For me, it’s tough to say, since it would be an understatement to call Houston a geologically boring town. Everywhere in the city is at sea level, so there is not a whole lot of variation. However, if you make the short (6 hour drive) trip to Big Bend National Park, it is a whole new world. Before we discuss the details, here are a few photos from the park, which really and truly is one of nature’s marvels.

A beautiful perch at one of the highest points in Big Bend

The Rio Grande flowing through Big Bend National Park, which separates Mexico and the United States (both of these images are from reddit.com/r/bigbendtx)

From high peaks to mid canyon rivers, Big Bend offers adventurers much more than they probably ever thought they could experience in Texas. From Big Bend, the wide, dry, and open plains of Texas are not nearly as monotonous as they seem when you are driving through them. Instead, the characteristically southern prairies are somewhat breathtaking. 

Big Bend National Park is only as incredible as it is because of its geology. The rocks and minerals that slowly combined and layered themselves to form the massive rocks that now make up the park have more than stood the test of time. In fact, the oldest known rocks ever found in the park were from the late Proterozoic Era (over 550 million years ago). The many steep ridges at Big Bend were formed when the South American Plate made contact with the North American Plate. As the plates began to slide against each other, many rocky formations were forced upward and out from underneath the Earth’s surface. A couple hundred million years ago, the South American Plate rifted (meaning the crust and the lithosphere began to separate) from the North American Plate. As a result, limestone formations can now be spotted just about anywhere in the park. The Park is known to have been inhabited by several native American tribes for a period of time a few thousands years ago. Much later, in the 1500s, there was some activity between Spain and Mexico around the park because of its proximity to the border. 

All in all, the park is an incredible spot with an even more incredible history. If you can bare the heat, Big Bend National Park is on top of my list of things to see in Texas.