Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park is the 15th largest protected national park in the United States at 801,163 acres. The idea to preserve the canyon area in Texas originally belonged to Everett Townsend. At that time, he was a sheriff, tracking stolen mules from a Mexican citizen. He had the opportunity to accomplish this vision when he became a State Representative in 1932. The United States Congress designated it as a national park in 1944 on June 12th. At the time, the Texas Legislature, which had established it as ‘Texas Canyons State Park’ in 1933, held it. Townsend was appointed U. S. Commissioner for the park in 1944.  In 1954, the Townsend family was presented with a posthumous honorary park ranger commission for Townsend as "the father of Big Bend National Park."

Big Ben National Park has the most diverse species of animals and plants, many of which are not found anywhere else in the United States. There are numerous species of plants, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish, and mammals.  The unique ecosystem changes throughout the park with the elevation changes from the floor of the canyons to the top of the mountains. 

The park is famous for the Rio Grande that runs through it and separates the United States and Mexico, as well as the cultural sites where pictographs provide evidence of the presence of Native cultures, and archaeological sites. The average number of visitors per year ranges from 300,000–350,000 per year.