The newest trail in Texas, the Big Bend 100 looks to give the Lone Star State a strong long trail of its own. The brand new route highlights everything the area has to offer with mountain peaks, low lying canyons, sandy desert paths and plenty of desert heat.

When most people think of Texas, they cannot help but imagine flat ranch land, cowboy hats and pickup trucks. It’s fair to say the state is not known as a hiking destination.

The Big Bend area, in far west Texas, combines both the National Park and Texas’ Big Bend Ranch State Park, covering more than one million acres of land with some of the highest mountain peaks in the state. Despite being in the desert, Big Bend National Park is home to bears, mountain lions, and more bird species than any other National Park in the country. The park sits in a county three times the size of Delaware with a population of less than 10,000 people. To the south, the Rio Grande divides Texas and Mexico, and the only wall occasionally dividing the two are the 1,500-foot high rock of Santa Elena Canyon.

Northwest of there and through the town of Lajitas, sits the less-trafficked Big Bend Ranch State Park. Despite getting less attention than the National Park, the Big Bend Ranch State Park has 238 miles of trail, creek crossings, and preserves bits of history in the Lone Star State.

Combining the two created the perfect backdrop for a long trail.

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