THE SHORT ANSWER
Big Bend National Park says temporary wildlife-management closures begin October 1, 2026. Mesa de Anguila will close for aerial operations beginning October 1, with closures starting the evening before and reopening when the work is complete. On October 2, the Deadhorse Mountains and surrounding areas, including Dagger Flat Road and Old Ore Road, will also close temporarily.
This is not a park-wide shutdown. NPS says the Rio Grande and Santa Elena Canyon Trail remain open during the Mesa de Anguila work, and the Rio Grande and Boquillas Canyon trail remain open during the Deadhorse-area work.
WHAT CLOSES AND WHEN
NPS says Mesa de Anguila is scheduled to close starting October 1 while Texas Parks and Wildlife Department staff conduct aerial operations to remove non-native Barbary sheep, also called aoudad. The affected area begins closing the evening before the survey and reopens after the work is completed.
NPS separately says the Deadhorse Mountains and surrounding areas, including Dagger Flat Road and Old Ore Road, are scheduled to close temporarily on October 2. Similar evening-prior closures apply there.
WHY THE CLOSURE EXISTS
The National Park Service says the project is intended to protect native desert bighorn sheep by reducing the population of non-native Barbary sheep. NPS says aoudad compete with bighorn sheep for food and water and can affect biodiversity and natural conditions.
WHAT REMAINS OPEN
For the Mesa de Anguila operation, NPS specifically says the Rio Grande and Santa Elena Canyon Trail remain open. For the Deadhorse-area operation, NPS says the Rio Grande and Boquillas Canyon trail remain open.
Those statements do not guarantee that every road, campsite, trailhead, river access point or service elsewhere in the park will be available. Check the current Big Bend alerts and posted signs for the exact itinerary.
DO NOT PLAN AROUND AN EXACT REOPENING MINUTE
NPS says closures typically last one full day per survey area but may last longer because of weather or mechanical delays. Treat October 1 and October 2 as scheduled operation dates, not promises that every affected road or trail will reopen at a fixed hour.
If a route uses Dagger Flat Road, Old Ore Road, Mesa de Anguila or nearby backcountry access, build a backup plan and verify conditions immediately before travel.
WHAT BON VOYAGE COMPASS WILL AND WILL NOT CLAIM
Bon Voyage Compass can organize the official closure areas, dates and open-trail exceptions into one planning guide. It will not claim a closed area has reopened, a road is passable, a campsite is available or an operation has finished until a responsible current source confirms that status.
This guide was source-checked September 25, 2026 against the National Park Service announcement. Because the operation is short-lived and can move with weather or mechanical conditions, this page should be refreshed or retired promptly after the closure window rather than carrying fake freshness.