Big Bend road trip itinerary from San Antonio: 4 winter days with Marfa

Route San Antonio, TX → San Antonio, TX

Distance 1,150 miles

Estimated fuel $150

A 4-day winter loop from San Antonio through Big Bend National Park and Marfa: day-by-day route, the Boquillas crossing, current road closures, costs and what travelers report about cold nights and holiday crowds.

A 4-day Big Bend road trip itinerary from San Antonio works as a loop. On day 1, drive about 400 miles west to the park. Spend days 2 and 3 on the park's east side, the Chisos Mountains and the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. On the evening of day 3, drive north to Marfa, then return to San Antonio on day 4 via Alpine and I-10. Expect about 1,150 miles in total and two long driving days. Winter (November to March) is the right season: highs in the 60s and 70s on the desert floor, cold nights and short days. Start the trip on a Thursday so the Boquillas border crossing and Marfa's galleries and restaurants are open when you get there.

Big Bend road trip itinerary at a glance

Day	Route	Approx. driving	Overnight
1 (Thu)	San Antonio to Big Bend via US 90 (Del Rio, Sanderson, Marathon) or I-10 and US 385	About 400 miles, 6.5-7.5 hours	Chisos Mountains Lodge or Terlingua/Study Butte
2 (Fri)	East side: Boquillas Crossing, Boquillas Canyon, Rio Grande Village	About 130 miles inside the park	Terlingua/Study Butte
3 (Sat)	Lost Mine Trail, Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, Castolon; then TX 118 to Alpine and Marfa	About 190 miles	Marfa
4 (Sun)	Marfa morning, then Alpine, Fort Stockton and I-10 back to San Antonio	About 405 miles, 6-6.5 hours	Home

Mileages are approximate and assume the routes above. Check them against a paper or offline map: the National Park Service warns that many GPS and app mapping services work poorly in the area and can suggest wrong or dangerous roads.

Before you go: what to know about Big Bend in winter

Weather and daylight

The park's own averages show how much elevation matters. At Rio Grande Village (1,850 ft), the average high is 70°F in January and 74°F in December, with lows around 30°F. At Panther Junction (3,750 ft), averages are 62-65°F by day and about 37-38°F at night. The Chisos Basin (5,401 ft) averages 59-61°F highs. The NPS says winter is usually mild and sunny but that freezing spells happen, and that winter temperatures can run from below freezing to above 80°F. Pack layers for both ends of that range. Forecasts for "Big Bend" usually describe Panther Junction only. Expect the river corridor to be about 10 degrees warmer by day and the Chisos about 10 degrees cooler.

Days are short in December and January, so start each park day early and plan to finish hikes by mid-afternoon.

Entrance fee and passes

Entry costs $30 per private vehicle and is valid for 7 days. No reservation is needed. The park takes cards only; it does not accept cash. A Big Bend annual pass costs $55. If you'll also visit other national parks this winter, the $80 America the Beautiful pass covers them all. That includes the 10-day Arizona and New Mexico winter loop. Non-US residents pay $250 for the annual pass.

Fuel, food and EVs

Fill up whenever you can. Distances between services are long, and the last full grocery stores are in Alpine, Fort Stockton and Del Rio. The park has four small camp stores. The NPS says there are no EV chargers in the park, and the nearest one is about 130 miles away in Fort Stockton. EV drivers should plan this trip carefully or take a gas or hybrid car.

Lodging

The Chisos Mountains Lodge in the Chisos Basin is the only lodging inside the park and is open year-round. As of early November 2026, the NPS reports that the lodge restaurant is closed and that food trucks serve the Chisos Basin and the Panther Junction gas station. Outside the park, Terlingua and Study Butte are closest to the west entrance. Marathon and Alpine are further out, but they're an easy base if you're arriving late from San Antonio. Book early for Christmas through New Year's and for MLK weekend.

Day 1: San Antonio to Big Bend

Two routes work. The US 90 route runs through Del Rio, Langtry and Sanderson to Marathon, then 70 miles south on US 385 to Panther Junction. It is quiet and scenic, with long gaps between towns, so top up in Del Rio and Sanderson. The I-10 route runs to Fort Stockton, then down US 385 through Marathon. It has more services and is easier in bad weather. Before you leave, check DriveTexas, TxDOT's road conditions map, for ice or closures.

If you get in with daylight to spare, stop at the Fossil Discovery Exhibit north of Panther Junction. Then pick up current conditions at the Panther Junction Visitor Center, which is open daily 8:30 am to 5 pm. End the day in the Chisos Basin, where the short Window View Trail is a good sunset walk.

Day 2: East side and Boquillas, Mexico

The Boquillas Crossing Port of Entry near Rio Grande Village is the reason to plan around the day of the week. As of November 3, 2026, the park's alerts page lists it as open Thursday to Sunday, 9 am to 4 pm. The park's Boquillas page (updated November 3, 2026) agrees: the crossing runs a winter schedule of Thursday to Sunday, 9 am to 4 pm, from November through April, and a summer schedule of Friday to Monday, 9 am to 4 pm, from May through October. Check the alerts page the week you travel, since hours can change.

Documents: a valid passport book or passport card. Enhanced driver's licenses are not accepted.
Costs: about $5 round trip for the rowboat across the Rio Grande, plus a $7 entrance fee to Mexico's Maderas del Carmen protected area, paid in Boquillas. US dollars are accepted, so bring small bills. The Rio Grande Village store and visitor center can't make change.
Rules: you check in with Mexican immigration on arrival. No food of any kind, leftovers or alcohol can come back north through the port.

Around the crossing, walk the Boquillas Canyon Trail and stop at Rio Grande Village. As of early November 2026, Hot Springs Road is closed beyond the overflow parking lot because of weather damage, so check whether the historic hot springs area is reachable before you plan around it. Spend the evening in Terlingua's ghost town area.

Day 3: Chisos Mountains, Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and on to Marfa

Start in the dark. Lost Mine Trail is one of the park's most popular hikes, and its small trailhead lot fills early on busy winter days. After the hike, drive the paved Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive south toward Castolon. Stop at Sotol Vista, the Mule Ears overlook, Tuff Canyon and the Castolon Visitor Center (9 am to 4 pm, closed for lunch).

Santa Elena Canyon check: as of November 3, 2026, the NPS lists the paved road between Cottonwood Campground and Santa Elena Canyon as closed for weather-related damage. If it has reopened, the canyon trail is the classic short hike. The route starts with a crossing of Terlingua Creek, which can be dry sand, deep mud or flowing water, so ask a ranger first.

Leave the park through Study Butte by mid-afternoon and take TX 118 north to Alpine, about 80 miles. Then follow US 90 to Marfa, another 26 miles or so. If you have an extra half day, the alternative is FM 170 (the River Road) west through Lajitas and Presidio, then US 67 north to Marfa. It's longer and slower but one of the best drives in Texas. Don't drive it in the dark.

After dark, drive to the Marfa Lights Viewing Area on the south side of US 90, about nine miles east of Marfa. Bring a jacket. Nights on the high plateau are cold in winter.

Day 4: Marfa and the drive home

Marfa is a small town with limited hours. The Chinati Foundation, Donald Judd's contemporary art museum on the edge of town, is open Wednesday to Sunday, 9 am to 5 pm, with last entry at 4 pm. Many of its permanent works can only be seen on a guided tour, and tours require reservations. Chinati also says that construction starting in October 2026 may change tour routes. Book one morning tour, have lunch in town, and start the roughly 405-mile drive home via Alpine, Fort Stockton and I-10 by early afternoon.

If you add a fifth day, use it for the River Road or a second Chinati tour, or spend a second night in the park so the trip feels less rushed.

Costs for a 4-day Big Bend and Marfa road trip

Item	Cost	Notes
Big Bend entrance	$30 per vehicle	Valid 7 days, card only
America the Beautiful pass (alternative)	$80 (US residents)	Worth it if you'll visit more parks within 12 months
Boquillas rowboat + Mexico park fee	About $5 + $7 per person	Cash in small US bills
Frontcountry campsite (if camping)	$16 per night	Reserve on Recreation.gov
Fuel	About $150	1,150 miles at 28 mpg and AAA's Texas average of $3.60/gal regular (Nov 4, 2026)

Fees and fuel prices change. Check the NPS fee page and AAA before you go.

What travelers report

Book early for the holidays, and plan the park by area. In a November 2024 Big Bend Chat thread, a family planning a winter-break trip found no rooms left in the park. The forum's moderator suggested first-timers spend one day each on the east side, the Chisos Basin and the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. They also warned that parking at Lost Mine is the bottleneck over the holidays, and said sunrise around New Year's isn't until about 7:47 am, so you can drive in from Study Butte in the dark. The same reply notes that lows in the 30s can drop into the 20s with a strong cold front, and snow is possible.
Stay close to the park. In a January 2026 thread, a regular advised basing yourself in Terlingua rather than Marathon to cut driving time, and named wind and incoming storm systems as the factors to watch, along with low temperatures. The moderator added that, outside MLK weekend, last-minute lodging is usually findable if a cold snap ruins camping plans.
The river is not always the warm spot at night. A former campground host at Rio Grande Village, writing on the Escape trailer owners' forum in 2017, reported that winter nights at river level can be colder than in the Chisos Basin because cold air sinks. They also said north winds at Rio Grande Village often blow much harder than forecast. Another poster in the thread said they had seen winter days from 30°F to 84°F.
Ice storms do happen. In a Fodor's road-trip thread, a traveler recalled the Christmas 2014-15 ice storm across West Texas. It cancelled their Marathon and Big Bend reservations at the last minute and left ice on shaded ground in Alpine three days later. They got around it by watching the storm track and rerouting.
Marfa sleeps early in the week. A traveler's April 2025 post found most of Marfa closed on a Monday. Staff at the tourist center explained it as "because everyone's recovering from the weekend."

Common mistakes

Arriving in Marfa on a Monday or Tuesday. Chinati is closed both days, and many restaurants keep short or irregular hours. Plan Marfa for Thursday to Sunday.
Forgetting passports. Without a passport book or card, you can't cross to Boquillas. An enhanced driver's license won't work.
Relying on phone navigation. Download offline maps and carry the park map. Cell coverage is patchy.
Taking a car onto dirt roads. The NPS says the park's primitive dirt roads need high clearance and true four-wheel drive, and that cars, minivans and small crossovers can't handle them. The itinerary above stays on paved roads.
Running low on fuel. Fill up in Marathon or Study Butte before entering, and don't pass a station with half a tank on US 90.
Trusting one forecast. Check the NWS forecasts the park links to, and the park alerts page for closures, the morning you drive in.

Bottom line

Four days is enough for a first look at Big Bend and Marfa if you accept two long driving days and start on a Thursday. Book lodging early for the holidays, carry a passport and small bills for Boquillas, and check the park's alerts page for road closures before you leave. That matters this season because the Santa Elena Canyon and Hot Springs roads were partly closed as of early November 2026. If you'd rather spend more time in parks than in the car, the Southwest winter loop through Arizona and New Mexico spreads its driving over 10 days. Save the Utah Mighty 5 for spring or fall, when the high desert is warmer.