Trans-Pecos

Understand

The Trans-Pecos was defined in 1887 by the Texas geologist Robert T. Hill, is the distinct portion of Texas that lies west of the Pecos River. The term is considered synonymous with Far West Texas. It is the most mountainous and arid portion of the state, and most of its vast area (outside the city of El Paso) is sparsely populated.

The area is known for the natural environment of the Big Bend and the gorge of the Rio Grande, part of which has been designated a National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. With the notable exceptions of Big Bend Ranch State Park, Big Bend National Park and the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, the vast majority of the Trans-Pecos region consists of privately owned ranchland.

Watch

• Transpecos, a 2016 American thriller film about border patrol agents who encounter a Mexican drug cartel.

Cities

Brewster County

• Alpine - Small desert university town.
• Lajitas - Nearest town to Big Bend National Park.
• Marathon

Presidio County

• Marfa - Home of the mysterious Marfa Lights.
• Presidio - Small historic border town which provides lodging for jaunts into the mountains.

Other counties

• El Paso - Largest city of the region, with a uniquely Mexican culture.
• Fort Davis
• Fort Stockton
• Pecos - The town that brought rodeo into the world.
• Van Horn - Has several hotels; where I-10 splits from US-90

Other destinations

• [http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/balmorhea/ Balmorhea State Park], north of Fort Davis. San Soloman Springs, a very large artesian well in the foothills of the Davis Mountains, offers a warm and unique place to swim or scuba dive. Camping and motel-like lodging is available.
• Big Bend National Park
• [https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/big-bend-ranch Big Bend Ranch State Park], east of Presidio. Just west of Big Bend National park is Texas' largest state park, with over 300,000 acres (120,000 hectares) in the wilderness of the Chihuahua Desert. Horse rentals, guided jeep tours, plus rafting excursions on 23 miles (37 km) of the Rio Bravo and Rio Grande rivers. At its eastern edge is Barton Warnock Environmental Education Center, which explores the range of geology and wildlife of the Chihuahuan desert.
• [http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/davis_mountains/ Davis Mountains State Park], near Fort Davis. Hiking, mountain biking, and horse riding on 4 miles (6,4 km) of trails in Texas' largest mountain chain. The trails connect with neighboring Fort Davis State Historic Site.
• Hueco Tanks State Historic Site
• Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Get in

By plane

Major airports can be found at either end of the region at El Paso and Midland-Odessa.

By car

• bisects the region entering from Southwest New Mexico at El Paso and cutting across the region on its way towards San Antonio.
• branches from I-10 (at Exit 186/187) to go through Pecos and Midland-Odessa on its way towards Dallas.
• comes into the region from Carlsbad, New Mexico, through Guadalupe Mountains National Park to El Paso.
• serves as a continuation of Mexican Hwy 16 (into the American side of the border) from Presidio, through Marfa and Alpine, to Fort Stockton.
• comes in from San Antonio via Uvalde & Del Rio, traversing the southern portion of the region (through Sanderson, Alpine, Marfa) and ending at I-10 in Van Horn.
• enters the region from Carlsbad, New Mexico to the north. It passes through Pecos and Fort Stockton to US Hwy 90 in Sanderson.

From Mexico

• in the Mexican state of Chihuahua ends at the border crossing in Ojinaga-Presidio.
• From northern Chihuahua, Mexican Highways 2 and 45 at Ciudad Juarez connect to several border crossings at El Paso. Mexican Highways 2 continues west, along the U.S. border, towards Tijuana while Mexican Hwy 45 goes south into Chihuahua (City).

Get around

With great distances between sights and even communities, a car is an absolute necessity to get around the region. Car rentals are readily available in Midland-Odessa and El Paso.

U.S. Route 90 runs east-west through the northern part of Brewster County, connecting Marfa, Alpine, Marathon and Del Rio. U.S. Route 67 passes through the northwestern part of the county, connecting Fort Stockton, Alpine and Marfa. U.S. Route 385 runs north-south through the central part of the county, connecting Fort Stockton, Marathon and Big Bend National Park.

U.S. Route 90 runs east-west through the northern part of Presidio County, connecting Van Horn, Marfa and Alpine. U.S. Route 67 runs north-south through the county, connecting Fort Stockton, Alpine, Marfa, Presidio, then crosses the U.S.-Mexico border at Ojinaga.