Big Bend is a massive National Park in far west Texas. It’s incredibly remote and shares about 118 miles of border with Mexico along the Rio Grande. You could spend several day, weeks or even months exploring this beautiful park. However, it’s still worth visiting even if you only have one day. This is how I would spend one day in Big Bend National Park. Now, full disclosure, this will be an extremely active day because, well, you only have one day, but it’s genuinely possible to do it all!
First, Here’s Some Quick Info About Big Bend National Park
WHERE IS IT? Big Bend National Park is in far West Texas near the Mexican Border. The nearest US towns are Terilingua, Alpine and Marathon or Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico.
ENTRANCE FEE: It costs $30 to enter Big Bend National Park. If you frequent national parks in one year, I cannot recommend the America the Beautiful Annual National Park Pass enough. It’s $80 and this Sept 2023-2024 it’ll have gotten us into 10 different national parks across the country!
BEST TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT: Late fall to early spring is the best time to visit Big Bend National Park because the temps get extreme in the summers.
BEAR AND MOUNTAIN LION COUNTRY: While we’re no strangers to hiking in black bear country and know the basics for being “bear aware”. Being in mountain lion country was a new experience for us. The biggest things we heard were: 1- don’t let your kids run out ahead of you and 2- if one approaches, mae yourself big, throw rocks and yell.
VENOMOUS SNAKES IN THE PARK: There are five species of venomous snake in Big Bend National Park. Four species of rattlesnake and one species of copperhead. Definitely best to avoid snakes in general and let them do their own thing, but also be mindful of the snakes that are venomous. (Trans-pecos copperhead, western diamondback rattlesnake, mojave rattlesnake, black-tailed rattlesnake and mottled rock rattlesnake.)
JUNIOR RANGER PROGRAM? Yes, they do have a Junior Ranger Program and they have three bonus activities for special patches as well! Pick up your Junior Ranger Book at any of the visitor centers. Don’t know about the Junior Ranger Programs in our National Parks? Read more about it here!
WHERE TO STAY NEAR BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK
When I say Big Bend is remote, I mean it is remote! But, luckily, there are still a few different options of places to stay for your own Big Bend adventure.
BEST OPTION TO EXPLORE THE PARK: Obviously, the best place to stay when visiting any national park is going to be within the park boundaries – especially if you’re not stay long. At Big Bend, there’s the Chisos Lodge and it brings you right to the edge of several iconic trails like The Window and Lost Mine.
WHERE TO STAY IF YOU’VE GOT A CAMPER or RV: We stayed at Big Bend Station in Terlingua and really enjoyed it. There was a little grocery store just down the road and a restaurant at the campground. We didn’t actually eat there this trip, but I did back in 2016 and it was good. The campground easy to get in and out of and very close to Big Bend. My one qualm was the charge to use the showers. I get paying to use laundry, but I think if you offer a bathhouse and someone pays to stay with you, the shower should be included.
BUDGET FRIENDLY, BUT STILL VERY CLOSE: Big Bend Station also has a lodge, which is where my dad and I stayed in 2016. The rooms are pretty basic, but when you’re out here, you’re basically here for the park, so it was a nice place to rest your head at night.
LOOKING FOR LUXURY? – Camp Elena is the best luxury options, but it’s still just luxury tents with stunning views. They’re quite expensive, but would make a lovely honeymoon or anniversary stay.
ONE DAY IN BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK – THE PERFECT DAY IN WEST TEXAS
This is the way I would spend an insanely busy, but beautiful one day in Big Bend National Park.
MORNING – ONE DAY IN BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK
ACTIVITY: LOST MINE TRAIL
Wherever you’re staying will determine your wake-up time, but I would try to get to the Lost Mine Trailhead right at or just after sunrise to take on this 4.8 mile trail. It’s rated moderate, which I think is pretty accurate. It’s mostly uphill to the top, then, obviously, downhill on the way back down. I will say, this is both Matt’s and my favorite trails, so you’re kicking it off with a bang! This trail will offer up some stunning views of the Chisos Mountains, down to the window, and to Mexico in the opposite direction. This mountaintop with 360-views is such a special hike and the perfect place to start your Big Bend adventure.
AFTERNOON – ONE DAY IN BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK
I’m going to give 2 options here. One for if you’re interested in hiking and spending time in the actual park or if you’re looking to visit Mexico while you’re here. Visiting Mexico is such a special part of each Big Bend Trip to me, so it would be my top choice, personally.
AFTERNOON OPTION ONE
ACTIVITY: VISITING BOQUILLAS DEL CARMEN, MEXICO
There’s a border crossing within the national park that has seasonal hours:
Winter (Nov 2nd to April 30th) the border is open Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, & Sun from 9am – 4pm
Summer (May 1st to Nov 1st) the border is open Fri, Sat, Sun & Mon from 9am – 4pm
If you won’t be here on a date that it’s open, worry not, the hike I mention in the next section is incredible too. Just skip to that section. Also, remember, you’re entering another country so you will need your passport to come back! Crossing the border in the afternoon is the best time in my opinion because you can escape the heat of the day, to a degree for hiking. Plus, you get to eat lunch!
To cross the border, you walk through the Boquillas Crossing Port of Entry. You have two options for manner of crossing the border: you can walk/wade or you can pay $10/person, roundtrip, to ride a boat across the border. The walk would be short, but three things to note – definitely wear sandals or water shoes if you plan to do this and reminder that the ground is essentially sand, so you’re likely to have sand stuck to your toes and your wet shoes. Lastly, depending on the depth of the river, the undercurrents can be insanely strong. I’ve crossed twice and I’ve done the boat both times.
Once you’re in Mexico, it’s about a mile walk to the village of Boquillas. Or you can ride a donkey for $5/person. It doesn’t save you much time, but it does save steps, so that’s up to you. However, just so you know, it’s not a difficult walk.
When you reach town, you need to pay the $4 conservation fee in the tailer at the right of town. They don’t check or stamp your passport here has of 2024 – a change from 2016. In town, there’s a church, a school, a bar, shops and a couple of different restaurants. We’ve been to José Falcon twice now (the restaurant to the left when you enter town) and it’s consistently amazing. Every thing I’ve ever had there is tasty – plus, you get a beautiful view of the Rio Grande and the canyons/mountains around it on their huge patio. My favorite is the chile relleno, though! And, of course, I recommend their margarita because, why not? You can spend as much time in the town as you’d like, but we just basically ate and left to do more in the day in the park.
Crossing back is basically the same, but in reverse. Upon entering the US, you’ll need your passport and have to go through the simple steps there that the ranger will guide you through.
BONUS ACTIVITY: HIKE BOQUILLAS CANYON
If, you did the Mexico day trip and didn’t stay a long time, I would add on the Boquillas Canyon Hike. It’s rated as easy, but note there are steps that you have to take both ways on this trail so bring water and take your time. This hike offers a beautiful vantage point and follows the Rio Grand. It’s less than 2 miles and worth the quick stopover.
AFTERNOON OPTION TWO
ACTIVITY: HIKING THE WINDOW TRAIL
If you don’t want to or can’t go to Mexico, I would highly recommend the Window Trail. It’s a 5.5 mile hike that also starts in the Chisos Basin, but it looks out on to the desert. I got total Zion National Park vibes because of the surrounding red-rock cliffs that are covered in sage brush and juniper. You descend down into a canyon that leads to a window formed by a pour-off. It’s really special and really beautiful. It’s rated moderate as well and I think that’s a fair rating.
If you need to have lunch (as in, if you don’t have one packed), the Chisos Lodge offers food year round from 11am to 3pm. Also, the shop has some ready-to-eat cooler options as well.
EVENING – ONE DAY IN BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK
EARLY EVENING ACTIVITY: SANTA ELENA CANYON TRAIL
I truly believe you shouldn’t visit Big Bend without going to Santa Elena Canyon. This hike leads to a canyon deeply cut by the Rio Grand with 1000-foot+ walls. The trail takes you up to an overlook, then meanders down along the sandy bank of the river until you reach the end of the bank and it’s just a sheer canyon wall. There are a lot of different plants, signage about the minerals, formation of the canyon and flora and fauna in the area. This trail sign says it’s 1.5 miles, but if you truly go to the end of the canyon’s river bank, we found it to be just over 2 miles according to our Apple Watches.
As much as I love the natural beauty of this trail, I also find it to be really poignant that the same river carved this canyon and we, as humans, have drawn this arbitrary line that makes you either Mexican or American and this flabbergasts me, especially in our current political climate where border-crossings are so villianized, when in reality, we’re all humans, we all deserve to be living the best life, no matter the color of our skin, which side of the proverbial river we’re born on.
SUNSET – ONE DAY IN BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK
Depending on where you are in the park, there are two beautiful options for sunset.
SUNSET OPTION IF YOU’RE ON ROSS MAXWELL SCENIC DRIVE
WATCH THE SUN SET OVER SOTOL OVERLOOK
This vista is just off the the Maxwell Scenic Drive if you’re on the way back from Santa Elena Canyon. There’s a super short drive up a narrow fin up to a stunning overlook of the valley between the mountains and the Rio Grande. No hike is required and there are even benches. We didn’t see the sunset here, personally, but we did catch the beginning of golden hour and it was already magic. If we hadn’t had my parents watching our kids, we would’ve stayed for sunset. It’s a really special viewpoint.
Sunset Option if You’re Near the Chisos Basin
WATCH THE SUNSET FROM WINDOW VIEW OVERLOOK
This is just over a 0.5 mile hike, roundtrip. There’s a bench at this overlook that looks down on the window I mentioned above. The sun sets behind it offering up a beautiful glow and stunning skies. While there is technically a Window Viewpoint, there’s a whole section of sidewalk that offers a stunning view. There was room for everyone when we were there for sunset. It was quite beautiful!
NIGHT – ONE DAY IN BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK
ACTIVITY: STARGAZE!
Did you know that Big Bend National Park has the darkest skies in the Lower 48? That means that checking out the stars here is a must-do. Depending on the time of year/month, your experience can range from catching the milky way early in the night or in the wee hours of the morning. We use the PhotoPils App to help us track when the Milky Way will be out and where it’ll pop up. The moon phase will also help you to see more or less – the smaller the moon, the darker the rest of the sky. Even without seeing the actual Milky Way, seeing the stars was so stunning.
Note: dawn and dusk are when mountain lions, coyotes and bears are most active. So, be sure to be aware of your surroundings, be safe and be smart. Please, take the needed precautions.
GEAR WE USED AND I WOULD RECOMMEND IN BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK
Water is super important in this West Texas sun. Don’t forget to drink plenty of it. We love our Nalgene bottles with the wide mouth because they’re super easy to clean and hold a good amount of water. Keeping fueled is important too! Our go-to hiking snacks are slim jims or beef jerky, granola bars, M&Ms, gummy pouches, nuts and fresh fruit – remember to pack it in and pack it out – even fruit peels, pits, seeds and cores.
Footwear we wore in Big Bend National Park. We both wore our Merrell hiking boots (men’s option & women’s option) the majority of the time in the park.We’re also both obsessed with these Merrell hiking socks – they’re unisex and come in S/M, M/L. I did wear my Teva Hurricanes one morning hiking because I knew we were going to the Hot Spring and I wanted to be able to easily take my shoes off.
These are the hiking sticks I’ve used in the past and my parents still use! I’m obsessed with my Osprey Daylite daypack when I’m not carrying the kiddos. It has plenty of space or a day hike but is super lightweight. If we’re carrying kids, I can’t recommend the Deuter Kid Comforts enough. Read more about why we love it on this post.
Like I said in the intro, this would obviously be a very active day in Big Bend, but if I only had one day in Big Bend National Park, this would be my perfect day! You get to see a lot of the park highlights in just a 24 hour window and experience what makes this beautiful park and Rio Grande region so special. As always, have fun, stay safe and leave no trace in our beautiful national parks.
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