Big Bend National Park Tips and Tricks

I first wrote this blog post in 2023, after two trips to Big Bend. Now, in March 2025, I have officially gone to Big Bend seven times, and West Texas eight times. Raised in Houston, my road trips across Texas were pretty limited to the other big Texas cities and some Southern cities when we'd drive to Mexico. I was not prepared to fall deeply in love with the desert out in the isolated West, and I'm already planning another trip back. Feel free to read my recs, updated now after so much experience with visiting the park:  

Here's what I did and learned from my trips: 

What To Know About BBNP: 

This is a BIG park. A HUGE park. Fun Fact: Big Bend National Park is larger than the state of Rhode Island! From one side of the park to the other side of the park, it is over an hour of a drive. So while there's lots to do in the park, there may be long drives from one activity to the other, so it's important to plan ahead. 

Big Bend is unofficially split into 3 parts: 

• The Rio Grande Valley: where there is an official border crossing to Mexico, along with the popular 'healing waters' hot springs. 
• The Chisos Basin: where the mountains hikes are 
• The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive Region: where the popular Santa Elena Canyon is

If you are planning on doing multiple things in different parts of the park, I would plan it so you group the activities together based on where they are. For example, it does not make sense to do something in the Chisos Basin, something else in Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive Region right after, and then back to Chisos, and then back to Ross Maxwell. You would unintentionally add 2-4 hours of driving by doing this. Instead, spend the morning in one section, then head over to another once you are done.

What I wish I knew before: 

• 
  Big Bend is one of the darkest places on earth, due to its limited light pollution. There are some incredible star gazing spots. In fact, some people come here just for stargazing. If you can, plan your trip utilizing moon calendars to pick a date with a low-phase moon, and then look up at what time at night the milky way will "rise" (be visible). Some days, the milky way comes out at 9pm, others at 4am. But I promise, it's worth it!!!
• Starting July 2025, the Chisos Basin will be closed. (this means only 1/3rd of the park is closed, so no worries, you still get to enjoy most of it! But unfortunately, no mountain hikes for some time.) The maintenance is expected to take two years, and the park has not said when exactly the Chisos Basin will open again within those two years. However, they are only intending of closing the Chisos Basin for the beginning of maintenance. So we are unsure if that's a few weeks, months, etc. 
• Summer gets HOT, with the temperatures in the 100s, and some hikes are actually impossible. Every. Single. Year, people require medical attention for attempting hikes in the summer day. While you can visit in the summer, we recommend only doing early morning or evening trails, or just enjoy the river. The best months for Big Bend are in the spring and fall. 
• Winter nights can be cold at Big Bend! We recently went in December and had nights in the 30 degrees! We planned well and still enjoyed the trip, but we did sleep under 4 blankets and with jackets on. 
• No pets are allowed in BBNP. You also shouldn't bring them, because there are wild animals that could be dangerous for your pet (or your pet could be dangerous around other wild animals).
• This park is near the border, which means you will pass immigration checkpoints (more info at the end of this blog post).
• PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE and triple check what you have packed! This is the isolated West Texas y'all. More info below! This is the desert. Water is scarce. 

What To Do: 

If you have less than 2 full days at the park, I would prioritize these activities:

 

Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, which will take about 30-40 minutes, and end up in the Santa Elena Canyon Trail. The Santa Elena Trail is only 1.6 miles. The drive itself has a lot of great views, and every time I've done it, I've seen a cute animal (deer, javelinas, bunnies) on the side of the road. In my opinion, this is a great hike to start right before sunset (if you're not rushing, it can take about 45 minutes), so we time it to be on the trailhead the hour before sunrise, so we can enjoy the sunset at the end of the hike.

Grapevine Hills Trail

Grapevine Hills Trail is a family friendly trail that takes less than hour to reach the "balanced rock." This spot is a popular "IG" spot where many park visitors take *the* picture. The trail itself is flat, until the last 5-10 minutes where there is some minor climbing to reach the peak. This hike has little to no shade, so I recommend doing it in the morning or after 3pm, when the sun isn't it's strongest. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE TO HIKE TRAILHEAD WITHOUT A HIGH CLEARANCE VEHICLE. The drive up is intense and smaller cars may not be able to do it! 

Lost Mine Trail Peak

I would also complete one of the two less strenuous, but still challenging, hikes in the Chisos Basin. On our second trip, we did the Lost Mine Trail and loved it! It is a 4.5 mile hike that takes around 2.5-3 hours. Because the trailhead is quite a drive uphill, you still get amazing views in less time than one of the longer hikes. Important info: the parking for this trail is *tiny.* It only has about 10 spots, and it fills up quickly. I would try to get to the trailhead by 9am to do this hike. If you arrive any time after 9:15am, you are relying on luck for a spot. And no, you can't really park anywhere else that is less than a one-hour walk.

Window Trail

IF you cannot do the Lost Mine Trail because of lack of parking, no worries! Keep driving on the same road until you hit the Chisos Basin Visitor center, where you can do the Window Trail, which we equally loved to Lost Mine. This is an "opposite" hike, because you start by going down, and then the hike back is "up." Window Trail is 5.5 miles, takes about 3 hours. It has an amazing trail end that is great for pictures. 

My perfect 'only one day at the park' would either be: Balanced Rock Trail at around 9am, drive to Panther Junction Visitor Center to pick up some souvenirs, drive over to Chisos Visitor Center to be in the middle of the mountains, maybe do a very short hike like the Window View Trail that is less than half a mile or the Chisos Basin Loop Trail that is just 2 miles, eat your packed sandwiches/lunch there (and if you're lucky, you can see one of the deer that hang out in the visitor center area), do the Maxwell Scenic Drive (with stops to read the side-of-the-road exhibits and take pictures!) and do the Santa Elena Canyon hike right before sunset, and if this is a Saturday, go to Milky Way Treats in Terlingua for some amazing post-park ice cream (more info on Terlingua below). 

OR: Lost Mine Trail or Window Trail in the morning, eat your packed lunch at the peak of the trail, come down, rest a bit, drive over to the Maxwell Scenic Drive, and do the Santa Elena Canyon Trail before sunset, and still end with ice cream from Milky Way Treats in Terlingua. 

If you have more days at the parks, I would recommend the following:

Emory Peak

Emory Peak Trail or South Rim Trail: Both these hikes are considered "strenuous" and I would recommend only doing them with someone else if you are not an experienced hiker. They will both take over 5-7 hours each. Emory Peak is the second highest peak in the state of Texas (next to the Guadalupe Mountains, which is the other National Park in TX). It is 10.5 miles round trip, and it is the highest peak of the park. South Rim is a longer trail, at 12-14.5 miles. While not the highest peak, I've had a few rangers mention it's still the "best peak" view because of its position. When doing one of these hikes, it was really an "all day" activity for us, because we started in the morning, walked until the afternoon, and were tired afterwards. 

Boquillas Del Carmen: Bring your passport and go over to Mexico! BBNP is unique in that it contains an official border crossing. When you arrive, a ranger will meet you at the office where they allow you to cross over the Mexico. Once you pass over, you walk a few minutes until you reach a portion of the Rio Grande River. There will be some men on a boat that will offer to cross you over for $10, cash only. When you reach the other side (happens within minutes), you can chose to either walk yourself to the town about 20 minutes away, or take a donkey or horse for $10-15 round trip. When you reach the other side, there are local residents that sell artisan crafts and some yummy restaurants. We ended up spending a few hours in

Boquillas, because one of the local residents was kind enough to actually bring us into their home (knowing Spanish helped for sure). This unique experience is something you can't miss, but make sure you plan ahead as the border 

Crossing to Mexico

closes at 4pm. Also, in the summer, the border is only open Friday-Monday, and

in the winter, Wednesday-Sunday.

Choose a Backcountry adventure: If you own the proper equipment, you can fish, kayak, primitive camp, or backpack in the park. Make sure you read the official website about what is required because almost all backcountry activities require a permit, which you can get in the park at the Visitors Center. I have learned that they are relatively easy permits to get as long as you bring proper safety equipment (for ex. safety gear/life jackets for kayaking). On my next trip to BBNP, I am definitely interested in potentially doing the 16-mile kayaking float through San Vicente Canyon. 

Half-Day Canoe Tour

Book one of the canoe tours from an office in Terlingua: If you are visiting between October and April, I highly recommend the Far Flung Canoe Tour.  As frequent travelers to BBNP, I generally avoid tours since I figure I can always "do it myself." However, this activity was SO fun and worth the price. It is not necessarily affordable, but if you're looking for a great way to do some activities besides hiking, choose this! To book the tour, go in person to the Far Flung Adventures office (where there's a great little coffee stand too) at the beginning of your trip. They usually have daily spots, but just get it out of the way early on. I have also heard that Big Bend River Tours is another great oprtion too (right across the street). 

Chimneys Trail

Some other great hikes: For example, if you have a couple days at the park, and you already did the Lost Mine, then do Window Trail. And If you did Window already, do Lost Mine. A few other hikes I enjoyed include Boot Canyon Trail, Boquillas Canyon Trail, Chimneys Trail. 

Go Swimming! You can swim at the Santa Elena River, or dip into the 'healing waters' hot springs in the Rio Grande Valley. 

Join A Ranger: Rangers at the park organize a plethora of activities for visitors. Once you're in the park, learn what activities are going on the days you will visit and consider making time for a guided walk or activity with a ranger. From bird watching (fun fact: BBNP has more bird species than any other National Park) to "coffee with a ranger," you will be able to speak with an expert about the park and learn something new.

Where I stayed: Terlingua Ghost Town 

Terlingua is the town east of the park, and being the closest town to the park, it is the most popular lodging destination for visitors. I had a few restaurants I enjoyed here, including a Taqueria, Cafe, and BBQ spot (super recommend!). There was also an ice cream trailer that had the best soft-serve I've ever had in my life. Terlingua is a town that is mostly geared towards visitors, as a lot of locals don't even live there for part of the year, but it still has its unique culture and coziness as other Texas small towns. 

While there are some restaurants and shops, they are mostly spread out from each other. So even though there was restaurants near me, when I was in my actual tent at my campsite, I still felt like I was in isolated area. I was still able to enjoy the quietness of desert mornings. 

I only saw one gas station in the town, and it has a small convenience store and tiny restaurant inside. We were able to buy some essentials (like batteries when we forgot to bring our own), but the supplies/snacks are really limited, so I recommend double checking your packed items as it can be hard to find items/preferred snacks in the park or in Terlingua. 

I would definitely stay in Terlingua. It is the perfect town for those going to the park but that do not wanting to do primitive camping. A lot of campsites here offer showers and other amenities. There was also some cool spots, so it was nice to enjoy a drink or some ice cream after a long day of hiking at the park. 

America the Beautiful Pass and How We Bought it at a Discount: 

When Moises and I started to plan our first trip to Big Bend, we learned about the America the Beautiful Pass. It is $80, and it allows 2 owners to be signed onto the pass. Additionally, a pass owner can allow 3 friends/family members into the park with their pass, or one commercial vehicle (for example, if there's 5 people in the vehicle going into a park that charges per vehicle instead of per person, all 5 can go in on a single pass). Considering that entrance to Big Bend National Park costs $30 per vehicle, or $15 per person not in vehicle, and the America the Beautiful Pass provides free entry for a YEAR to ANY National Park in the U.S., the choice was clear. The pass essentially pays itself off after just 2 trips to any park within a year. You can purchase it at the entrance of the park or through an approved vendor.

Moises and I are frequent travelers (12 trips in just our first year of dating), and we pull this lifestyle off by constantly looking for discounts and ways to save on our trips. Using this Rakutan "hack," our pass came out half off. Essentially, Rakuten is a website extension that provides cashback on in-store online purchases with their partners. Rakuten partners with L.L. Bean, which is one of the very few official vendors of the ATB Pass. Moises did not have an account, so using my referral code, he was able to create an account, download the Rakuten extension on his browser, go to the L.L. Bean website, and buy the pass. At the time, using a referral code gave us $40 cashback bonus, so our pass ended up costing us only $40. Now (October 2023), the Rakuten deal is for $30 cashback bonus for new accounts, so it's still very worth it to take a few minutes to use my referral code to save. 

We had our pass delivered before our trip, and we signed the back of it as the 2 pass-holders. When we first arrived to the park, the ranger asked for our ID to see if the name matched. Once it was good to go, our "entrance" was valid for the next 5 days. We were given a piece of a paper to stick to our windshield so we didn't have to continue to show our card each day. 

If the 'America the Beautiful Pass' is not for you, no worries. You can pay $15 per person, or $30 for a vehicle (with 1-6 people inside) and the pass is valid for 5 days. 

Plan for: Limited Gas, Food, and ATMs and Border Patrol Checkpoints near the Park:

Not only is there limited gas stations and ATMs inside Big Bend, they are limited for miles and miles outside of the park. We drove from Houston, taking I-10 East for most of the road until we turned on one of the smaller highways. You can either take TX 118 from Alpine to Study Butte, FM 170 from Presidio to Study Butte then 26 miles east to the park, or US 90 to Marathon then 70 miles south of the park. 

Because we loved the charm of the town of Alpine on a previous trip to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, we chose to take 1-10E to Alpine and then turn south to the park area from there. We had also previously taken the road from or to Marathon. In our experience with both, for at least 50 miles, there is a significant lack of gas stations, food, or restrooms. This is definitely the desert! Once you are in the park, there is a singular gas station near Panther Junction Visitor Center. And even in the town we stayed in right next to the park, Terlingua, there was only one gas station, and it was about $1.20-1.60/gallon more than what gas costed in other towns we passed by before reaching the park area. 

Long story short- Our advice: 

• If you are road tripping and you are about to turn from a major highway to one of the smaller highways for the last 1-3 hours of driving to reach the park, pump gas, take out needed cash, and buy food before. It will quickly become very isolated. Even if you have enough gas to reach the park/neighboring campsite, the gas stations in this area are very expensive. 
• There are ATMs in the park/neighboring campsite, but not with any major bank. However, cash was not needed during our trip nor do we recommend carrying a lot of it for your trip as most places take card/Apple pay and some don't even take cash. Park entrance fee is card only (unless you have an annual pass which makes entrance free).
• Food and restaurants: there was enough dining options near the park (and even inside). It is recommendable to pack your own food/buy snacks to eat while exploring the park. We usually cooked breakfast at the campsite, packed snacks and sandwiches to eat inside the park, and then for dinner, we either dined at one of the restaurants in Terlingua or cooked again.

Remember: this park is next to Mexico. When approaching the park, you will definitely see some border patrol vehicles, and more than likely, you will stop at one of the border patrol checkpoints. When taking the road to/from Alpine, Marathon, and Del Rio, we had to stop at a checkpoint. They will ask "Are you U.S. Citizens" and since Moises and I both were, we did not show I.D. However, on our recent trip, the foreign exchange student we are hosting was with us, and she had to show her U.S. visa. While Big Bend National Park is a beautiful park that I believe everyone should experience, it would be unfair for me to not provide this information. I do not believe there is a way to reach the park without hitting a checkpoint, but even if there was, Border Patrol officers are present enough outside (and at one point I even saw a vehicle inside) the park that I do not believe someone who does not have legal status in the U.S. can visit without risking encountering immigration officials. If you are on a non-immigrant visa, please consider bringing all proper documentation.