Visit Big Bend National Park and you’ll have your pick of the over 150 miles (241 km) of trails to hike, from easy to strenuous, with elevations varying from 1,800 feet (548.6 m) along the Rio Grande River, to 7,832 feet (2,387 m) on Emory Peak in the Chisos Mountains. You can hike the desert, the mountains, and the river at this national park.
Before you set off for your trail adventure, the park wants you to know:
- No pets are allowed on trails in Big Bend.
- Groups larger than 30 hikers need to split up and take different trails.
- Pack out what you pack in and leave no trace.
- Carry plenty of water and salty snacks to replenish the salt you’ll lose while sweating along the trail.
- It’s a good idea to tell someone else where you will be hiking.
With that out of the way, let’s get down to the day hikes you can take at Big Bend. The park divides the trails into mountain, desert, and river hikes. Click on each trail type to read descriptions, mileages, and fitness level for the various hikes offered.
Perfect for hiking when it’s a really hot day in the lower elevations, there are seven mountain trails around the Chisos Mountains, two of which are, without a doubt, probably the most popular hikes in the park.
Hike Featured On The Traveler
Lost Mine Trail – 4.8 miles (7.7 km) roundtrip
One of the most popular mountain trails, if not the most popular trail in the park is probably the Lost Mine Trail, up the road from the Chisos Mountains Lodge.
The Lost Mine Trail will not take you to the entrance of an old mine. According to the NPS, the trail name comes from “an old legend that describes how Spanish explorers found a vein of silver in this area and enslaved local people to mine it. According to legend, the workers eventually rebelled, killed their enslavers, and sealed the mine entrance to prevent further exploitation.” Instead of a boarded-up mine, you’ll bear witness to some breathtaking scenery along the trail. Hike it during the springtime months of late March through mid-May and you might also spot cacti sporting magenta, red, orange, and yellow blooms.
To read more of this hike, head to this page.
A curve along the Lost Mine Trail, Big Bend National Park / Rebecca Latson
The 5.6-mile (9 km) round trip Window Trail is the other very popular hike, beginning from the Chisos Basin trailhead just off the Chisos Mountains Lodge parking lot, between a Casa Grande Lodge Room building and the Basin Convenience Store.
Trail's end at the Window, Big Bend National Park / Rebecca Latson
This trail descends through Oak Creek Canyon to the Window pour-off which frames panoramic desert vistas. During wetter periods Oak Creek may be flowing, and must be crossed several times. Use caution on this trail: the top of the Window pour-off is slickrock with no railings, and the return hike is uphill. Watch where you put your hands, too, because rattlesnakes and scorpions like the rocky areas along the last half mile or so of the hike.
There are 13 desert hikes ranging from 0.5 miles to 12 miles, with a couple of 50-yard walks including, one right at the Panther Junction Visitor Center that takes you on a wheelchair-accessible paved loop around common cacti and plants you’ll see elsewhere in the park.
If it’s history you are looking for, the easy 0.5-mile roundtrip Sam Nail Ranch Trail will take you to and through the old homestead of Jim and Sam Nail and Sam's wife, Nena. It’s a woodsy area in the desert, perfect for spotting wildlife and birds. You’ll also see remnants of the homestead such as the windmill that pumped water up to a tank on Burro Mesa for Nail’s cattle.
Sam Nail Ranch Trail through the trees, Big Bend National Park / Rebecca Latson
If you are interested in the park’s volcanic origins, the easy 0.5-mile roundtrip Tuff Canyon hike with its three viewing platforms and informational signs show off this canyon made of tuff (welded volcanic ash) in the middle of the desert.
Tuff Canyon, Big Bend National Park / Rebecca Latson
Looking for something a little longer and more strenuous? How about the 12-mile roundtrip Marufo Vega Trail. Not recommended for inexperienced hikers, this rugged trail takes you up, then down into Boquillas Canyon and along the Rio Grande River.
Big Bend was named for the bend the Rio Grande River takes around the park’s southern boundary as it heads out toward the Gulf of Mexico. It’s fitting there are trails (five of them) leading you through canyons towering over the Rio Grande River and alongside the river’s shoreline, from Santa Elena Canyon in the park’s far southwest, to the Rio Grande Village in the park’s far southeast.
One of the more popular of these five trails is the Santa Elena Canyon Trail, with a roundtrip distance of 1.7 miles. Get there early in the morning to see and photograph the sunrise sunlight edging its way across the cliff fact at the canyon opening before disappearing into the far reaches of the canyon itself.
The Santa Elena Trailhead, Big Bend National Park / Rebecca Latson
To access this trail, you’ll be crossing over Terlinguia Creek and climbing up a short but steep bank. Be aware of creek conditions and don’t try to cross if the water levels are too high.
