As my first backpacking trip of 2024 I decided to head west from Austin to Big Bend. Honestly, it's one of the most underrated national parks and I'd highly recommend checking it out if you get the chance.
The route I did was the Outer Mountain Loop, a 3 day, 30 mile trek into the backcountry of Big Bend, there is an additional 5 miles you can do to head up to Emory Peak & the South Rim, but I decided to pass up on that.
If you aren't an experienced backpacker I'd highly recommend taking your time 4-5 days on the trail, 3 was definitely a bit of a stretch.