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Big Bend not moving forward with proposed construction project at Chisos Mountains lodge

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Published  April 2, 2026 2:56pm CDT
Texas
FOX Local
article

The Chisos Mountains Lodge restaurant building is located at the base of beautiful Casa Grande peak. (NPS)

The Brief

    • A project in Big Bend National Park that would have called for the demolition and rebuild of the Chisos Mountains Lodge has been called off, just weeks before the project was set to begin.
    • The National Park Service said delays and increased construction costs were factors in pausing the project, which was approved in 2019.
    • NPS said it will move forward with a new round of bidding for its Chisos Basin water rehabilitation project and hopes to revisit the lodge project at a later time.

The National Park Service will no longer be moving forward with a planned demolition and reconstruction of a visitor hub in Big Bend National Park.

Plans to tear down and rebuild Chisos Mountains Lodge in the park's Chisos Basin were set to start in May. A notice on the improvements page for Big Bend now reads "construction project has been canceled" at the top.

Funding for the project was approved in 2019. The National Park Service said design complexities and delays had extended the timeline on the project, while a rise in construction costs resulted in a "substantial" budget shortfall leaving the park without funds for both the lodge construction and planned water system rehabilitation.

Will Chisos Basin remain open?

NPS said Big Bend will remain fully open to visitors.

What they're saying:

"Due to the construction delay, previously planned closures of the Chisos Basin will not take place, ensuring continued access to the park's facilities and breathtaking landscapes," NPS said in a statement. "We appreciate your understanding and look forward to sharing updates as we work toward bringing these important improvements to fruition."

What happens with the water rehabilitation project?

The National Park Service said it will reissue calls for contracts focusing on the Chisos Basin water system rehabilitation. The new contracts would not include lodge reconstruction or other facility upgrades. A timeline for those bids has not been released.

The delay in the project does not mean the lodge project is off the table.

"The park is reevaluating its finacial resources and exploring alternative strategies to advance construction efforts," NPS said. "The National Park Service remains actively engaged in assessing viable solutions to complete the lodge reconstruction and other Chisos Basin facility improvements that were part of the original project."

The Source: Information in this article comes from the National Park Service.

Texas