72 HOURS IN BIG BEND (hikes, campsites, and van living)

Over 920 miles later, we’ve made it to the rolling panorama of cacti deserts and frosted mountains- the wild gem of West Texas, Big Bend National Park. We gave ourselves 72 hours in this wonderland, and somehow, the span of 3 short days managed to push us far out of our comfort zones and discover gratitude in what we had.
0:00 Introduction
0:30 Balanced Rock
3:32 Boquillas Canyon Trail
4:42 Rio Grande Village
8:19 Chisos Mountains
16:17 Santa Elena Trail
18:34 Outro
Follow along to see where we head next.
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[@danifreire3278]

Honestly, this is the most underrated channel on youtube! awesome video !

[@ChadandClaire]

Wow! So kind of you to say!! We are so excited to keep sharing our adventures with you!

[@lunabear4195]

I can’t wait to go to Big Bend someday. I would love to walk those trails and see the darkest skies in Texas. Y’all should check out the Guadalupe Mountains and walk the trail to the highest peak in Texas!

[@ElmoUnk1953]

@lunabear4195 GO! Just GO! ❤️ I went last year on a VERY abbreviated trip, fun but too short. This March with my youngest son, granddaughter and two of my best friends. Three great days! Then Balmoreah State Park and Carlsbad Caverns. It’s off the beaten path but worth it!

[@jeffparker6124]

Possibly your best video to date! It felt more like you were taking me on the trails with you. I was just a bit disappointed you didn't invite me to dinner 🤣. Looked wonderful! Thanks and keep enjoying the journey!

[@ChadandClaire]

We like to think we’re getting better at this whole video making thing😁 glad you think so too! Guess your invite got lost in the mail. Sorry about that. 😆 Thanks for your support Jeff! 👍

[@AmericanIdolElise]

You guys are creating moments and experiences that you will treasure even more as you age and I mean as in really old! 😂 Enjoy your youth and continue to pile up those good memories!👍🏻. P.S. Alway be aware and stay safe.

[@ChadandClaire]

Thanks Terry!! We are trying our best to make as many memories as possible. Also, we will do our best to stay safe as well.😊 Thanks for your support!

[@KarenLee-ms2th]

Arizona will be warmer. Check out Sedona. Also White Sands NM is a national park now and a favorite of some other vanlife travelers . It looks really amazing. Its so nice to see you traveling as many are not. Beautiful star shots and photos at the end!!

[@ChadandClaire]

Good to hear that Arizona will be warmer. And we actually just added Sedona to our list today! Glad you like the photos at the end! That’s one of our favorite parts of the videos to make. Thanks for your support!!

[@erinnjucabann7362]

Great Shots of the mountains on your hikes Claire and Chad. We just love watching both of you. Claire you are a very good cook. 👍

[@ChadandClaire]

We are so glad you enjoy watching our videos! We are so thankful we are able to share them. And Claire’s food is honestly the glue of our relationship lol. 😂😁 it’s the best!

[@aaronroberts7084]

Looks like a magic place, goats made me laugh. Safe travels and keep up the great video's🤙

[@ChadandClaire]

Those goats were the best.😂 Thanks for watching!

[@garygoldsmith9844]

You are on a roll! Great video!

[@NickandRachel]

Awesome video! Thanks for sharing this

[@MrGolemGaming]

Awesome video! Love the photos at the end too

[@linhdinh8158]

You two are truly amazing! We will visit this beautiful place this April. Many thanks for this valuable video.

[@lanoi3660]

Y’all are such a cute couple! Many blessings to you! 🙏 Stay safe as you journey! Big Bend is my favorite national park. There’s just something about it that brings me great joy & gratitude. Such a beautiful place! 😊❤️🙏

[@JJs-ClassC-Adventures]

Such a great view of Big Bend!

[@ET_Videos]

Great vid and welcome to Texas! I gotta go check out Big Bend :-)

[@ChadandClaire]

Thanks Eric!! We love Texas, and you 10000% should go visit Big Bend!

[@kitaoden703]

Amazing Hikes Thank you ♥️

[@amyyu8659]

Wow!!! 😍🥺 I enjoyed this video while eating breakfast, and it was a great start to my morning 🥰

[@ChadandClaire]

Hehe thanks for letting us join you for breakfast Amy!! Hope you’re doing well!😁

[@kaelawolkiewicz8377]

Love it sm!!

[@glennasandhoff245]

You did a great job on this video. I grew up out there and think you have covered it very well.

[@ChadandClaire]

Thank you so much for your support! We always worry that we don’t cover a place well and try hard to include what we can. Thanks for watching!

[@alainmaven]

Great content guys!! Keep it up!👌🏽

[@vivekramaswami6175]

Glad you got to visit window trail. Camped in tent in dec. It definitely is cold. The park ranger said outside of designated areas you can hike anywhere. Hiked the Chisos mountains. The park is definitely pretty and huge.

[@lukefromtexas]

Big Bend awesome. I was camping in Chisos Basin around the time you were there. It was cold out, but I had a Big Buddy propane heater so my tent was toasty. I highly recommend one for all campers.

[@gov683]

Fun to share with you guys, also like music

[@_srilankantraveler_]

Great work Guys.. Keep it going...loved from Sri lanka

[@flashback_jade]

So happy you guys popped into my suggestions!! Your videos are so inspiring and fun to watch! I clicked on the subscribe button after watching just one video of yours. (also I'm no expert but I think that blue bird was a blue jay?) :)

[@ChadandClaire]

Taylor! We are SO glad we popped up on your suggested. We have a lot of fun making these video and getting to share a bit of our life with others. So happy to have you along!! 😁🥳❤️

[@kjlcycler]

Fingerless gloves for cooking outside. Add rubber dishwashing gloves for dishwashing.

[@mikevega7740]

Great video thanks for letting me see how awesome big bend is. Going on Thanksgiving week for 4 days

[@triciatamayo8843]

Thanks! We are planning ours Dec 2021.. appreciate your thoughts on the staying warm. No van living for us, need to think our sleeping accommodations as old folks. Any recommendations are welcome. Safe journey people!

[@_BookOfLegends_]

I really dreamed of livin like this, I can't wait till I meet a cool girl as introverted as me😂 yall are living the life!

[@ChadandClaire]

Haha thanks for watching! Good luck on finding your girl!🤞😁

[@ShirleenStClair-fx6mo]

❤

[@bezhall1906]

Hey guys! Love your videos so much - just wondering if you have a playlist of the songs you use in your videos at all? They’re lovely and uplifting 🧡

[@ChadandClaire]

We currently do not, but we’ll have to look into making one! Great idea!

[@holleym2927]

Amazing places! Such a beautiful area! How did you stay warm???

[@ChadandClaire]

At night we used lots of blankets and sleeping bags and during the day we wore lots of layers and tried to always stay moving!

[@ChadandClaire]

Thanks for your support Holley!

[@lockguy2652]

no stop in Houston? lol... My wife and i actually honeymooned in the Big Bend area back in '95. yall have fun!

[@ChadandClaire]

We were pretty eager to head west! 😂

[@christinabrako6531]

Great video! We were just at Big Bend in June and it was sooooooooo hot. When did you camp there?

[@jaithevegan]

I literally was talking to the gutter guy about Big Bend this morning! It’s definitely going on my list of places to go hike. How long does the propane tank last for you two? I love your content 🥰😘

[@ChadandClaire]

Big bend is SO beautiful! Our propane depends on how many meals we make, but we’d say 4-5 days if we make 2 meals each day.

[@AlexisMintz]

Amazing! 2 questions - I also have a transit connect I'm converting - what do you guys do for heat in the van? And also - what equipment did you use to capture the star time lapse? Love the videos!

[@ChadandClaire]

1. We currently do not have heat in the van, so we use lots of a blankets and a sleeping bag at night. We are thinking of possibly getting a small heater. 2. All of our star time lapses are made using the Sony A7iii Thanks for watching!! Let us know if you have any more questions.

[@ivanquituisaca7942]

👍👏👏👏

[@yulissatovar4649]

What do you recommend taking/ packing/ ???

[@kaspercruz1508]

great video. what is the title of the music in the ending?

[@adventuresperspective4056]

I asked a rather about that bird 🐦 when I was there. I was told it was a Mexican Jay.

[@xaviersijipaul11]

Can you climb on top of the 'balanced' rock is it not permitted?

[@arturopalma7997]

Do you need to reserve a camp site? I have a Sprinter RV similar size as yours. Can i just park somewhere and spend the night?

[@AmericanIdolElise]

I’m quite sure the bird was a scrub jay.

[@journieswithcc3758]

What time of year did you visit Big Bend?

[@monkeybob7851]

What month and date was it while you were there?

[@mattgunn3753]

DANG 16 BUCKS A NIGHT FOR THAT CAMPSITE?? That is beautiful

[@ChadandClaire]

I know right!! We are luckkkkkyy😊

[@byanto721]

The bird is a Mexican Jay.

[@ireneparks7392]

🙂👍🤠

[@eastwoodmax]

Hope you check out El Paso Hueco tanks a must SP Best Mexican food in the states Christosomo burritos FOOD Check out white sands NP Scenic Drive for the View of MX Friendly people You guys rock love the “can do spirit” and on a budget Cheers

[@ChadandClaire]

Max, thank you SO much for the recommendations!!! We are adding a few of your suggestions to our list now!! And I guess you can’t have the can do spirit without the can do budget. 😂

[@hoaphuong003]

What month are you in Big Bend? Thanks

[@stephenlofton8823]

We would like to know what dates you were there also please

[@KDO-wi7qt]

Hi new subscriber here! 👋 would you think that 3 nights is enough to explore here or how many days/nights do you recommend?

[@ChadandClaire]

Hi! I believe you can do a lot in 3 nights! Should be plenty of time, but if you have time to spare you could always stay another night haha. Lots of variety of places to camp at Big Bend.

[@m.hernandez1404]

Mexican jay