My Favorite Place

The River Road is not just scenic and fun to drive – it’s a timely experience given the heightened awareness of border issues.
Most scenic segment of the River Road (FM 170) runs 50 miles south and east between Presidio and Lajitas and then to the Terlingua Ghost Town, about 13 miles more. The two-lane blacktop roughly follows the Rio Grande River, which wanders close to the highway in a few spots but is never far off.
This is rugged desert country, jumbled by ancient volcanos. The River Road crosses sandy, rock-strewn gulches and passes the occasional irrigated hay field south of Presidio. You’ll probably see stacks of beehives here and there – Presidio is known for its sweet desert honey.
Then the canyon narrows, the mesas and buttes of Big Bend Ranch State Park rise next to the river, and the River Road begins a roller coaster route between them. The forbidding mountains of northern Chihuahua, Mexico, are a stone’s throw away.
This is what the border looks like: raw and kind of mysterious.
– Pete Szilagyi, Fort Davis