1) The main road going into Big Bend National Park has wonderful views!  Whereas TX-190 travels west of Terlingua into Big Bend State Park, this road travels west of Terlingua---and a small town called Study Butte---for 47 miles into Big Bend National Park.  It is called US-385 until it shoots north back up to Marathon TX.  If you keep going east past the northward turn to Marathon the road changes into Park Route 12.  Follow this road to the end, almost to the Mexican border, to find wonderful camp sites and a general store.






Once you get to this neat tunnel, you're almost to the end of Park Route 12.


I can't say this ride/drive is as thrilling as TX-190, "The River Road" through the State Park, but I understand that once you get off this National Park road, all the off-road offerings of the National Park---hiking, canoeing, camping, and more---make the place one of the prime destinations in all of Texas!

2)  One more road I found worthy of noting is TX-17, leaving Fort Davis heading north back to I-10 through Balmorhea.  Only the first 16 miles or so (about halfway) is stunningly beautiful and curvy, but it is a very nice departure route back to better known parts of Texas.


The picture below is not along the route above.  Rather, it is close to Alpine, Texas.  I found Alpine to be a lovely little town to spend much of the week in.  Alpine ISD is also an EdClick customer!  That makes this a progressive little Southwest Texas town too!