Big Bend National Park, in western Texas, is located 290 miles (467 km) due west of San Antonio. The Window View Trail is a gentle, paved, wheelchair-accessible trail with excellent views of mountain peaks in the surrounding Chisos Basin. Several benches along the trail offer a convenient place to sit. The park is open 24 hours daily, all year, with three campsites available. Big Bend and its surrounding area features what may be the best night sky in Texas, approaching the ideal class 1 in the Bortle scale. A stargazer told EarthSky that “Big Bend National Park offers some of the darkest, clearest skies in North America. The Window View Trail and Overlook offer easy access. Arrive early to watch the amazing sunset framed by the Chisos Mountains.”
Deborah Byrd
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About the Author:
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.