Top Things to do in Big Bend National Park
Top 10 Sights & Landmarks in Big Bend National Park, Big Bend National Park
Huge national park in Texas that spans 801,153-acres filled with limestone canyons, rivers, sand and forests.
1. El Camino Del Rio
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 72 reviews
Reviewed By GroverR - Pensacola, United States
We saw 5 national parks and 2 national monuments and they have some amazing scenic drives, but this is the best drive we did in West Texas, New Mexico or Arizona. First you have the open Chihuahuan desert, then great mountains and rolling hills and finally a river in the desert that is also an international border. All of that adds up to an incredibly, beautiful drive. To throw in on top of that you have the goat Clay Henry, the unofficial Mayor of Lajitas and teepee picnic tables along the river. The road is uncharacteristic of every other road in West Texas as it has dozens of curves, moving with the river. Finally it is the river that can be viewed so many times for this road that adds to the charm and experience. You constantly remind yourself that everything you see on the other side is another country.
2. Chihuahuan Desert
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 37 reviews
This large desert makes up most of Big Bend National Park.
Reviewed By 994linday - Frisco, United States
The Chihuahuan, the largest desert in North America, spans parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico. There is no better place to enjoy the Chihuahuan desert than Big Bend National Park. As America's fifteenth largest national park, Big Bend is the largest protected portion of the Chihuahuan desert in the US. There are numerous desert hikes from easy to strenuous. Our group hiked Persimmon Gap Draw and the Upper Burro Mesa Pour-off Trails to name just a few. If you are a newbie to desert hiking, you might be surprised at how much water (2-3 liters), sunscreen (a lot), and adequate sun protection (hat/visor/bandanna) is required. My other surprise: the desert is not a barren expanse. Instead, it is green and lush, alive with colorful flowers and plants blossoming in unexpected places! It can also be extremely hot. Always keep an eye on the weather and plan your hikes accordingly.
3. Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 301 reviews
Reviewed By 994linday - Frisco, United States
Cutting through the heart of Big Bend National Park, this 30-mile drive on a well-paved road snakes up, down, and around the western slopes of the Chisos Mountains and through the Chihuahuan Desert. There are several places to pull over and stretch your legs, including Sotol Vista Overlook, the Castolon Historic District, and several trailheads. And saving the best for last where the blacktop ends: the spectacular Santa Elena Canyon.
4. Sotol Vista
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7 reviews
Reviewed By 901rickb - Round Rock, United States
This is a must stop along the Ross Maxwell Drive. It is on a short paved road off Ross Maxwell. worth the few minutes it takes to visit.
5. Boquillas Crossing Port of Entry
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 49 reviews
Reviewed By los499 - Arlington, United States
My family and I journeyed across the border and into Mexico the week of Christmas. It was a wonderful, safe, and positive experience. We got up early, remembered to pack our passports and headed to the crossing. There was a park ranger there who gave brief instructions on what items we could and could not bring back with us upon our return. The river was quite high, and I must say, the rowmen did a fabulous job of keeping everyone safe and dry! To cross the river by boat is $5/person. We had a group of nine. Some preferred to walk to the town of Boquillas on foot (it's about half a mile, mostly sandy terrain); while a group of us journeyed by horse (which was $8/person). (Some advice on the horses- I would not choose this option if you have no experience with horseback riding and are in a large group. Some of the horses were a little wily and would start off to gait, which might be frightening if you don't know what you're doing. And there is one guide per group, so for example, one man to wrangle the five horses in our group wasn't really enough when one horse starts to gait with a child on it's back! Fortunately for us, my husband rode up and was able to help). A third option and slightly less expensive would be a burro for $5/person. The fee is round trip, so you only pay once. Each group was assigned a Mexican national who in essence became our tour guide. Each of the men were bright, spoken enough English to communicate well with the non-Spanish speakers in our group, friendly, and welcoming. The town itself is very small. It's lined with kiosks where local women and children sell works of art like embroidery, wire sculptures, and other tchotchkes. Note the importance of making purchases IN Boquillas as opposed to the illegal set ups placed along hiking trails (if you purchase something illegally, you are responsible for having illicit items which haven't gone through customs...purchasing on trails also encourages people to break the law, crossing over illegally). We had lunch at the restaurant which was lively with music and a beautiful overlook of the Rio Grande. One of the guides actually invited us into his home, which while probably unconventional, was really quite interesting to meet his family and see how they live (especially for the kids). It felt entirely safe the whole time we were there. I would go again and I would definitely recommend this journey for adventurous travelers! It's a great way to get a taste of Mexico! Plan to spend a few hours if you eat and look/walk around. On the return to the US, the kids really enjoyed the process of going through customs. A state park ranger will go through your bags and inspect everything you're bringing back. Then, each person or group uses a kiosk with a phone to ring a border patrol agent in El Paso. You have to scan in your passport, and answer a few questions, before being allowed to leave the building. There are only two kiosks available and one was closed for maintenance the day we passed through, so the wait time seemed long (about an hour).
6. Luna's Jacal
7. Terlingua
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 252 reviews
Town which was abandoned after the mercury deposits were depleted.
Reviewed By themurphysix - Austin, United States
Our family really enjoyed our stay in Terlingua. It was the perfect spot in between Big Bend National Park & Big Bend Ranch State Park. We loved the rich history of the old mine town and the locals were very friendly and helpful. We visited many sites in both parks, the Starlight theatre, the trading post, the jail, the cemetery, and DBs Rustic Iron BBQ.
8. Hot Springs Historic District
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 157 reviews
These hot springs were the first area of the National Park to be inhabited by homesteaders in 1909.
Reviewed By los499 - Arlington, United States
Wow. This was one of our favorite treks at Big Bend NP. The road to the hike is rocky and somewhat treacherous, but completely doable without 4x4 (for example, we drive a mini van and were fine!). If you drive a RV, you have to park and hike a little further in (I'd recommend getting a trail map because there is a shortcut which avoids the narrow road with traffic- probably safer). At the parking area are some ruins atop a set of stairs. There are some lovely views from up there. Then, to get to the hot springs, take a short hike through sandy terrain. (The hike was so easy most of us took our shoes off and walked barefoot). Sandals or even flipflops would be fine for this one. Careful along the rocky cliff sides...my daughter got quite the surprise when a roadrunner came out from between the rocks and landed right in front of her! The hot spring comes up at 105 degrees, however the outter edges of the "tub" are slightly cooler. We saw people doing the "polar bear plunge", jumping from the hot springs, into the river and back again. Be prepared to get all the way in if you go; there aren't a lot of dry clean places to sit along the edge. It gets quite muddy from people entering and exiting from all sides of the tub. The bottom surface is sandy, most people were barefoot, though you could wear water shoes (or flip flops). Parts of the hot spring were knee deep and others waist or even chest deep (depending on your height). There is nowhere nearby to change clothes so I would recommend coming in a swimsuit and wearing clothing over (or even a cover up). (Some people were comfortable going in their underwear). Bring a towel, sunglasses, and maybe a hat and enjoy! This was definitely my favorite of everything we did at the park. If you're brave enough to peak the Chisos mountains, get up early and do that THEN relax your whole body here at sunset or late afternoon! Your body will love you!
9. Dagger Flat Auto Trail
10. Homer Wilson Ranch
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