Big Bend National Park (redirected from Big Bend National)

Big Bend National Park, 801,163 acres (324,471 hectares), W Tex.; authorized 1935, est. 1944. It is a triangle formed where the Rio Grande runs southeast then northeast in a big bend along the U.S.-Mexico border, notably through deep canyons such as the Santa Elena. The river, the Chihuahan desert plain, and the Chisos Mts. offer sharp contrasts in wilderness scenery. The park has petrified trees, vestiges of prehistoric cultures, and rare forms of animal and plant life. See National Parks and Monuments (table). One hundred miles (160 km) to the west is

Big Bend Ranch State Park, the largest Texas state park, established in 1988 and covering 287,000 acres (116,200 hectares).

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Big Bend National Park

Preserve, southwestern Texas, U.S. It lies 250 mi (400 km) southeast of El Paso and occupies 1,252 sq mi (3,243 sq km). It was established in 1944 and named for the wide bend in the Rio Grande that skirts its southern edge. The park has magnificent mountain and desert scenery; it is home to more than 1,000 species of plants, and its wildlife includes coyotes, pumas, and roadrunners.