The "rowed" that leads to Mexico
Our final day in Big Bend had arrived, and we had been waiting all week for a special celebration. Anthony's birthday was the following day, and since we'd have a 320-mile drive ahead of us, it meant birthday time would need to take a backseat to travel time. Anthony, a foodie in both cooking and eating, loves himself some good Mexican cuisine, and where better to get some than Mexico itself? We had a perfect opportunity to cross the border in a way that was unique, safe, and really fun.
Shortly before our daytrip across the border, I read an article that the US had issued a travel warning against many popular states in Mexico ahead of spring break. Drug cartels and gangs have been a big issue for a while, but recently there had been some reported incidents of tourists getting in the crossfires. Spring break adds the extra risks of alcohol and raucous parties that can lower one's ability to accurately judge the safety of a situation, and so the government is recommending that travelers head somewhere other than south for their vacation. As we've talked about recently, the few stories of crime are what we hear, but they don't tell the whole story. Right now there are people in other countries talking about the US as though we're all shooting guns at each other left and right. Is gun violence an issue here? Absolutely. Does it mean people should refrain from traveling and enjoying this country? Absolutely not. So we take everything with a grain of salt and a pinch of awareness. That said, crossing the border by Big Bend is probably one of the safest ways we could visit Mexico.
We have our National Park to preserve the land on the north side of the Rio Grande. On the south side is Mexico's own Parque Nacional, the Chihuahua and Coahuila deserts, and the small town of Boquillas del Carmen. For many years, US visitors would cross the river into Boquillas for a very short international trip. Residents of the town made their livings selling souvenirs and food to their American patrons, forming a lovely relationship and sharing of cultures. Eventually border patrol became stricter and the borders closed, much to the detriment of the Boquillas community. There had to be a better way to legally allow this enrichment. So about 10 years ago, the National Park worked with a third party company to legally establish a border crossing for tourists. Big Bend visitors would need to go through customs just like any other international trip, and US passports are required.
The process is fascinating, but simple nonetheless. We arrived to the Boquillas Crossing, where we spoke to a ranger who made sure we had our passports and told us what was and wasn't allowed to be brought back to the US. Then he pointed us in the direction of the pathway that leads down to the river.
At the river awaits a small rowboat that, for $5/person, you can be rowed across on what is likely to be the shortest international voyage of our lives. On the other side await dozens of workers, their horses and mules, and their canine companions, as well as children eager to sell the visitors some handcrafted souvenirs. We had the option of riding a mule or horse into town - definitely the more exciting choice - or walking. 99% of the tourists gladly ride into town, but between the stories of the horses throwing tourists off mid-ride, and the fact that the mules seemed far too small for us to ride them in good conscience, we were more than happy to walk. It's only a little less than a mile up a dirt road.
We spent half our walk freaking out that there was no checkpoint on the Mexican side, but after asking a couple who were on their way back, they reassured us that we were good to go, and the checkpoint was closed for the day. We'll use that story to foreshadow how opposite our return to the US was.
The small town of Boquillas is one of the most adorable tourist traps I've had the privilege of visiting. The area is extremely rural, so all the residents spend their days making artisan crafts and food that they can sell to the tourists who come over. One of the gentlemen was telling us how excited he was that spring break was coming soon because they'd be very busy. (The state of Coahuila is not under travel advisory). We walked among the craft stands as we made our way to the two restaurants in town, situated across from one another. We chose to have lunch at José Falcon's, on their patio that overlooks the river. The menu definitely catered to Americans, but the food itself was authentic. I ordered the chicken quesadilla and Anthony ordered cheese enchiladas with red sauce. The patio had an overlook with beautiful views of the Rio Grande.
With our bellies happy, it was time to do some shopping. I bought a couple of Mexican blankets and crafts, and Anthony got his birthday treats to go: some dessert empanadas filled with pineapple and strawberry, and some homemade flour tortillas. Boquillas accepts US currency and the prices are extremely reasonable. On the US side of the park, it's illegal to purchase Mexican souvenirs that have been brought across the border, as it encourages illegal border crossings and the smuggling of goods. You of course can purchase items that are in gift shops, but these are often much more expensive. Plus, buying souvenirs in Boquillas means you are paying the residents directly, supporting their small businesses.
We took our loot and walked back to the river, hopped the rowboat and went back to the States.
As I alluded, the US checkpoint was very much not closed, and it took us an hour to get through customs. Thankfully we still had time to make our last couple of stops for sightseeing in the National Park: Rio Grande Overlook and Hot Springs.
We had already seen so many outstanding views that Rio Grande Overlook could have easily been skipped, but Hot Springs was very much worth a stop. There are in fact hot springs there, heated naturally to 105°F. The springs reminded me of all those Instagram vs. Reality videos that float around, where the Instagram version looks like a pristine and serene riverside jacuzzi, but the reality looks like this:
It's kind of where visitors spend their "beach day" at Big Bend, but the crowds seem to work against the very call of this spring: for rejuvenation. We weren't there for the springs, though. The hike around Hot Springs is great. The springs lie in a historic area where you can see the remnants of early 20th century buildings. If that's not early enough history, you can also find petroglyphs in the stone alongside the Hot Springs Trail. This is also the only place in Big Bend where we saw native palm trees, perhaps because the riverflow here was extra quick, bringing needed minerals to the area.
We didn't walk the whole loop, but it's only 1 mile total. The toughest part wasn't the walk but the drive in. If you're not in a 4x4 vehicle, you're asked to park quite a distance away, but it's for good reason. The sign warns that the road becomes "narrow and winding" and they aren't kidding! Even though we had our four-wheel drive, we felt far too wide for the narrow roads. On one side, I could reach out and touch the rocks. We had to put in our side mirrors or else they would have scraped. On the other side...nothing but a long way down.
The drive was worth it in the end, though, for the history, the views, and this surprise as we hiked around the riverbend:
That sighting concluded our Big Bend National Park adventures. We went back to camp and enjoyed a delicious dinner, complete with our newly purchased Mexican tortillas and empanadas, feeling more than satisfied with all that we experienced and learned on our first National Park visit of 2023.
The National Park fun may be over, but there's lots more to share about our visits to two Big Bend area towns! Subscribe for post notifications below so you don't miss what's next. It's going to be out of this world!