Big Bend National Park Travel Guide

 9 Reviews  Santa Elena Canyon is my favorite place in Big Bend. It speaks "Big Bend" in its layout, its ruggedness and its isolation. Every time I come to the park, I make sure to visit here. The trail is not much. You cross a wash (this can sometimes be flooded) and meander up and down along the river until... 

 4 Reviews  A mass of dilapidated wooden board houses which have fallen into disuse. They were built by the miners who came to pan for gold in them thar hills. Quite interesting to visit. There is a hotel there, which is $180 a night which I thought was a bit steep. However, because of the total lack of light... 

 3 Reviews  The Window is one of the most popular views in the park, and has become one of the symbols of Big Bend National Park. This pour off channels all the rainwater from the high Basin to a sudden 200 foot drop to the desert below. It is here that the Window Trail hike comes to a sudden stop. The floor of... 

 10 Reviews  There are a few displays in the visitors center too. They mostly explain about the animals and plants of the area. I really liked the Mountain Lion. I do not want to meet him on the trail (at least not too closely). 

 7 Reviews  When the official border crossing closed, trade coming across the border here slowed down a lot but did not stop. These enterprising Mexicn goatherders had a sideline selling souvenirs to tourists visiting the park. They had snuck across the river to set up their souvenirs then went back to Mexico... 

 3 Reviews  After you turn off the main road onto Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive the pulloff for the Sam Nail Ranch Trail is one of the first places to stop. This is a short, dirt path that leads to the remains of the ranch (not much to see) two windmills and some fruit trees that were not native to the area but... 

 2 Reviews  There are a variety of other attractions nearby in West Texas: Fort Davis National Historic Site is an old fort from the days of western expansion; nearby state parks include: Big Bend Ranch State Park; Fort Leaton State Historic Site; and Davis Mountains State Park. There are also: The ghost town... 

 3 Reviews  Another interesting formation in the park is called "The Mule Ears". It is a bit of a drive to this viewpoint. This also serves as the trailhead for the trail leading to Mule Ears Spring (which I did not take). 

 3 Reviews  The beginning section of the Rio Grand Village Nature Trail is wheelchair accessible. Here a board walk will take you across a lovely pond. Since this trail head was very close to our trailer, and such a lovely sight, I visited the pond a number of times. If you look closely you may see turtles... 

 2 Reviews  Tuff Canyon looks different than most canyons. This one is deep and narrow as opposed to the shallower and wider canyons that are more common. This is because Tuff Canyon is composed of a relatively hard volcanic rock called Tuff that resists the sideward erosion of flood waters. The canyon... 

 2 Reviews  At the end of the Grapevine Trail you will find a trail that climbs for one quarter mile, ending at a natural window created by boulders, called Balanced Rock. This section of the trail was fairly steep and was not a developed path, so that it involved some medium difficulty maneuvers and rock... 

 2 Reviews  This is an easy one half-mile loop with interpretive signs along the way that takes you through the shrub habitat Chihuahuan Desert. There are a large variety of wonderful prickly pear cacti such as brown, spined, purple tinged, and Engleman along with many other cacti such as hedgehogs, rainbow. 

 2 Reviews  This big mountain range is located in Mexico on the Southeastern side of the park. It makes a very impressive shape barring the horizon when you drive towards Rio Grande Village from the Northwest. It is especially haunting at sunset when it lights in bright red (hence the name!). 

 1 Review  The countryside around the town of Fort Davis is beautiful. The Davis Mountains are gorgeous, and the vegetation is quite different from what you see in Big Bend National Park, with more little trees, mainly pines, and lots of huge granite boulders. The only downside of visiting this area (and 95%... 

 3 Reviews  If you enter the park from the North as I did your first stop should be the Persimmon Gap Visitors Center. Here you can get a map of the park, other information to help you plan your visit, and discuss your plans with the helpful rangers. You can also look over the informative displays about the... 

 1 Review  The heart of the Davis Mountains seems to be the ultimate spot for isolation away from city lights and polluted air, ideal for a state-of-the-art modern astronomical observatory. Run by the University of Texas at Austin, it has 3 telescopes used every night, weather permitting, by astronomers from... 

 1 Review  The Basin Loop Trail is a 1.6 mile moderate difficulty trail with nice views of the window area along the route. The trail climbs a little over 200 feet and winds through shady stands of pinyon pine, juniper, and a small type of oak, as well as a large variety of plant species. For longer hikes,... 

 2 Reviews  Cerro Castellan is a very colorful peak located near the end of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. The multi-colored bands reveal much of the geological history of this area. Violent volcanoes, silent waters, dry deserts, all are revealed in these colorful layers. Cerro Castellan is worth a photo or two... 

 1 Review  Do not miss this nice little museum if you go to Alpine. It features explanatory panels and objects on the history and geology, fauna, flora of the region. When I went, it also had a very interesting exhibition of paintings of the Big Bend by Texan artists. Finally, you have to go through the cactus... 

 4 Reviews and 4 Opinions  There are a number of camping areas in Big Bend National Park. Three, Chisos Basin, Rio Grande...