Big Bend Ranch State Park
| Big Bend Ranch | |
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Solitario Peak (4786 ft), a prominent geologic feature of The Solitario, a collapsed laccolith
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 Big Bend Ranch
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| Location | Presidio / Brewster counties |
| Nearest town | Presidio, Texas |
| Coordinates | 29°31′50″N 104°09′16″W / 29.53056°N 104.15444°WCoordinates: 29°31′50″N 104°09′16″W / 29.53056°N 104.15444°W |
| Area | 311,000 acres (125,857 ha) |
| Established | 1988 |
| Governing body | Texas Parks and Wildlife |
| Website | Texas Parks and Wildlife |
Big Bend Ranch State Park is a 311,000-acre (126,000 ha) state park located on the Rio Grande in Brewster and Presidio counties, Texas. It is the largest state park in Texas. The closest major town is Presidio, Texas, where the state park's head office is located.
Big Bend Ranch is located adjacent to Big Bend National Park and shares the national park's Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem. However, in one significant aspect the state park is managed very differently from the nearby national park, as the state park encompasses a network of cattle ranches operated according to the principle of the open range. A herd of longhorn cattle is based here, and there is a semi-annual longhorn .
The Big Bend Ranch manages 23 miles (37 km) of frontage along the Rio Grande, and river rafting is popular here. Away from the river, visitors can hike, backpack, go horseback riding or enjoy mountain biking in the Big Bend Ranch's substantial backcountry. The park is open year round and an admission fee is charged.
Desert vegetation dominates the park including lechuguilla and grama. Other common plants include sotol, ocotillo and mesquite. Along the Rio Grande and around some of the springs in the park are reeds, willows, and cottonwood and ash trees. The park contains most of the existing populations of the federally threatened Hinckley oak.
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