Big Bend National Park Remains Open During Shutdown

ALPINE, TX-- The Brewster County Tourism Council and Visit Big Bend would like to reiterate that Big Bend National Park will remain open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as always during the current government shutdown.

According to a press release, there will be some minor adjustments, the most significant being that most buildings will be closed such as visitor’s centers and indoor exhibits. Concessioner facilities will remain open including: the Chisos Mountains Lodge, the Chisos Basin Store, Rio Grande Village Store and Castolon stores in the Park as well as the Panther Junction and Rio Grande Village Service Stations. 

In addition, the neighboring 315,000 acre Big Bend Ranch State Park, the largest in the entire Texas State Park system, is completely unaffected by the government shutdown with hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, river trips and plenty of incredible hiking trails readily available to the public. The towns surrounding Big Bend National Park including Marathon, Terlingua, Study Butte & Lajitas also are ready, willing and able to welcome visitors despite the government shutdown with hotels, motels, restaurants, and outfitter services open and fully operational.

Any impact of the government shutdown is expected to be minimal and visitors who were planning a trip in the near future are encouraged to keep their plans as tourists will still be able to enjoy the majesty and wonder of Big Bend National Park during this ordeal. The areas that have been closed so far due to environmental impact concerns are the Santa Elena Canyon area and all campgrounds inside the National Park.

For more details on what areas are affected, please go to visitbigbend.com or check our Facebook page or twitter feed.