![Big Bend National Park, Texas, US](https://images.suitcasemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/10201709/eight-of-our-favourite-us-national-parks-that-arent-yosemite_652e7b375aef4.jpeg)
Big Bend National Park
Texas
Big Bend is, as its name suggests, massive. Clocking in at over 30,000 hectares, the park is larger than Yosemite, with awe-inspiring landscapes that are just as impressive. It's also remote - running along the international border with Mexico, this is the largest protected portion of the Chihuahuan Desert in the US. Visitors will encounter desert landscapes, epic mountain ranges and gargantuan canyon systems - all under an uncompromising sun and stretching skies. Stop by Chisos Basin to trek the 7.7km Lost Mine Trail early in the morning, or pick up the path to Emory Peak, which, at 747m, is the park's highest summit. Prefer to see it all from behind the wheel? Take your rented Chevrolet for a spin on the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, a 50km route that showcases Big Bend's dramatic geographical splendour.