奇索斯山脉，大弯国家公园，德克萨斯州，美国 Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas (© Dean Fikar/Getty Images)

奇索斯山脉，大弯国家公园，德克萨斯州，美国 Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas (© Dean Fikar/Getty Images)

星空、岩石与孤寂 Stars, stone, and solitude

大弯国家公园迎来81周年

人们常说：“德州的一切都更大。”而大弯国家公园正是对这句话的最佳注解。这片占地801,163英亩的广袤区域，最初属于墨西哥领土，1848年并入美国。自20世纪30年代起，该地区的自然景观便受到保护，并于1944年6月12日正式被指定为国家公园。大弯国家公园是美国最偏远、游客最少的国家公园之一。它并非由单一地貌构成，而是三种景观的综合体：奇瓦瓦沙漠、奇索斯山脉和格兰德河。公园地处美墨边境，其历史也体现出文化交融的特征：原住民、西班牙探险者、牧场主、矿工和游客皆曾在此留下足迹。岩画、历史遗迹和古道见证了这片土地在成为国家公园之前就已拥有深厚历史。

公园内生物多样性极为丰富，记录有超过1,200种植物、超过450种鸟类，以及多种哺乳动物、爬行动物和两栖动物。你可能会看到一只走鹃迅速穿越沙尘，或是一只山猫悄然穿行于灌木之间。此外，大弯国家公园也被评为美国最佳暗夜公园之一。游客在此可观赏到银河、行星和满天繁星构成的璀璨星空。

Big Bend National Park in Texas turns 81

They say everything's bigger in Texas—and Big Bend National Park has been living up to the slogan since forever. Efforts to preserve this 801,163-acre area of West Texas began in the 1930s and culminated in its official designation as a park on June 12, 1944. Big Bend remains one of the most remote and least-visited national parks in the country. It's not just one landscape, it's three: the Chihuahuan Desert, the Chisos Mountains (pictured here), and the Rio Grande. Big Bend sits on the US–Mexico border, and its history reflects that blend. Indigenous peoples, Spanish explorers, ranchers, miners, and modern travelers have all left their footprints. Petroglyphs, ruins, and old trails show the land's story began long before it became a park.

The park is home to over 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, and a wide variety of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. You might spot a roadrunner zipping across the dirt, or a bobcat silently slipping through the underbrush. Additionally, it has been designated as one of the best dark-sky parks in America, offering views of the Milky Way, planets, and constellations.