Considering a quick Big Bend trip, advice?

there is a lodge inside the park at chisos but it books quick. Check that first. If full get a cabin/condo in terlingua there are plenty to choose from. In the chisos area there are several short or longer hikes you can do. Big bend is incredible

A drive down river road along the rio grande to Presidio is pretty spectacular. The Oasis in presidio, a little hole n the wall, has the best Mexican food I've ever had. There is a little slot canyon called Closed Canyon off river road that is about a 30 minute hike in the canyon. If you had more time I would say spend the night at Chinanti Hot Springs. It's in the middle of nowhere and has natural hot springs. There are some big communal tubs and some of the cabins have private tubs, basically a big galvanized water trough.

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Planning to do Santa Elena canyon hike and the Window for sure. may try and do the boquillos border crossing

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These are on my list as well. I think the border crossing on boat would be pretty cool and a fun way to get a passport stamp, especially for kids.

Was there no water due to the drought this summer? I wonder if it’s recovered since.

Yes, they've been in a major drought for a lengthy time. That was a few months back, but I don't think it's improved since. Traveling down River Road, the Rio was dry other than a few spots with water. Odd thing was it rained when we were in the park but it never hit the ground. You could see the rain falling and evaporating before it hit the ground.

Oh on a side note, there is a BBQ trailer in Terlingua with really good BBQ. I think it made the Texas Monthly list or is on the cusp of making it.

is camping out of the question? We stayed in the Rio Grande campsite inside the park for 3 nights last February. Nice showers in the campground and a little store very close by. It was very comfortable at night. Im definitely going back.

As for hikes, St Elena canyon is a must do and easy for kids. We hiked the South Rim trail (13ish miles / 2000 ft el). It wasnt too bad but im not sure about your kids' abilities. Definitely check out the crossing, even if you dont actually cross.

If you have a 4WD vehicle, the river road inside the park is really cool. Its about 50 miles and gets you out into the remotest parts of the park. There's an abandoned quicksilver mine thats interesting. There are some extremely well preserved pieces of equipment from the early 1900s. Absolutely need 4WD though. We made it about 70% in my 2WD truck before it got too sandy. Quite an adventure though.

We also took the River Rd outside the park and ate at the Oasis, thanks to Zappa's recommendation. We ended up going all the way to Marfa that day which was pretty neat. Its a long way to Big Bend and youre so close to Marfa. Might as well see it. On the way back we ate at the Starlight theater. Id do that again.

Big Bend is unlike any other national park ive ever been to. It has an alien feel to it. Maybe its due to the remoteness of the park. I like that it was lacking the crowds of the Smokies or Yellowstone.

you'd probably be fine. I saw a few Subaru Outbacks doing it.

This is from the park website:

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You Will Need A High Clearance Four-Wheel-Drive (4WD) Vehicle
A high clearance 4WD vehicle is defined as a SUV or truck type vehicle, with at least 15 inch tire rims or more, with a low gear transfer case, designed for heavier type use than a standard passenger vehicle, with at least 8 inches of clearance or more from the lowest point of the frame, body, suspension, or differential, to the ground, also including a means to mechanically power both, front and real wheels at the same time.

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The downside is, if you get stuck you might be screwed until someone came along. There is no cell phone reception out there. When we went, there was a big motocross get-together. We ran across a guy that fell off his bike and broke his leg really bad. We threw his bike in the back of my truck, threw him in the back of a rangers truck, and picked up several guys that dropped out due to the extreme heat. Its not a place to get stuck in!