Traveling to Big Bend and West Texas requires most visitors to start in either El Paso (to the west) or San Antonio, Austin or Dallas (to the east). So most travelers will make this loop (Marathon, Alpine, Big Bend, Marfa, Fort Davis, Balmorhea) in one direction or the other.
And while Big Bend is the main attraction, these small towns (each with their own personality) are well worth planning as part of your trip.
We started in San Antonio. And any time we are there, we must stop by Alamo Café since my husband grew up here and to him, this is his comfort food. This Mexican restaurant was once a small family operation but quickly grew into a much larger establishment. We always recommend the tortilla soup and queso at a minimum (aka cheese dip, in many other parts of the country). The secret is to order fresh-made tortillas as a side order; apply a little butter; fold them in fourths; and then dip them in the queso (corner first or else all the butter drips out). You’ll thank us later.
If you have extra time on the day of travel to Marathon (accounting for the five-hour drive), you may want to consider adding a stop at the Caverns of Sonora. Reviews tout these caverns as being less crowded – yet every bit as good as Carlsbad Caverns. However, you will need at least an hour and half as they only have guided tours.
Another tip is to download the “Just Ahead” app for Big Bend on your phone (link below). This app uses your GPS signal to give you the history of the towns you’ll be seeing and the park itself as you drive. Who would have known that prairie dogs speak (well, bark) to each other about nearby predators – being as specific as their distance and the type of predator?
Next, you will arrive at your first West Texas town, Marathon (pop. 420), where you will find the historic Gage Hotel built in 1927. We expected to find a rustic, historic building but were surprised to find “The Gage” has been continuously updated; creating an upscale, boutique experience – complete with fire pits, swimming pool, courtyards for a glass of wine; and the iconic, 12 Gage Restaurant.
The 12 Gage is known for West Texas cuisine and, of course, two Texas staples – steak and chicken fried steak (with jalapeno gravy). You can enjoy either along with a Texas wine (Becker Vineyards being one of the more well known in Texas) or Ranch Water (made with tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and Topo Chico). After dinner, a few drinks at the intimate White Buffalo Bar will top off a day of travel nicely.
The next morning, we stopped by the V6 Coffee Shop for peach, pecan muffins and Mexican chocolate mocha lattes before visiting the small gift shop for a shirt or two. Afterwards, it was time to explore Marathon which only takes a few hours in the morning given its size.
Across the street from the hotel, the Gage Gardens make for a pleasant stroll. Followed by the French Grocer to pick up supplies for the rest of the trip. As one guide in Big Bend had advised us – “if you like good wine, you need to buy it before you get to the park area.” And this small grocery store is an outdoor outfitter with water, sun hats, granola, beer, camping gear you may have forgotten and much more.
From Marathon, it is thirty minutes to the next town of Alpine. And while most people have heard of the “Prada Marfa” store, why not stop at the world’s smallest Target store? This is Altuda’s response to Marfa – and a great photo-op most drivers only see as they are flying by at 70 mph. Be sure to slow down right at 16 miles west of Marathon (there is no sign so just watch your odometer) for this fun stop.
Alpine is much larger than Marathon and home to Sul Ross University. With ranchers, the railroad, and oil and gas wells in every direction, you’ll be surprised to see how many small boutiques, shops and art murals there are. We made a map using the Alpine website, so we could find all the outdoor murals while strolling the downtown area. The last mural was located inside of the Reata restaurant which is the original location of the more well-known restaurant by the same name in downtown Fort Worth and a great stop for lunch.
For sports fans, Alpine is also home to Kokernot Field (aka the Yankee Stadium of West Texas) where we were able to stroll out onto the field. Or for beer lovers, a relaxing pint at the Big Bend Brewing Company Tap Room may make for a nice afternoon break before heading south to the park.
With our time exploring Alpine and Marathon over, it was then time to make our way down the final stretch of road to Lajitas, Terlingua and the Big Bend Area.
And for more details on surrounding areas see our full itinerary for Big Bend and West Texas or our destination notes for Big Bend National Park, Marfa and Fort Davis or west to Guadalupe National Park and White Sands.
