What you have to drive to Alpine for — the ER, the pharmacy, a real grocery — and what one round trip costs in fuel, so you can make a run count.
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Marfa has no hospital and only a small grocery, so for a lot of everyday things — the ER, a prescription, a real shop, the hardware store — you make the run to Alpine, about 26 miles east. This helps you plan a run so one trip is worth the miles, and shows what the drive costs in fuel.
The Alpine drive is straight east on US-90 — there's no Border Patrol checkpoint that way (the US-67 checkpoint is south of town, on the road to Presidio).
| Errand | Where |
|---|---|
| Emergency room — Marfa has no hospital — only a weekday clinic. Big Bend Regional Medical Center in Alpine is the nearest ER, open 24 hours. | Only in town |
| Pharmacy & prescriptions — The clinic pharmacy in Marfa is open weekday mornings and afternoons only. Alpine has full drugstores — Highland Drug, City Drug. | Better in town |
| A full grocery shop — The Get Go in Marfa covers the basics but it's small and pricey. Lowe's Market in Alpine (the old Porter's) is the full shop. | Better in town |
| Hardware & building supplies — Morrison True Value in Alpine — tools, garden, paint and tool rental. | Only in town |
| The vet — Alpine Small Animal Practice — the nearest small-animal vet. | Only in town |
| Driver's license & county offices — The Texas DPS driver-license office and Brewster County registration & titling are both in Alpine. | Only in town |
| The train (Amtrak) — Alpine has the nearest passenger rail — the Sunset Limited and the Texas Eagle stop at the station on West Holland Avenue. | Only in town |
Tick what you need to do. Make one trip count.
Alpine is about 26 mi each way. Here's the fuel for a round trip — change the numbers to your own car and today's pump price.
Worked out at 24 mpg and $3.50 a gallon. This is fuel only — it leaves out the fixed cost of keeping a car, which you pay whether you drive or not.
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West Texas regular runs a little above the Texas state average — about $3.40–$3.60 a gallon in mid-2026. Put in today's price and your own car's mileage for a real figure.
Before a long drive
Big Bend Regional Medical Center
24-hour ER · Alpine
Marfa Community Health Clinic
Primary care (no ER) · Marfa