8 Best Hikes in Big Bend National Park

Trail Description

Even though it’s a short and relatively easy hike, the Santa Elena Canyon trail was one of my favorite (and also one of the most iconic) hikes in the park. Located at the end of the 30-mile Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, Santa Elena Canyon begins at the mouth of a wide-set canyon.

From the parking area, I walked along a sandy creek for a stretch and then continued up paved stairs to a viewpoint of the canyon. From there, I descended down to the water’s edge until I reached a point where the canyon walls met the water and I couldn’t walk any further.

The canyon views all along this trail were spectacular! Note that the Santa Elena Canyon Trail can be muddy or closed off during the rainy season.

Trail Description

The Chimneys Trail is a beautiful and mostly flat path through the heart of the Chihuahuan Desert. One of the highlights of this trail for me was seeing all the desert vegetation – cacti, ocotillo, yuca, and more. It was beautiful!

The trail takes you out to the “Chimneys”, a group of tall rock spires that can be seen from the trailhead. At the Chimneys you can search for a panel of indigenous petroglyphs on one of the rocks. Please do not touch any rock art as it can cause permanent damage.

Technically the trail extends past the Chimneys for another 4.6 miles and ends at Old Maverick Road, but you would need to arrange a pickup on the other end.

This trail is fully exposed, so be sure to have adequate sun protection and lots of water.

Trail Description

Balanced Rock Trail was one of my personal favorite hikes in Big Bend National Park. The views at the end of the trail are stunning and there are really cool rock formations.

This trailhead is located 6 miles down a dirt road – all vehicles should be able to make this drive unless it has recently rained.

Starting at Grapevine Hills trailhead, the trail weaves through jumbo boulders before climbing up to a group of rocks. This is where you’ll see the ‘balanced rock’ between two larger boulders. It creates a perfect frame of the desert in the distance.

Trail Description

Lost Mine Trail is a very popular introduction hike to the Chisos Mountains landscape. But don’t let its popularity steer you away – the views from the saddle (about 1 mile in) will give you amazing views over Casa Grande and Juniper Canyon.

This trailhead has extremely limited parking, so I recommend starting this hike early in the morning to guarantee you get a spot.

You can stop at the viewpoint, but I decided to continue on and do the full hike. I encountered a few rocky switchbacks up to the summit but was rewarded with views all the way to Mexico.

Trail Description

The Window View Trail is a paved walking path that starts from the Chisos Basin Visitor Center. It’s wheelchair accessible and has excellent views of the Chisos Basin mountains. I recommend doing this walk at sunset – watching the sun go down through the natural “window” is beautiful!

If you want to make it into a longer hike, you can actually hike out to the window via Window Trail, which is 5.5 miles and ends at the “v” notch you can see from the trailhead.

Trail Description

If you are looking for a challenging all-day hike (or want to do an overnight backpacking trip), the South Rim loop (with the optional summit to Emory Peak, the park’s highest point) is a must. I did the full loop/summit in 1 day and it was the highlight of my trip.

If you want to summit Emory (elevation 7,800 feet), start the loop clockwise by following the Pinnacles trail from the visitors center. This way, you climb Emory Peak early in the day when your legs are fresh.

Alternatively, If you plan to bypass the detour up to Emory Peak, the elevation change will be more gradual on the South Rim loop by starting counterclockwise following the Laguna Meadows trail.

You can also make the hike shorter by cutting through on Colima Trail, but this will mean missing out on the views at South Rim, so I only recommend doing this if your goal is to summit Emory.

There are several backcountry campsites located along this loop that can be booked ahead of time (you can also usually get last-minute backpacking permits in person at Panther Junction or Chisos Mountain Visitor Center).

Tip: during Peregrine Falcon nesting season (usually February to May), the Northeast and Southeast portions of the South loop trail are closed.

Trail Description

Boquillas Canyon is another beautiful deep canyon hike along the Rio Grande. The water along this trail is quite shallow and a light aqua color – much different than the canyon and water at Santa Elena. I was happy I did both of these canyon hikes during my trip because they were quite different.

From the parking lot, the trail climbs up and over a cliff overlooking the water. As I descended the gradual slope, the trail parallels the river’s edge until the canyon walls meet the river and I couldn’t walk any further.

Trail Description

This trail is interesting for two reasons:

1. You can learn about the families that inhabited this area and pass an old homestead along the historic trail.
2. There is a 105-degree natural hot springs pool at the end that you can soak in.

However, both of those things being said, this wasn’t my favorite hike in Big Bend. It’s a popular area and you will most likely be sharing the hot spring with other visitors, so don’t expect peace and quiet.

But if you enjoy history and want to dip your toes in the warm water, it might be worth adding to your list of hikes to do in Big Bend.