Big Bend refers to the great southwest Texas U-turn that the Rio Grande makes here. The Rio Grande River, the Chisos Mountains and the Chihuahuan Desert all contribute to the great diversity of flora and fauna in the area, including several endemic species. The park was established in 1935 and currently encompasses an area of 1252 sq miles. To put that into perspective, Big Bend is larger than the state of Rhode Island (1214 sq mi). As they say, “Everything’s bigger in Texas!”