Big Bend National Park Picture by NPS

Big Bend National Park’s mountains contrast with the desert within the great bend of the Rio Grand, as the river waters rush through deep cut canyons and the open desert for 118 miles.

Big Bend was made a National Park June 12, 1944 and was designated a Bioshere Reserve in 1976.

Acreage—801,163 Federal: 775,279 Nonfederal:25,884

Badlands National Park NPS Photo

Badlands National Park carved by erosion, this scenic landscape contains animal fossils from 26 to 37 million years ago. Prairie grasslands support bison, bighorn sheep, deer, pronghorn antelope, swift fox, and black-footed ferrets.

Badlands was made a national monument January 24, 1939 and redesignated as a National Park on November 10, 1978.

Acreage—242,776 Federal: 232,822 Nonfederal: 9,934 Wilderness area: 64,250

Delicate Arch NPS Photo by Neal Herbert

Arches National Park contains extraordinary products of erosion in the form of some 2,000 arches, windows, pinnacles, and pedestals.

Arches was proclaimed a national monument in April 12, 1929 and redesignated as Arches National Park in November 12, 1971.

Acreage—76,518 Federal: 76,353 Nonfederal: 165

PICT0228_2.JPG photo by endbradley

If you have 1/2 a day and are feeling energetic then Angels Landing is a spectacular hike. To start this hike you get off the shuttle at The Grotto stop. The trail first climbs Walters Wiggles with over 21 switchbacks in a row. The elevation change is 1,488 feet for the whole hike over about 2.5 miles one way. The National Park Service estimates the 5 mile round trip hike will take about 5 hours. The last part of the hike is along steep cliffs. Some places you just hold on to a chain embedded into the rock to keep your balance on the narrow trail. So the top part of this hike is not for anyone that is afraid of heights.