At over 800,000 acres, Big Bend National Park covers quite a bit of topography. There’s plenty to see and do there and may even get a little overwhelming, depending upon how much time you spend in the park. You can see plenty in a single day, but even more during a multi-day stay. This Traveler’s Checklist can help you get started.
There is plenty to do and see at Big Bend National Park / Rebecca Latson
* Stop off at the Panther Junction Visitor Center and walk the paved, 50-yard Panther Path. This short, wheelchair-accessible loop takes you around cactus and other vegetation you’ll commonly encounter in the park. You’ll also learn the culture and medicinal uses around each live exhibit.
* Hike the Window Trail, Lost Mine Trail, Mule Ears Trail, or the Santa Elana Trail, or even hike all four trails to introduce you to the desert, mountain, and river ecosystems.
The view from the top of Lost Mine Trail, Big Bend National Park / Rebecca Latson
* If you visit during springtime, look for flowering cacti such as prickly pear, cholla, pitaya, and eagle’s claw. You’ll also see flowering ocotillo and bluebonnets. You can learn more about the springtime blooms here.
A prickly pear bloom, Big Bend National Park / Rebecca Latson
* Paddle the Rio Grande River. There are single-day and multi-day trips you can take through canyons lining the river. Learn more about floating the river here.
* Take the short, paved path from the Chisos Basin parking lot to several spots where you can view (and photograph) the sunset through the “V” formation of the iconic Windows. Remember, however, that the sun sets in different positions at that location, depending upon the time of year you visit.
* Visit the Fossil Discovery Exhibit, about 19 miles (29 km) south of the park’s Persimmon Gap Entrance and 8 miles (12.9 km) north of Panther Junction. This newly-renovated exhibit introduces visitors to Big Bend’s fossil record spanning 130 million years of geologic time.
* Book a Casa Grande room or one of the stone cottages at Chisos Mountains Lodge. The Casa Grande Lodge Rooms have semi-private balconies looking out toward the beauty of Big Bend. You might even try asking if they have a room and balcony looking out toward the Window. The Roosevelt Stone Cottages (including the VIP Roosevelt Stone Cottage) are located away from the main lodge complex and have some history to them, having been constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the late 1930s. Make your reservations months in advance of your arrival. Traveler’s Note: this lodge will be closed for about 2 years beginning May 1, 2025 during a couple of renovation work projects in the Chisos Basin.
A Chisos Mountains Lodge Casa Grande Room balcony view of the Window formation, Big Bend National Park / Rebecca Latson
* Drive the 30-mile (48-km) Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive for views of area geology and historic sites such as the Sam Nail Ranch. This road leads to the Castolon Historic District and Santa Elena Canyon, where you can hike the 1.7-mile (2.74-km) roundtrip Santa Elena Canyon Trail into the mouth of the canyon. Take your camera with you to photograph the morning sunlight bathing the red-rock canyon wall entrance with golden light.
* While traveling the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, stop off to enjoy the landscape panorama from Sotol Vista. From this view area, you’ll be looking toward Santa Elena Canyon (that distant notch in the canyon wall) and into Mexico, beyond. The scenery is especially stunning during sunrise and sunset and it’s also the perfect spot for star gazing. There’s a 10-space paved parking lot and a vault toilet available.
The view from Sotol Vista, Big Bend National Park / Rebecca Latson
* Enjoy the Milky Way and night sky in the park, no matter where you are. Sotol Vista is great, but so is just about anywhere. Certified as an International Dark Sky Park, Big Bend is far away from local light pollution.
The road to the stars in Big Bend National Park / Rebecca Latson
* On your way south to, or north from, the park’s Persimmon Gap Entrance, spend a night at the Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas, an oasis in the dry, West Texas heat. Splurge for one of the Los Portales rooms and enjoy an amazing meal at one of the hotel’s dining establishments, washed down with a cocktail specialty.
The Los Portales courtyard at the Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas / Rebecca Latson
