Terlingua
A ghost town that refuses to die — and throws the world's most famous chili cookoff
Quick Facts
October through April.
About Terlingua
Terlingua was a booming quicksilver (mercury) mining town in the early 1900s, employing thousands. When the mine closed after WWII, it became a true ghost town. Then the chili cookoff arrived in 1967, Big Bend National Park drew adventurers, and a community of desert-lovers moved in among the ruins. Today Terlingua exists as a strange, beautiful hybrid: crumbling adobe ruins alongside funky bars and guesthouses, river guides and artists and wanderers, all under a sky that could swallow you whole.
Things to Do
Explore the Ghost Town
The original Terlingua — adobe ruins, collapsed roofs, a cemetery with iron grave markers, and the occasional scorpion — sits right next to the current occupied buildings. You can walk among the ruins at will. It's eerie, beautiful, and completely unlike anywhere else.
Chili Championship
The Terlingua International Chili Championship, held the first weekend of November since 1967, draws thousands of competitors and spectators to what is arguably the most fun outdoor event in Texas. The combination of desert landscape, cold nights, campfires, and competitive chili is genuinely magical.
Rio Grande Rafting
The Rio Grande cuts through Santa Elena Canyon just south of Terlingua in a canyon 1,500 feet deep. Several outfitters offer everything from half-day floats to multi-day expeditions through Boquillas and Mariscal canyons.
Starlight Theatre
A 1930s movie house turned bar and restaurant, the Starlight is the social heart of Terlingua. Live music most nights, cold beer always, and the porch is a front-row seat to the West Texas sunset.
Where to Eat
Starlight Theatre Restaurant
Good food, great atmosphere, and an outdoor stage with live music. The wild boar tacos and the beef short ribs are the standouts.
High Sierra Bar & Grill
Cold beer and cheap eats at the Terlingua Trading Company complex. The porch is the best people-watching spot in the ghost town.
🗺️ Getting There
80 miles south of Marathon on U.S. 385 and FM 170. 300+ miles from San Antonio or El Paso. Fly to Midland/Odessa (250 miles).
📅 Best Time to Visit
October through April. November for the chili cookoff. Summer is brutal (105°F+) — go in winter for perfect weather and empty trails.
🤠 Did You Know?
“The Terlingua Chili Championship started as a publicity stunt and legal dispute over who made the "world's best chili." The feud between Wick Fowler and H. Allen Smith — covered in Sports Illustrated — launched the modern chili cookoff tradition.”