If you don't want to sort through this entire post, below is a quick guide of things to do in Big Bend National Park:
Some Fun Facts & Background About Big Bend
If you didn't already know, Big Bend, TX is one of the least visited national parks in the United States, but if you've made it here chances are you're already in on it being one of the best kept secrets. After having the chance to visit it ourselves, we can confirm that its visitation has nothing to do with its beauty and everything to do with where it's situated in the country.
Big Bend is located in the very far left part of Texas on the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert. The Rio Grande forms its southern border while the Chisos Basin Mountains comprise most of its 800k+ acres. Fun fact: it is the only national park to house an entire mountain range, which makes it top notch for hiking.
As a visitor, our biggest call out is that Big Bend huge and it's also highly preserved which means a lot of ground to cover, but not a lot of roads to cover it. Planning your routes, hikes, stop-offs, accommodations, etc. is essential if you want to get the most out of it.
Maps & Logistics Overview
Big Bend has two entrances: 1. Persimmon Gap which will lead you in/out from the north and 2. Maverick, which leads in/out from the West. There is no eastern exit, and a southern exit would land you in Mexico illegally (lol).
The most central point is the Panther Junction Visitor Center. It felt like all roads led here so if you're ever lost or confused follow signs to here.
Once you're in the park there are about 5 main (paved) roads that will get you to where you're going.
Persimmon Gap Road which will lead you from the northern entrance to Panther Junction.
West Entrance Road which will lead you from (you guessed it) the west entrance all the way through to Panther Junction.
Rio Grande Village Road which takes off from Panther Junction and leads you southeast towards Rio Grande Visitor Center (great for Boquillas, the Hot Springs, a few hikes).
Conversely, Ross Maxwell (scenic drive) leads you southwest towards the Castolon Visitor Center (great for the canyons & Rio Grande).
Chisos Basin Road which leads you south from Basin Junction to (you guessed it again) the Chiso's basin (great area for hikes).
All of that said, we recommend sticking to one area on any given day that way you can avoid backtracking or unnecessarily long drives. Below are some of our favorite options in each area.
Things to See/Do That Will Ensure You Can't Eff This Trip Up
Southeast area: great for a trip to Mexico, bathing in a hot spring, or a few small hikes
Boquillas: Here you have the option to visit Mexico through the park's port of entry. For $5 roundtrip, it takes you across the Rio Grande on a teeny tiny boat to a small village.
Hot Springs: Only ~1mi walk in there is a Hot Spring on the edge of the Rio Grande that used to be a part of a thermal spring resort. To be honest, it's not worth the visit unless you plan to get in the hot spring in which case it's definitely worth it. There was something fun about hanging out in a natural hot tub right on the border of US and Mexico. You're even able to cold plunge into the Rio Grande if you felt obliged.
Ernst Tinaja (high clearance vehicle needed to get there). We actually did not get a chance to go here, but we're including it here since it was our top place to explore. Unfortunately, though, the only way to get to it is on Old Ore Road...whomp whomp. Now is probably a good time to mention that Old Ore Rd is a super rugged, unmaintained road that requires high-clearance vehicles, a capable driver, and 4-wheel drive. It's not to be taken lightly. We spoke with a ranger who told us point blank that our Ford Transit would not make it and that their Ford Truck took 4 hours to go 5 miles. Do your due diligence if there are any trails or destinations that you want to do and are off of this road...if you don't have the right vehicle, Terlingua has a few places that do Jeep rentals specifically for some of these Big Bend roads. The same ranger said it's cheaper to do a rental than to get towed out.
Southwest area: great for seeing the canyons and hanging on the Rio Grande
Santa Elena Canyon (~2mi) - It is ~2 miles to the end if you wanted to walk the entire canyon. If walking's not your thing, you can skip the walk through it and settle for the view of it at the trailhead or the overlook which is just as up-close and pretty. There is also a boat launch in the area if you wanted to kayak it yourself (permit required from visitor center) or take a guided tour by canoe (passport needed).
West: great for a unique ghost town & some pretty views
Terlingua - Terlingua is an old mining town that sits right outside Big Bend National Park. Despite being considered a ghost town, we found there were quite a few little shops and restaurants to bop around. It's charming, it's unique, it only needs a few hours to do. It's not a highlight, but being that Big Bend is so hard to get to it's probably worth the trip.
Lajitas to Presidio scenic drive - This drive is technically outside of the park, but it takes you west through Big Bend Ranch state park which is essentially just an extension of Big Bend National. If it's on your route it's definitely worth it, we found it to be prettier than the Ross Maxwell scenic drive.
Central area: Great for hiking
The Window trail (~5mi) - Easy 5 miles! Only way to describe it is a very cool hike. You feel surrounded by the Chisos mountains the entire time and then by the end you find yourself looking out between two peaks at the Chihuahuan desert. Although mountain lions might say differently, we recommend going around dusk as the light hits the mountains beautifully. Also, it's a very windy trail.
Emory Peak (~10mi) - This hike leads to you to the top of Emory Peak which is the highest point in Big Bend. Majority of the 10 miles is a steady incline making it a fairly easy hike until the last 1 mile which gets steep quickly and finishes with a lovely scramble for the last 50 feet. Views along the way are of course beautiful, but nothing jaw dropping to be honest (kind of a standard hike). It isn't until you get to the top do you get the panoramic view of the entire park and beyond (caveat: there's a BAA [big ass antenna] on the top that is kind of an eye sore).
South Rim Loop (~12mi) - South Rim takes you along exactly that: the south rim of the mountain. The first 6 miles is getting you there and once you're there you'll know it. This was easily the most beautiful view we had during our trip to Big Bend and while 12 miles may sound intimidating, the incline was mostly steady making it an easy hike if it weren't for the length.
Balanced Rock trail (~2mi) - high clearance vehicle needed to get to trailhead.
Lost Mine trail (~4.8mi) - This is one of the more foot-trafficked hikes in the park. We spoke with a ranger who described it as, "your highest reward for the lowest effort".
Recommendations on Itinerary & Which Area to Visit
At minimum you could do Big Bend in 2-2.5 days and hit all of these areas comfortably. It also worth it to note that if you are staying overnight DO NOT forget to look up. Big Bend is an international dark sky and had some of the best star gazing we've seen (you can even see the milky way in some areas). If you have a telescope, bring it.
However, if you for some reason only have one day, we'd recommend prioritizing a hike in the central area and then taking the Ross Maxwell Scenic drive to the southwest area to see the Santa Elena canyon and Rio Grande. The hike, the drive, and the canyon will give you a really good feel for Big Bend's beauty in a short amount of time.
If you have more than two days, congrats, do all of the above.
Recommendations on Which Hikes to Do
Depending on how much time and energy you have you might not be able or want to hit all of the hikes we listed above. Below are our thoughts on the selection process:
If you only have time for one hike: choose between South Rim, Lost Mine, and Emory. These will all get you a classic Big Bend view.
Choose South Rim (12mi) if you're up for a full day of the best views.
Choose Lost Mine (5mi) if you want to get a good sense of the park for a low amount of
Choose Emory Peak (10mi) if you want the
Choose South Rim & Emory (16mi) if you want the views of south rim but have FOMO about Emory (us).
If you have time for two: whichever you choose above + Window Trail.
If you have time for three: which ever you choose above + Balanced Rock
Accommodations:
If you plan to stay in Big Bend National Park, your options are staying at one of the 3 developed campsites, or one of the 60+ primitive sites. If you don't love camping, your best bet is staying in Terlingua which has a ton of overnight options and is only 15-40 minutes from the park's west entrance (depending on where you stay).
Should you opt for staying inside the park, we'd recommend choosing campsites based on the area you plan to be on certain days, all of which can be reserved on recreation.gov (they do not do first come first serve). Below is an outline for each.
Chisos Basin Campground (~$16/night | has cell service): Most central to everything. Absolutely beautiful, especially for its price point.
Cottonwood Campground (~$12/night | no cell service): Southwest area closest to Santa Elena canyon. It's right along the Rio Grande and has some views of the Chisos, but otherwise it's a very bare bones campground.
Rio Grande Village Campground (no cell service): Southeast area closest to Boquillas and the hot springs. We did not stay here so we can't speak to it, but it's probably safe to assume it's similar to Cottonwood.
Regarding the primitive sites, it's important to note that the majority of them are tent-only or require a high-clearance vehicle access; there are a handful that can accommodate RVs or low-clearance cars. Online reservations for these primitive sites are needed months in advance, but if you miss the deadline that doesn't mean there aren't some available. If it's of interest to you, it's worth it to check availability with an employee Panther Junction Visitor Center.
Summary of Crucial Info
Driving: Check directions and how to get places before going. A lot of Big Bend's roads are unmaintained and require high-clearance vehicles to access (specifically Old Ore Road).
Cell Service: NPS will tell you there is no cell phone reception, and this is true for most areas except for the Chisos Basin area. It's by no mean reliable enough to plan on taking a zoom call, but there's a few bars of 5G for sure.
Permits: If you're planning on kayaking you will need a permit from a visitor center.
Borders: It's worth it to bring your passport should you choose to do a trip to Boquilla or any of the guided excursions. Since the Mexico/US border runs through the Rio Grande, the park's canoe rides require passports.
Health: Pack extra water and fill up when you see it (says everyone for every park ever). Big Bend is a water scarce area, but they do allow you to fill up 5 gallons per person per day. We went in the winter, so it was easy to forget we were in the desert, but that sun is STRONG.
Reminder: Bring your telescope if you have one. Big Bend is an International Dark Sky Park with amazing star gazing. Keep an eye out for the milky way.
Caution: Mountain lions and bears are present which is no different from a lot of other parks, the difference being Big Bend doesn't get a ton of foot traffic that might typically scare or keep them away. We learned you are in the territory of at least one mountain lion at any point in Big Bend.
Planning: There are 4 main campsites and 60+ primitive sites; online reservations for primitive sites are needed months in advance, but that doesn't mean there aren't some available. If it's of interest to you, it's worth it to check availability with an employee Panther Junction Visitor Center. Note: There are only a handful accessible to RVs/Low-clearance vehicles.
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