I’m not one for camping or RVing or anything too rustic. After all, I wouldn’t be so obsessed with hotels if I had any inclination to sleep or pee outdoors. I do neither. However, I adore nature, sublime vistas and leisurely hikes through the wilderness- just as long as I don’t have to run into thousands of other hikers with the same idea. This is why I adore the Chisos Mountain Lodge inside Big Bend National Park. Tucked away in the park’s gorgeous mountain range, the motel-style Lodge offers a few motel-style rooms and a few cabin-style rooms, as well as a restaurant, rangers’ station and convenience store. Note: the convenience store helpfully sells flashlights, since there is little in the way of artificial illumination. I also prefer the motel rooms since some of them sport views of the spectacular Chisos Canyon. You won’t find anything icky or silly like plasma screen televisions or telephones in your room. Just a comfy bed that feels good after a day of communing with bears, javelina, mountain lions, road runners and coyotes.
By the way, Big Bend National Park remains one of the least visited, largest of America’s national parks. And it is totally worth the trip.
