West Texas Road Trip: Marfa and Big Bend National Park

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The quirky town of Marfa in far west Texas is the perfect detour for travelers looking to connect a Big Bend National Park excursion with other western points of interest, such as Guadalupe Mountains National Park, a New Mexico road trip, or a visit to Las Cruces and White Sands. Whether you decide to stop in Marfa overnight or simply treat it as a brief roadside attraction, it’s worth working into a West Texas road trip itinerary.

Gateways to Big Bend: Marfa, Alpine, or Marathon?

Marfa is one of three gateway towns to Big Bend National Park, the other two being Alpine and Marathon. Marfa is by far the artsiest of the three, and the most prioritized by road trippers.

Depending on your route to Big Bend, you will have to pass through at least one of these towns, and they are your last chance to stock up on supplies and gas before a 1-2 hour drive to the park.

Marfa, Texas is 1 hour 50 minutes from Terlingua or 2 hours from Panther Junction Visitor Center. If your goal is to visit Big Bend Ranch State Park (as opposed to the National Park) via the west entrance from Presidio, that’s a one hour drive from Marfa. Marfa would be the closest of the three towns to the State Park.

In November 2022 I spent the entire month based in Marathon, Texas so that I could work remotely from my truck camper. It was more affordable to car camp there than in Marfa (considering I needed to camp somewhere that also had good enough cell signal to work from) and Marathon is closest to Panther Junction at just a 1 hour drive. On my days off, I’d head into the national park and hike my little heart out. You could arrange something similar by basing yourself in Marfa, although it’s a longer drive. I wrote a Digital Nomad Guide to Big Bend if you’re interested in working remotely from West Texas; this guide also expounds on the town of Marathon. If your trip is part of a larger excursion to Big Bend National Park, check out my list of the Best Day Hikes in Big Bend.

Alpine, Texas is a college town and the largest of the three Big Bend gateway towns. Holland Avenue is busy with folks popping into shops and restaurants; when I was there, they were having an Art Walk event with street vendors and food trucks. This town didn’t give me the same outlaw vibe that Marathon and Marfa have, but it’s still charming. If you are prioritizing visiting Terlingua, of the three gateway towns Alpine would be the closest to Terlingua at 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Marfa, Texas

I first heard about Marfa growing up because of the mysterious Marfa Lights, which glow in the desert distance if you’re parked and watching at the right time. Later I heard about the Prada art installation, a sculptural piece by artists Elmgreen and Dragset curiously situated all alone in the middle of a long stretch of desert highway, now a popular Instagram destination. In more recent years Marfa came into my purview again because of the quirky accommodations at El Cosmico, where I would stay for one night on this particular trip to Big Bend. On the way to El Cosmico coming down US-90 from Van Horn, Prada Marfa greets you first.

Prada Marfa Art Installation

What’s your theory on the message behind the Prada Marfa installation? I imagine it has something to do with consumerism; the juxtaposition of the brand name sat in the middle of wide open space really highlights the ridiculousness of frivolous products in harsher environments. If it was a real store, even though it’s one of the biggest luxury brand names in the world, do you think it would be successful here?

El Cosmico

El Cosmico is many things: a tent campsite, a yurt/teepee/safari tent/vintage trailer rental ground, a yoga studio, a gift shop, and a music venue. When I was working for a talent booking agency, we often booked bands to play there as a one-off or for their annual Trans Pecos Festival (the bands got to stay in the yurts). A one night stop here was fun for me, but it would be expensive to stay for any extended amount of time and it isn’t one of my recommended “digital nomad spots” for working remotely.

It is a long, straight drive towards the town of Marfa itself, and when the sun sets the scenery seems to change even less (this is where my desert driving playlist comes in handy). Finally you’ll pull in to El Cosmico, where the vibes do not disappoint. It was exactly the laid back eclectic accommodation I imagined it to be. Funky lights guided me through the dark campsite as I set up my tent. As I slept I heard the distant sound of trains passing, and in the morning dogs barking happily served as roosters. Surprisingly it had been so cold overnight that my eye contacts froze in their case – don’t think Texas can’t get chilly in the winter, especially out west! I ice-picked them out, mountaineer-style. With the sun shining I had a chance to explore and appreciate the colorful yurts, trailers, and hammocks dotting the property. It is also worth going inside to check out the wares, which include books on UFOs and the Wild West, plus cool vintage-style clothing and decorative household items.

To be honest there was not a lot to do at El Cosmico when I was there; there were not many other campers and there was not an event going on at the time. Recently someone asked me if I thought the new increased weekend price of $50/night to car camp was worth it, and I’d have to say no. It’s fun to look around the property and shop in the store, but there’s no reason to pay $50 for a tent site when I’m so used to finding free or cheap campsites via The Dyrt. The weekday price is $30, which is more reasonable.

Marfa City Center

Continue down the road to the Marfa town center where visitors can walk around the main square with its cute pink fire station. I stopped at another venue we used to book shows at called the Lost Horse, and it turns out there is an art installation there too. A bullet-ridden getaway car designed by Bob Wade represents “The Bonnie & Clyde Mobile”. It was meant to be, as I was heading to the Bonnie & Clyde Ambush Site and Museum in a few days time (and I’d already seen the actual death car they were driving during the ambush, which is currently on display at a casino in Primm, Nevada).

Anthony Bourdain visited Marfa on an episode of Parts Unknown called Far West Texas; it’s worth a watch! He sits down with the owner of the Lost Horse Saloon, a grizzled cowboy in an eye patch named Ty Mitchell. He’s also featured in the National Geographic docuseries about Terlingua called Badlands, Texas. *2023 Update: I just saw Ty Mitchell in Killers of the Flower Moon! Perfect casting. I also learned the Lost Horse Saloon is not currently open, but hopefully you can still see the bullet car out front.

Marfa Ghost Lights

As I left town I pulled over by a rest stop that’s marked as a “Marfa Lights Viewing Area”. It’s nice to know this exists; the prior night I had considered venturing back out after I set up my tent so I could search out a good spot to wait for the lights, but I was told it’s very rare to have good enough timing to actually see them, and I was also confused about where the best viewing spot would be. For anyone thinking about going to see the mystery lights, check out the Marfa Lights Viewing Area about nine miles east of town on US-90 between Marfa and Alpine.

Big Bend National Park

The drive from Marfa to Big Bend National Park is about a two hour stretch through open land that has poor cell reception, so it’s smart to stock up on gas or any last minute items you might need in Alpine, Texas before continuing on. As you reach Big Bend you first pass through Study Butte, which has more services and an unconventional atmosphere.

Study Butte and Terlingua are practically one in the same, but technically you will not drive through Terlingua Ghost Town if you continue straight into the park. I’d highly recommend taking a detour to check out Terlingua at some point during your stay in Big Bend. I wrote more extensively about this outlaw town in my Digital Nomad Guide to Big Bend National Park.

On this particular trip (I’ve now been to Big Bend a few times), I arrived during a government shutdown. No campgrounds were open and services and rangers were not available. I would return to Study Butte that night to park at a tent and RV campsite there instead, but not before spending the whole day driving far and wide throughout the playground that is Big Bend National Park. Simply road-tripping through the majestic scenery scratched the itch this time, and inspired me to plan the more extensive Big Bend hiking extravaganza I would embark on a few years later.

What’s your favorite of the three gateway towns to Big Bend National Park between Marfa, Alpine, and Marathon? I like them all for completely different reasons, though none of them top Terlingua. As its been a few years since I visited Marfa, I’d love your take on what the vibe is like there these days. Is it becoming too pretentious, too full of transplants? Or does it still retain a bit of a “weirdo” faction?

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