You’ve probably heard the saying “Everything’s bigger in Texas.” At 268,596 square miles, it’s by far the largest state in the Lower 48, outsizing California by more than 100,000 square miles. The 14 smallest states would fit comfortably within the borders of Texas with enough room left over for half of Tennessee.
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When my buddy Eric Birns and I rode from Ventura, California, to San Antonio to see the solar eclipse last April, we got there in the most efficient way possible: 1,400 miles on Interstate 10 in two days. Efficient, yes, but not much fun, so we vowed that our return trip would be more scenic.
Due west of San Antonio is Big Bend National Park, a place that has long held fascination for me because its remote location limits the number of visitors. It’s also known to have good motorcycling roads.
Big Bend is tucked into an area where the southerly course of the Rio Grande, which forms the park’s southern and eastern boundary as well as the border with Mexico, turns sharply to the north before cutting a wide arc to the east and then southeast on its way to the Gulf of Mexico.
From San Antonio, we rode west on U.S. Route 90, part of which runs close to the border through a parched, barren landscape. Following U.S. 90’s northward arc around Mexico, we gradually gained elevation until we reached Alpine, a small town that sits at 4,462 feet above sea level. As its name suggests, it often gets snow in the winter.
By the time we reached Alpine, Eric and I had traveled more than 2,300 miles over five days. We were traveling in style and comfort on Harley-Davidson’s latest touring bikes, Eric on a sharknosed Road Glide and me on a batwinged Street Glide. Both got modernized styling for 2024, and they’re equipped with a massive 12.3-inch TFT instrument panel paired with a state-of-the-art infotainment system (see sidebar). Our gear was packed into the Harleys’ saddlebags, chopped Tour-Paks, and Nelson-Rigg Traveler Tour/Lite Trunk Bags. We were the voices in each other’s heads thanks to a set of Cardo Packtalk Edge communicators.
As we rode through Alpine, we passed the campus of Sul Ross State University, named after former Texas governor Lawrence Sullivan Ross. A colorful “Greetings from Alpine, Texas” mural downtown informed us that actor Dan Blocker, best known for his role as Hoss on the TV show Bonanza, is a Sul Ross alum. The university also has a leading collegiate rodeo program that has earned nine national championships.
After staying in a somewhat depressing Motel 6 in San Antonio (due to the popularity of the eclipse, affordable lodging near the path of totality was hard to come by), we were spoiled by the Hotel Parker at Quarter Circle 7, located on the west side of Alpine. It has clean, modern rooms with cloud-like beds, tasteful Western decor, and complimentary breakfast.
During our weeklong road trip, Eric and I made it a tradition to end each day with a celebratory dinner. After getting cleaned up, we’d walk to a local restaurant, order a couple of frosty beers, and toast to our shared accomplishment and satisfaction of having explored new places and ridden unfamiliar roads. We’d send a selfie of us smiling and celebrating to our wives back home.
Next door to the Hotel Parker is the Spicewood Bar and Restaurant, which has a full bar and serves hearty West Texas fare in a lively atmosphere. We had the pleasure of dining with Eleazar Cano and Jayme Valles, two locals who run a motorcycle tour company called The Ride of Passage. They know the Big Bend area intimately, and they provided helpful routing suggestions. Jayme also runs a motorcycle repair shop called Alpine Motorsports, and he offered us roadside assistance should we need it.
Big Bend could very well be called the Big Empty, and that’s a good thing. Brewster County, which encompasses Big Bend National Park and towns such as Alpine, Marathon, and Study Butte/Terlingua, covers 6,193 square miles but has less than 9,400 residents. If you want to avoid crowds, this is your place.
Wide-open spaces are what make the Big Bend area so appealing and unique. The Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve spans over 15,000 square miles in Texas and Mexico and is the largest Dark Sky Certified place in the world. Of course, as motorcyclists, we’re drawn to the roads that cut through those wide-open spaces. It’s an 80-mile ride through high desert from Alpine to the entrance to Big Bend National Park, and there’s very little civilization along the way (hence Jayme’s offer to help if we needed it).
Before entering the park, we rode through Study Butte/Terlingua, a former mining town that’s now an eclectic mix of adventure outfitters (rafting, hiking, horseback riding, Jeep tours, etc.), unique lodging options, and a ghost town. There are bars, restaurants, and shops with a frontier vibe, as well as a world-famous chili cookoff every year.
We entered Big Bend National Park near Maverick Junction. There are several well-maintained paved roads that allow visitors to explore the park, but there are also extensive unpaved roads that provide access to backcountry campsites and other remote areas. We stuck to the tarmac and pointed our big Harleys east toward Chisos Basin.
In addition to its vastness, part of what makes Big Bend so special is its mix of landscapes – river, desert, and mountain environments comingle and create a canvas of rich colors and textures. Dominating the heart of the national park are the rugged Chisos Mountains, reaching a height of 7,825 feet at Emory Peak.
We rode into the mountains on Chisos Basin Road, a steep, winding two-lane road that goes through a rugged canyon and summits a small pass before plunging into a high-elevation basin that’s surrounded by brown volcanic cliffs and peaks on three sides. The road ends at the floor of the 5,400-foot basin, where there is a visitor center, lodge, campground, trailheads, and other amenities.
After buying a few souvenirs, we climbed out of the basin and returned to the main road. We turned east and soon passed Panther Junction, where the park headquarters and a gas station are located. For the next 20 miles, we cruised under an endless blue sky on a long, gradual descent toward the Rio Grande.
At Boquillas Canyon Overlook, we got our first view of the river. It flowed lazily and was surrounded by a corridor of vegetation that looked like a winding green carpet laid upon the arid desert landscape, with the rugged Sierra del Carmen escarpment forming a high brown wall on the Mexico side.
None of the paved national park roads create a loop, so we backtracked on the main road until we reached Santa Elena Junction and turned south on Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. The road lives up to its name as it follows the western foothills of the Chisos Mountains with several fantastic overlooks, such as Sotol Vista and Mule Ears. Elevation drops as the road descends toward the Rio Grande and passes through Tuff Canyon. The pavement ends near an overlook where the river cuts through the high walls of Santa Elena Canyon.
See all of Rider‘s Texas touring stories here.
We had enjoyed every curve and vista in Big Bend National Park, but what eluded us – what I pictured in my mind’s eye when I imagined a park named after a famous river feature – was the experience of riding along with the river at our side. We found it next door.
Located west of Terlingua on Farm to Market 170, Big Bend Ranch State Park covers 311,000 acres (about one-third the size of the national park), and its southern boundary is the Rio Grande. Beyond Lajitas, FM 170 hugs the river closely, weaving and climbing and descending as it maneuvers around the rugged contours of the canyon. For pure riding enjoyment, the 50 roller-coaster miles from Lajitas to Presidio were a highlight of our entire 4,200-mile, nine-day trip.
After gassing up in the sprawling border town of Presidio, we hightailed it north on U.S. Route 67 to Marfa and then east on U.S. 90 to Alpine. Another celebratory dinner at Spicewood was our reward for covering nearly 400 miles in one long day. While that pace suited us just fine, I recommend spreading a visit to the Big Bend area over a couple of days or longer so you can see more and include some excursions off the bike.
The next day, we bid farewell to Alpine and rode north on State Route 118, which passes through the Chihuahuan Desert to Fort Davis, a small town that was once a frontier military post. The fort is a National Historic Landmark, and many of the old buildings have been restored.
See all of Rider‘s South touring stories.
We continued riding north into the Davis Mountains, with the bright white buildings of the McDonald Observatory visible from in the distance. Perched at 6,800 feet, the University of Texas observatory takes advantage of the region’s dark skies to peer into the far reaches of the universe.
After a pleasant ride through mountains, canyons, and high-desert vistas, SR-118 ended at Interstate 10, bringing our Big Bend journey to a close.
Getting to Big Bend isn’t easy. It requires commitment and, most likely, a long ride from somewhere distant. But it’s well worth the effort. It’s hard to believe such an enormous area can be hiding in plain sight, but things really are bigger in Texas.
See all of Rider‘s touring stories here.
SIDEBAR: Harley-Davidson Road/Street Glides
The Road Glide and Street Glide are Harley-Davidson’s most popular baggers. They’re essentially the same motorcycle except for their fairings: The RG has a frame-mounted sharknose fairing and the SG has a handlebar-mounted batwing fairing.
Updates for 2024 included modernized styling, lower weights, and a larger engine (117ci, up from 107) that makes more power and torque. The Glides are also some of the most high-tech Harleys ever. On the performance side, they have ride modes (Road, Sport, Rain, and Custom) and the Rider Safety Enhancements electronics suite, which includes linked brakes, cornering ABS, Drag Torque Slip Control, and Vehicle Hold Control. In the cockpit, they have a vibrant 12.3-inch touchscreen TFT display, an infotainment system managed by H-D’s Skyline OS, and a 200-watt audio system.
For our 1,400-mile superslab slog from California to Texas, the Glides provided good wind protection and a comfortable ride, aided in part by 43% more rear suspension travel (3 inches, up from 2.1). On curvy roads, such as the Twisted Sisters in the Texas Hill Country and roads throughout the Big Bend area, the Glides handled with confidence, stability, and grace. Their center of gravity is low, allowing them to bend through even the tightest curves with relative ease – and these are heavy machines (811 lb for the SG, 838 lb for the RG).
Harley-Davidson’s big Glides are better than ever. They produce plenty of grunt, they’re comfortable for long miles (we rode them 4,200 miles in nine days), and they strike a good balance between modern sophistication and classic style. You can read our full review here.
Big Bend, Texas Motorcycle Ride Resources
- Texas Tourism
- Big Bend Tourism
- Big Bend National Park
- Big Bend Ranch State Park
- Hotel Parker at Quarter Circle 7
- McDonald Observatory
- The Ride of Passage
The post The Great Wide Open: Big Bend, Texas Motorcycle Ride appeared first on Rider Magazine.
Source: RiderMagazine.com