Items | Big Bend National Park Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour
Big Bend National Park Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour
(16) Reviews
About
Discover the true American West with this self-guided Big Bend National Park, Texas, driving tour—cruise across vast desert landscapes in the shadow of the Chisos Mountains. Unearth an embattled history of Spanish presidios, raiding parties beneath a Comanche Moon, and cursed silver in the mountains. Take in soaring panoramas from Sotol Vista and Tuff Canyon Overlook and visit the historic town of Castolon. This park is a hidden gem waiting to be uncovered!
Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together!
After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the ...
Highlights
From 2 hours to 3 hours
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
From 2 hours to 3 hours
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
What's Included
Text transcripts of audio narration & Self-paced format (start/pause/resume anytime)
Pre-recorded audio commentary (downloadable or streamable)
This is a GPS-powered, self-guided audio tour that works through an app
Lifetime access (no expiration) with Customer support (chat/email)
Suggested walking/driving itinerary with stop-by-stop directions
This tour is NOT an entrance ticket to the park
Offline GPS-enabled route map
NO in-person guide or physical equipment (bring your own device & headphones)
Start at the Big Bend Entrance Sign (on the highway from Alpine, near Panther Junction—not in town). After booking, search your email or texts for "audio tour." The tour is VALID FOREVER, so set it up NOW over Wi-Fi or data. Do NOT wait until you're onsite.
Return
Santa Elena Canyon Trailhead
Important Information
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Public transportation options are available nearby
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Suitable for all physical fitness levels
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How To Access: After booking, you’ll get an email and text with setup instructions and password (search “audio tour” in emails and texts). • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password sent by email and text. • MUST download the tour while in strong wifi/cellular. • Works offline after download.
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How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.
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Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
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Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you
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Savings tips: Driving tours: purchase just one tour for everyone in the car
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
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Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
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If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
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This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
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Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Become our Lokal Curator
Are you ready to turn your hobbies into a business?
This tour takes about two to three hours, but we’ll have an opportunity for an hour-long detour partway through if you want to extend your journey. It will lead to the remains of a historic village by the Rio Grande and a hot springs hiking trail. I’ll give you a heads up once we get close.
Note: The tour is over 72 miles long, with more than 90+ audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete.
New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
5 minutes
2
Entrance Station
Big Bend National Park's entrance station, located near Alpine, Texas, serves as the primary gateway to this expansive and rugged national park. The entrance station itself is a modest structure, often featuring a small building with a rustic design that blends harmoniously with the surrounding desert landscape. Visitors are greeted with a sign marking the entrance to the park, typically bearing the park’s name and emblem.
5 minutes
3
Chihuahuan Desert
We’re surrounded by the Chihuahuan Desert—a desert so large that the entire country of France could fit cozily inside of it! Don’t let the idea of a little chihuahua make you think this is a little desert. It spans across Texas, New Mexico, and several Mexican states. This desert lends its name to the state of Chihuahua. And that’s where the little dogs originated, so it’s where they get their name!
5 minutes
4
Sierra Del Carmen
They border the park along the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. With no rivers, roads, or towns in the Sierra, the region has earned the reputation of being one of the most remote places on earth!
5 minutes
5
Chisos Mountains
They get their name from the Chizos tribe. You might notice that while most of Big Bend consists of desert, the Chisos are forested. So, how does this green speck exist in a stretch of brown? Well, it’s a sky island.
10 minutes
6
Fossil Discovery Exhibit
Opened in 2017, this exhibit features replicas of some of the most famous fossils discovered in Big Bend. The paleontologists here have been hard at work for years, excavating more than 1,200 fossils! This is also the only National Park where they’ve found rocks from the Cretaceous period!
10 minutes
7
Avery Canyon
It’s named after J.C. Avery, who ranched here at the dawn of the 1900s. At this time in Big Bend history, settlements began to spring up like wildgrass. The flood of people was a result of the developing railroad, which finally reached the nearby town of Marathon in the 1880s. With the addition of 4,000 miles of tracks, Brewster County was born—that’s the county we’re driving through now.
10 minutes
8
Chisos Mountains
The Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park rise majestically from the desert floor, offering a striking contrast to the surrounding arid landscape. These rugged, forested peaks are often shrouded in mist, with their rocky crags and lush greenery providing a haven for diverse wildlife. The dramatic vistas from the mountain trails reveal sweeping views of the park's vast expanse, punctuated by deep canyons and the winding Rio Grande.
9
Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive
Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive in Big Bend National Park winds through some of the park’s most stunning and diverse landscapes, from sweeping desert vistas to rugged canyons. The drive offers panoramic views of the Chisos Mountains, Santa Elena Canyon, and the vastness of the Chihuahuan Desert, with frequent pullouts for scenic overlooks and photo opportunities.
10 minutes
10
Marfa Lights Viewing Area
One night in 1883, a young cowhand was driving cattle back to a ranch when he saw something strange. A flicker of light, intense and brief, off in Big Bend’s distance. He continued traveling after a moment, assuming it was simply an Apache fire. But the next day the young man talked with other settlers, who’d also seen the inexplicable lights.
10 minutes
11
Sam Nail Ranch
This 15,000-acre ranch operated for nearly 40 years and witnessed a whole lot of Big Bend history. In 1916, two brothers set out for Brewster County during the ranching boom. America saw an increase in homesteads since the government encouraged folks to grow their own food and conserve resources during the first World War.
10 minutes
12
Lower Burro Mesa Pour-off Trail
Long before miners came to this area in the 1900s, Burro Mesa was one of the most valuable natural resource sites around. 13,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers during the prehistoric period found something called chert here. This colorful sedimentary rock was perfect for stone tools like spearheads for hunting.
10 minutes
13
Homer Wilson Ranch
You’ll also get a scenic view of the Blue Creek Valley—the same sight that probably drew Wilson to settle here in 1929. As a World War I veteran, Wilson returned to Texas looking for a peaceful place to build a home for his family.
10 minutes
14
Sotol Vista
Sotol Vista Overlook in Big Bend National Park offers breathtaking panoramic views of the expansive desert landscape, with the rugged Chisos Mountains silhouetted against the horizon. From this vantage point, visitors can see the vastness of the Chihuahuan Desert stretching out below, punctuated by the Rio Grande and distant canyons.
10 minutes
15
Mule Ears Spring Trail
The odd geological formation is made up of rhyolite—a type of volcanic rock. But how did the unnatural ears form? Two words: Geological dikes. These occur when magma flows into the crack of an existing rock mass, then it cools and solidifies.
10 minutes
16
Terlingua
On the outskirts of Big Bend sits Terlingua, a mining district turned ghost town. The name derives from tres lenguas, or referring to the three languages that were spoken during its founding—English, Spanish, and Lipan Apache. At one point, Terlingua was a sleepy Mexican village that sprung up near the Rio Grande.
10 minutes
17
Tuff Canyon Overlook
We’re approaching Tuff Canyon Overlook, where you’ll get a chance to observe a deep canyon gouged in Big Bend’s landscape. The muddle of red and tan rock is evidence of the region’s volcanic years.
10 minutes
18
Cerro Castellan
This majestic mountain is the subject of many photos and even more questions. How did Cerro Castellan form? What is the red-orange surface made of?
10 minutes
19
Castolon Historic District
We’re about to enter the Castolon Historic District. I know, it doesn’t look like much. But pretty soon you’ll see a few historic buildings off to our right—some of the only remnants of the pre-park days here.
10 minutes
20
Santa Elena Canyon River Access
Want to get up close and personal with the Rio Grande? Our best chance is just ahead! We’ll soon reach a great spot for river access, where plenty of folks come to hang out by the river’s edge.
10 minutes
21
Santa Elena Canyon
Here you’ll get a jaw-dropping view of the limestone cliffs. If you take a moment to look over the edge, you’ll see the Rio Grande plunging 1,500 feet below. So, how did the landscape take such a dramatic shape?
10 minutes
Big Bend National Park Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour
(16) Reviews
Select Date & Travelers
From
$17.00
Price varies by group size
About
Discover the true American West with this self-guided Big Bend National Park, Texas, driving tour—cruise across vast desert landscapes in the shadow of the Chisos Mountains. Unearth an embattled history of Spanish presidios, raiding parties beneath a Comanche Moon, and cursed silver in the mountains. Take in soaring panoramas from Sotol Vista and Tuff Canyon Overlook and visit the historic town of Castolon. This park is a hidden gem waiting to be uncovered!
Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together!
After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the ...
Highlights
From 2 hours to 3 hours
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
From 2 hours to 3 hours
Offered in English
Free Cancellation
Mobile Ticket
What's Included
Text transcripts of audio narration & Self-paced format (start/pause/resume anytime)
Pre-recorded audio commentary (downloadable or streamable)
This is a GPS-powered, self-guided audio tour that works through an app
Lifetime access (no expiration) with Customer support (chat/email)
Suggested walking/driving itinerary with stop-by-stop directions
This tour is NOT an entrance ticket to the park
Offline GPS-enabled route map
NO in-person guide or physical equipment (bring your own device & headphones)
Start at the Big Bend Entrance Sign (on the highway from Alpine, near Panther Junction—not in town). After booking, search your email or texts for "audio tour." The tour is VALID FOREVER, so set it up NOW over Wi-Fi or data. Do NOT wait until you're onsite.