80 miles N of Big Bend National Park; 26 miles E of Marfa; 23 miles SE of Fort Davis

The home of Sul Ross State University, Alpine is nicknamed "The Hub of the Big Bend." Long the commercial center of vast Brewster County, this town of 6,500 has numerous amenities that make it a good jumping-off point to Big Bend National Park, or a nice stopover while en route to other area destinations: a vibrant Main Street with plenty of galleries and funky retailers, excellent hiking in all directions, an active railroad depot on the Southern Pacific line, and festivals and museums that are pure West.