Big Bend National Park is one of two national parks in Texas. The park is located in south west part of the state, right across the border with Mexico. There are many things to see in Big Bend National Park but with summer temperatures frequently in the upper 90s, I was really glad we decided to visit in December. The weather was nice, mostly in the mid-60s, although the nights were about 20 degrees cooler than during daytime. We spent 2 full days exploring the park, so I feel like we got to see quite a bit. Here are my highlights of the park.
Best things to see in Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park is actually divided into 3 sections: the Westside, the Chisos Mountains, and the Eastside. I recommend spending at least several hours in each area to really get a good feel for the park. The park offers wonderful hikes, both short and long, so even if you only have a day, you should be able to enjoy the park.
The Westside
One of the most beautiful things to see in Big Bend National Park is the Santa Elena Canyon. You can reach it by taking the Old Maverick gravel road or the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.
We entered the park at Maverick Junction and took the gravel road to the Santa Elena Canyon Overlook. The road itself was pretty rough but the desert landscape was beautiful. Once there, we hiked the 1.6 miles long Santa Elena Canyon Trail into the canyon of the Rio Grande. The hike was absolutely enjoyable and the views were beautiful! The trail requires you to cross a creek that flows into the Rio Grande. You can either wade across it for direct access to the trail or walk a bit further and cross it over the rocks. If you do that, you’ll have to scramble up a creek bank to reach the designated trail. Because we wanted to stay dry, we decided to do the latter. It worked out fine and the rest of the hike was fairly easy. There is a bit of elevation gain but the trail is well laid out. Eventually, you hike right along the river bed. It’s definitely a great hike.
Afterwards, we continued along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. The drive offers beautiful views of the Chisos Mountains and the Chihuahuan desert. Definitely stop by the Mule Ears View Point. The scenery is spectacular. We also checked out other points of interest that were listed on the park’s map – Burro Mesa Pour-off and Sotol Vista.
Chisos Mountains
This is probably the most popular area of the park with lots of different trail options. Interestingly, this is actually the area where we spent the least amount of time. In fact, we only did the Windows View walk as well as a short section of the Chisos Basin Loop Trail, enough to get a good feel for it. Apparently, this is the best place to watch the sunset. The Visitor Center area gets a lot of traffic and parking is limited, so if you plan on hiking, arrive early.
Both trails offer nice views of the mountains as well as the Chisos Basin.
Eastside: Panther Junction and Rio Grande Village
Among all the things to see in Big Bend National Park, my favorite was the Grapevine Hills Canyon that leads to the Balanced Rock.
The 6.6 miles long gravel Grapevine Hills Road took us to a spectacular trail that culminated in a cool view of a Balanced Rock. You hike into a picturesque canyon with lots of boulders and rugged buttes. The hike is easy most of the way with the exception of the last quarter mile where you need to climb up to see the Balanced Rock. We loved to scramble up the rocks and enjoyed the spectacular views of the area.
In fact, this was my favorite area in Big Bend National Park.
Next, we headed towards the Rio Grande Village. On the way there, we drove to Dugout Wells and hiked the short but enjoyably Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail.
Finally, from around the Rio Grande Village, we took the Boquillas Canyon Trail with wonderful views of the Rio Grande and the Mexican side. The 1.4 mile hike is easy and certainly enjoyable. If you’re not up for a hike, drive up to the Canyon Overlook. The views of the canyon are definitely pretty. The Rio Grande Overlook, on the other hand, does not offer direct views of the river. It does show you the panorama of the canyon, though.
Other things to see around Big Bend National Park
Don’t forget to check out the nearby Ghost Town of Terlingua. It’s tiny but it offers wonderful coffee and breakfast at Espresso…Y Poco Mas. For dinner, you should try the Starlight Theatre. They open at 5 pm but the line starts forming at least 30 minutes before. We got there right at 5 but were told the wait was going to be 90 minutes. So, we went to a different restaurant instead and enjoyed dinner on a patio with beautiful views of the Chisos Mountains.
Camping and Stargazing
One of the things to see in Big Bend National Park are the stars! Many people come here just to stargaze. Although we didn’t go to a specific stargazing location, we were able to see magnificent skies right from our campground.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to camp in Big Bend National Park. By the time I started looking (3 months prior to our stay there right after Christmas) everything in the park was already booked. So, we spent 3 nights right outside of the park, camping at Big Bend Resort and Adventures. It worked out just fine but we would have preferred to camp in the park. Remember to make your reservations several months in advance.
Visiting Big Bend National Park was only one of the things we did on our trip to explore America’s Southwest. To see what else we visited, click here.
