01/04/2026
12 Days of Christmas - Day 11 BONUS!!
Big Bend National Park is an International Dark Sky Park, designated as a Gold Tier park by the DarkSky International for its exceptionally dark, clear night skies, and it's part of the even larger Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve, the world's biggest certified dark sky area.
After our drive through the park we arrived at our nights destination....a recreated Old West Town that each store/bank/jail/saloon was made into motel like rooms. More like a bed and breakfast in my opinion. Off grid; solar panels and generators for power; tv and internet. Still had current bathroom facilities with running water, toilets and showers. We personally don't know if there was any food on location (I don't think there was); as we brought in our own.
It was the start of a new moon with a sliver starting at sunset. But when the sun went down you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Definitely the darkest outdoor space I've ever been in. And the millions/billions of stars we seen were amazing. One stands in awe of the universe and our Maker who made it when you see this.
We've been lucky to see lots in our own area (but light pollution limits how much); and we've seen a lot of stars while camping in areas of Utah. But this was to the MAX.
