Overview: Showcasing the natural magic of an extraordinary part of the border between the United States and Mexico over four seasons, this film explores Rio Grandes Big Bend - a vast unspoiled wonderland of serene beauty and astounding desert landscapes which are home to some of North Americas most enchanting animals such as black bears, rattlesnakes, woodpeckers and scorpions.

DVD Verdict: The legendary Rio Grande River cuts deep canyons between the United States and Mexico, creating staggering landscapes in the largest protected area of its kind in North America.

The most remote corner of this infamous borderland is the National Park known as Big Bend - a vast, unspoiled wonderland of serene beauty and home to some of Americas most glorious wildlife.

This is Americas true frontier land, where horizons never end and stars blaze as they have done for eons.

Here within PBSs just-released Nature: Big Bend we journey alongside black bears, witness an elaborate hummingbird courtship display, and observe bats stalking the desert floor to seek out scorpions as new dramas unfold in these untamed borderlands.

But we do more than see and view the expansive arena, for we also learn oh-so much along the way too. Like flowing from northern Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico, the Rio Grande (known as the Rio Bravo in Mexico) flows for over 1,800 miles.

For a good part of this distance, it provides a natural border between Mexico and Texas, cutting through canyons and desert. The rivers winding path gave the National Park its name (hike the Mesa de Anguila Trail for a birds-eye view).

There is also easy access to the river at the Hoodoos Trail, but as informed, please keep in mind the water levels will vary at various times during the year.

Other, more informative info comes at us like this: Big Bend National Park is an American national park located in West Texas, bordering Mexico.

The park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, and was named after a large bend in the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo.

The park protects more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56 species of reptiles, and 75 species of mammals. Additional park activities include scenic drives, programs led by Big Bend park rangers, and even wondrous night time stargazing adventures.

The area has a rich cultural history, from archeological sites dating back nearly 10,000 years to more recent pioneers, ranchers, and miners. The Chisos Mountains are located in the park, and are the only mountain range in the United States to be fully contained within the boundary of a national park.

Geological features in the park include sea fossils and dinosaur bones, as well as volcanic dikes.

The park encompasses an area of 801,163 acres (1,251.8 sq mi; 3,242.2 km2). For more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km), the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo forms the boundary between Mexico and the United States, and Big Bend National Park administers approximately 118 miles (190 km) along that boundary.

Because the Rio Grande serves as an international boundary, the park faces unusual constraints while administering and enforcing park rules, regulations, and policies.

In accordance with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the park territory extends only to the center of the deepest river channel as the river flowed in 1848.

The rest of the channel and the land south of it lies within Mexican territory. The park is bordered by the protected areas of Santa Elena and Maderas del Carmen in Mexico. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.