Panther Junction Visitor Center

Panther Junction is Big Bend National Park’s headquarters and its main visitor center, sitting near the middle of the park roughly 23 miles from the Maverick entrance station. It is the best place to start, because Big Bend is huge and conditions change fast, and the rangers here can tell you what is open, which roads and trails are in good shape, and how to split your time between the desert, mountains, and river. Inside are exhibits on the park’s desert, the Rio Grande, and Santa Elena Canyon, an orientation film, and a bookstore. Services in this remote park are spread far apart, so use this stop to ask about water, fuel, and supplies before you head to Chisos Basin or Rio Grande Village.