually a good idea? Did they not know the behavior and the eating habits of these creatures? One thing I do know, just being in their presence through these fossils would have been enough to deter me from bringing them back! So, if you are into dinosaurs or have kids who love them, add Big Bend to your list because this place was amazing!

Before I finish this post, I will share one cool fossil of a species that was endemic to Big Bend, the Bravoceratops! I love triceratops and to know they had a smaller cousin was great! Now I have two favorite ones! They remind me of rhinos, and these had two horns.

Some cool facts learned about these dinosaurs are that not only will they charge towards their opponents, but they will also JUMP and KICK them! They had their own Dino Kung Fu!! Can you imagine? Watch our Kung Fu Panda! There is a new cool dinosaur in town!

Well, thanks for joining us in this little part of BIG BEND National Park visit! We will be posting the rest of our trip on this blog, and we hope you have enjoyed this post! Feel free to reach out and ask questions if you want to visit!