Marfa/Big Bend
 

Thinking about a trip to Marfa/Big Bend mid-March. Maybe fly in and out of Austin or El Paso. and rent a car.
Have 8 days to spend with husband and 16 year old daughter..
Has anyone done this trip and can give some suggestions for route and places to stay.

I believe most schools in Texas are on spring break the week of March 12-18. Big Bend (the national park) becomes pretty busy that week and lodging is tough to find.

Why did you pick Marfa? And what are your interests in general for this trip?

Marfa is known for the arts. And the Marfa lights. I'd say it's worth a day or so but that's about it. Alpine has some nice art galleries and a good museum at Sul Ross University. Fort Davis has an observatory that should be in your plans, as well as a great state park and national historical site.

Where to fly into is always a challenge - it depends on prices and total flight/driving time. Midland/Odessa is the closest airport but it involves an extra connection, has limited flights and is usually most expensive. El Paso is next closest. Then San Antonio, Austin and Dallas are all options. I've always found Dallas to be cheapest with the best flight options, but that's a really long drive to Big Bend. No matter how you do it, the trip there is going to take a minimum of one day if not 1.5 days.

In general, visit the national park for at least 3 days because it's so big and diverse. The state park is harder to visit because most roads are dirt roads with some being high clearance/4WD.

Come back with some thoughts on what you like doing for activities and what your actual dates are. If they coincide with Texas spring break, you'll need to see if you can get lodging in the national park now and build an itinerary around that availability.

Are you tent camping in Big Bend or trying to get accommodations (like WhereAreWe asks)? That could make a huge difference on whether or not you can get a spot. Big Bend is awesome, but yeah, it's out there. If you are not planning on anything else (i.e., spending some time near Austin/SA/Hill Country) then I'd fly into El Paso to avoid the 7-8 hour drive.

Since you have 8 days, you might want to add the Austin/SA/Hill Country part to the trip before driving out to Big Bend. It will be absolutely fabulous weather that time of year.

Even tent camping will be booked solid that week. Historically, the campgrounds, backpacking sites, and roadside primitive sites are all full every day.

Ah yes, you are right, too late for Spring Break week already.