We were at Big Bend National Park for 5 days of exploring. We tent camped off-grid in Terlingua, TX, and drove in via the West Entrance every day. There are four main areas of the park, which I will touch upon below. I want to stress its size, over 800,000 acres, which means you need to allow time to get everywhere. This is important as it will take a long time to drive to various areas of the park. We were there in April and the temperatures varied each day, but it was in the low 40s at night and up to 100 degrees F in the daytime. On some days we awoke at dawn to eat and get ready and then drove in to get on the trails early in the day before the temperatures rose.
The number one thing I recommend to plan your visit is to download the National Parks App and select to save it for offline use. There is limited cell service in the park and you will be able to use the app and maps if you have it saved for offline use.
Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive – West
Santa Elena Canyon – This is the most popular hike in the park. Many people that are visiting for one day do this hike. There is also an overlook stop and a spot where you can get in the river prior to arriving to this hike. Bring a waterproof blanket to sit on, a towel to wipe your feet, and take in the canyon.
Old Maverick Road 4×4 – This is one of the off road dirt roads that you can take in Big Bend. We have AWD and did fine out there, but on some of the roads, they let you know if you need a high clearance 4×4 vehicle.
Dorgan Sublett Trail – This is an old homestead site. It has a couple of old homesteads and one amazing fireplace. I really enjoyed hiking out to all the homestead sites.
Castolon Visitor Center – You can stop here for snacks and ice. They are doing some construction here due to previous fires in the park. There are some interesting exhibits.
Mule Ears – This was the longest hike we did while here. If it’s hot, make sure to get started early as you are on the floor of the desert without shade for quite a while. Bring lots of water!
Homer Wilson Ranch – This was a really cool hike down to this old ranch house with animal pens. It is very shaded and cool inside the house and on the porch, but be aware of bears. There was bear poop inside the house and there are bear boxes near the trailhead as well.
Sam Nail Ranch – This is another former homestead hike. It is a very short hike to the old well and trees still fed by it.
Persimmon Gap Road – North
Panther Junction Visitors Center – This is the most visited visitor center in the park as it is located basically in the center of the park and the first stop if you are coming in via the north entrance. There is also a gas station here if you are running low on gas.
Fossil Discovery Exhibit – This is basically the only exhibit on Persimmon Gap Road if you are coming in via the north entrance. It’s a cool exhibit about the history of fossils in the park, including the dinosaur remains that have been found in the park.
Rio Grande Village Road – East
Boquillas Canyon – This was my favorite canyon hike. I liked it better than Santa Elena because there are wild horses out at this end of the park, you have a lot of room to explore the river as well. The Boquillas people live just across the river and sell their wares here, make sure to bring cash. We bought a very cool, hand-carved walking stick.
Rio Grande Village – Here you will find supplies, gas, and river swimming. We were able to swim in the river down here the last beautiful day at the boat launch. Don’t forget to bring a suit and river shoes. The trees and irrigation here offer a lush landscape in the middle of the desert.
Chisos Basin Road – South
Chisos Basin Visitor Center – This is another visitor center in the park. This is also where the only lodge accommodations are in the park.
Window View Trail – This a short, cement-paved, wheelchair-accessible trail that takes you to this overlook where many people go to watch the sunset in the “window”.
Final thoughts. This place is amazing. It was one of the least visited National Parks in the USA. However, during the pandemic, they had a 20% increase in visitors. I highly recommend it. It was amazing and we are even planning to go back and do some longer hikes in the future. High season is November through April, but you’re going to want to go in high season because of the extreme temperatures out there. There was not any point at this park where it felt crowded. It’s a really beautiful and a bit remote. My other tip is if you can’t get reservations in the park, definitely check out Terlingua.
