It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. As a photographer, I have to support this idea. However, there are some aspects of the Big Bend area that can be more efficiently addressed in words.

I have found that most Texans have heard about Big Bend, but almost none have been there. In other parts of the country, few have even heard about it. If you have any possible notion of going there, some additional types of information may be helpful.

Geographical Extent. The Big Bend area is located in extreme southwest Texas. The heart of it is Big Bend National Park, but there is a considerable area beyond the park boundaries which has similar characteristics. In defining the Big Bend area, certainly the Big Bend Ranch State Park, just west of the national park should be considered. Thus there is an east-west extent of about 70 miles.

The land north of the parks has very similar characteristics, so I am proposing to consider the Davis Mountains area as the northern limit of the area. This gives a north-south dimension on the order of 120 miles. This comes to an area of 8400 square miles, somewhat larger than the state of Massachusetts.