Big Bend is a massive national park located in far West Texas. It’s a stunning and vast desertscape that feels oh-so-isolated in the very best ways. The park boasts 119 miles of shared border with Mexico across the Rio Grande, mountains, canyons, rock formations and even the darkest skies in the Lower 48. With all those things to offer, I thought I’d compile a list of the Top 10 things to Do in Big Bend National Park.
Quick Info About Visiting Big Bend National Park
Before I jump into the top 10 things to do in Big Bend National Park, there are some things you should know before visiting the park.
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Late fall to early spring. The temps get unbearable in the summer, so that’s the least recommended time to visit. I’ve been in February and March and loved them both as months to visit.
COST TO ENTER THE PARK: To enter Big Bend it costs $30/personal vehicle, $25/motorcycle and $15/individual. As an added note, Big Bend doesn’t accept cash at its entrance station, it’s now credit or debit only. If you visit multiple national parks a year, I cannot recommend the annual national parks pass enough! For only$80, you gain entry to 2000+ NPS-run destinations.
BE BEAR & MOUNTAIN LION AWARE: Big Bend is home to both black bears and mountain lions. Black bears reside mostly in the Chisos Mountains, but they have been sighted all through the park. Apparently there are an average of 150+ mountain lion sightings in Big Bend Each year. Although that’s still only one every 2.5 days or so, it’s still a lot. If you have kiddos with you, don’t let them run ahead on trails. Know what to do if you encounter either of these large mammals.
BE AWARE OF THE EXTREME HEAT, ESPECIALLY IN THE SUMMERS: During summer months, temps average around 100-degrees daily. So, it can be quite dangerous to hike in the summers, especially if you go out midday and are unprepared.
VENOMOUS SNAKES IN BIG BEND: There are four species of rattlesnake in Big Bend and one species of copperhead that are all venomous. Be mindful of where you find a shady spot, as it might be shared by a snake.
Lost Mine Trail
TRAIL MILEAGE + DIFFICULTY: 4.8 miles total, out and back // moderate difficulty
This was easily my favorite trail in the park just because of the sheer beauty of it! This hike takes you up into the Chisos Mountains has has such a spectacular view of the park. The trail is the perfect combo of beauty, adventure and diversity. You get to experience the mountains while also looking down on the beautiful desert landscape below. Up here there are many birds, flowers and other flora & fauna to take in. We loved this part of the park so very much.
For the Love of Wanderlust tip: Parking is very limited here, so be sure to get there early to ensure a spot, or be prepared to walk. We had to add a half mile to our hike by parking at a pullout along the road.
The Window Trail
TRAIL MILEAGE + DIFFICULTY: 5.6 miles total, out and back. This trail is rated as moderate.
The Window trail is also in the Chisos Basin, but instead taking you up into the mountains, you go down into the Zion-esque Oak Creek Canyon to the Oak Creek pour-off known as The Window. This descends 900 feet down into the canyon (which you do have to hike back up, but it’s not that bad). At the Window, you get can see down below and the mesas beyond. It’s so beautiful, but be very careful down there. The rock in The Window is very slick. We were there when the creek was dry, so we personally felt a bit more comfortable crawling down further, but I do not recommend going to the edge of the window at all. On this trail we also saw a couple of road runners, which was really cool!
Santa Elena Canyon
TRAIL MILEAGE + DIFFICULTY: 1.7 miles total, out and back. This trail is rated as moderate.
This is one of the most unique trails in the park. The Rio Grande carves a massive, deep canyon – like 1500ft tall canyon walls kind-of massive. The trail leads back into the canyon until the banks of the Rio Grande essentially go away. It’s a trail that feels surreal and poignant about how borders sort-of seem so arbitrary when you see it’s really just one side of a river or a canyon.
Cross the Border to Visit Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico
DON’T FORGET YOUR PASSPORT: This is crossing from one country to another and you cannot get back into the US without it – even little ones!
I love that within a national park you have the ability to take a boat across a river into Mexico. We got to take our kids out of the country to go have a delicious lunch, Charleigh and Liam got to be around a foreign language for the first time and we got to have a tiny taste of a piece of culture not our own. We ate at Jose Falcón both time’s we’ve done this and holy cow, the food is tasty! I love the chile relleno and margaritas.
For more info on the Boquillas Crossing, check out our post here.
Rio Grande Village Nature Trail + the River Spur Trail
TRAIL MILEAGE + DIFFICULTY: 0.75-mile loop, if you add the river spur it’s 1.25 miles total. This trail is rated as easy.
This trail starts on a boardwalk trail, tall grassy plants tower overhead. Once getting over the pond, you’re back into the desert. The trail goes up just a couple hundred feet to an incredibly scenic overlook of the park. It has 360 views of mountains, desertscapes and the Rio Grande. You can even get a great view of Boquillas del Carmen coming back down the backside of the overlook. The trial basically winds around the ridge the overlook is on, but before getting back to the turnoff of the overlook, there’s a small sign that just says “river” with an arrow. If you take this spur trail, it adds just under a half mile to your hike and takes down to the banks of the Rio Grande. We did this and thought it added so much to the hike. Even without the spur, though, this was a beautiful and varied hike.
Lone Mountain Trail
TRAIL MILEAGE + DIFFICULTY: 2.7 mile loop. This trail is rated as easy.
This trail has you circumnavigate a mountain that has seemingly just popped up out of the desert – which it basically did. It’s an easy trail and it has some really beautiful cacti and other plant species along the trail as well as stunning views of the three surrounding mountain ranges.
Boquillas Canyon Trail
TRAIL MILEAGE + DIFFICULTY: 1.4 miles total, out and back. This trail is rated as moderate.
Boquillas Canyon Trail is another short, but unique canyon hike in Big Bend National Park. This canyon isn’t as inclosed in the section you hike in, but it does have a super stunning view of a bend in the Rio Grande at the beginning of the trial. You basically immediately go up, see the overlook, go right back down and then follow the trail until the bank of the river ends and it’s just the sheer canyon wall descending into the water.
Chimneys Trail
TRAIL MILEAGE + DIFFICULTY: 4.8 miles total, out and back. This trail is rated as moderate – mostly because of its distance and lack of shade.
Chimneys Trail has a lot of really amazing aspects to it. It takes you over a long relatively flat stretch of desert to volcanic dikes that you can see in the distance from the trailhead. The trail takes you to these chimneys which have so much more to them than just the unique formations. One has a a natural window in it that you can easily sit below and another has petroglyphs. It’s a really cool hike!
Window View at Sunset
TRAIL: This is a 0.3-mile loop or 0.5 miles if you just go to the view point and back. It’s paved, wheelchair accessible and easy.
This is a sweet, simple adventure for watching the sunset. There is a bench at the actual overlook, but the vantage along most of the trail has a wonderful view of the sunset. This is such a perfect place to watch the day end without having a large hike back in the dark.
Hot Springs Historic Trail
TRAIL MILEAGE + DIFFICULTY: This is a 1 mile total out and back trail. It’s rated as easy.
I love this trail because it’s short, sweet and easy, so it makes the perfect hike to tack on to a day of hiking in the area. The trail goes past the “town” that popped up around the hot springs along with some pictographs on the canyon wall. The structure of the general store/post office remains along with the foundation around the hot spring. The 105-degree hot spring is still a place that you can soak – however, it is not recommended to swim in the Rio Grande near it, there are strong undercurrents there.
Gear We Used Hiking in Big Bend National Park
FOOTWEAR: Matt and I are both huge fans of Merrell hiking boots. (mens option, women’s option). I also am a huge fan of these hiking socks, which are also Merrell. In the summer, I almost always am hiking in my Teva Hurricane sandals – they were creat for the Hot Springs trail so I didn’t have to put socks on my wet feet. I will say, in sand, though, I like the hiking boots instead.
TRAVEL INSURANCE: After hiking in Thailand and breaking my arm, I’ve learned that travel insurance is invaluable on extended hiking trips. World Nomads has great, easy coverage at reasonable prices. Also, if I fly I always get travel insurance because they will have your back.
WHAT’S IN MY DAYPACK: I have an Osprey Daylite Daypack, it’s the perfect size to throw all my necessities. I always have my Nalgene – we love the widemouth bottles because they’re easy to clean, a simple first aid kit, my sunglasses – I wear my Raybans both in town and on the trail, snacks – my recent go-tos have been beef jerky and peanut butter & honey crackers, a headlamp and some sort of clothing layer (jacket, fleece or rain jacket). If we’re hiking with our kiddos, I throw these things in the back zip compartment of our Deuter Kid Comforts since we hike carrying them at this point.
Where to Stay Near Big Bend National Park
IF YOU’RE IN A CAMPER – Big Bend Station had the best rates for a campground in the area. Plus, it’s really close to the park! However, if you plan to use the bathhouse for showers, you should know this is an additional charge and requires quarters. They also have a motel here, that I’ve stayed at before.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR LUXURY – Camp Elena is best known for their luxury tents with stunning views. They’re quite expensive, but would make a lovely honeymoon or anniversary stay.
BUDGET-FRIENDLY HOME-BASE FOR VISITING THE PARK – Terlingua Ranch Lodge. This is a great budget-friendly option if you’re planning to spend the majority of your time in the park.
INSIDE THE PARK – Chisos Lodge. As with all national park lodges, they’re going to be priced higher for pretty basic rooms. There are some parks that I feel it’s 100% worth staying inside, but I will say, from Terlingua, it’s an easy drive and better value.
While this only scratches the surface of this beautiful, massive national park, these 10 things will give you a great taste of the varied landscapes and geographical features of Big Bend National Park. Have you been to Big Bend? What was the most amazing thing you saw or did there?
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