Chisos Lodge at Big Bend National Park

The Chisos Basin, a bowl-like valley nestled in the northwest corner of the Chisos Mountains, has been a significant site of human habitation for thousands of years and today is a major visitor destination within Big Bend National Park.

The Chisos Mountains Lodge is one of the few locations that provide visitor services within the Park; its planned rehabilitation reflects the aesthetics of the high-desert landscape while addressing needed circulation, accessibility, and visitor lodging needs. MIG provided pre-design, schematic design, design development, and construction documents.

The site’s archeological constraints included limiting ground disturbance to previously constructed areas, with no more than 9 inches of vertical depth excavation in areas without existing pavement. Design solutions address this constraint by using native, shallow-rooting desert shrubs, trees, and perennials; incorporating native boulders in the circulation design; and reusing the footprint and structural piers of a to-be-demolished structure as a base for an interpretive plaza.

The design is anchored by the serpentine walkway, a switchback accessible route connecting the Lodge and visitor center complex. Averaging 4% grade with very limited use of handrails, the design and layout keep the high-desert landscape as the primary visual focus. Other MIG-designed elements include the Lodge patio, accessible connections to select hotel units, visitor center and restroom accessibility improvements, an interpretive plaza, and a signage and wayfinding program. The $22 million construction project is planned to begin in summer 2026 and includes new Lodge visitor services and a restaurant, drainage and water systems improvements, stormwater capture, and roadway and parking circulation improvements.