The notebook of Big Bend National Park
Make every climb a discovery.
Chihuahua Desert, Rio Grande Canyons and Chisos Mountain Island in a huge park.
At your own pace
Identity summary
4 to 9 days
Spring · Summer · Autumn · Winter
Recommended car
Mountain · Desert · River · Nature
Variable accessibility
Modular rhythm
General presentation
Big Bend National Park
Chihuahua Desert, Rio Grande Canyons and Chisos Mountain Island in a huge park.
To understand what Big Bend National Park is, you need to look at Santa Elena Canyon, Chisos Basin and Lost Mine Trail. These places give us a view of a territory marked by mountain reliefs, desert areas, riverscapes and natural spaces and allow us to move from emblematic sites to more intimate stages.
See all
For a stay of 4 to 9 days, it is better to balance visits and travel times. Also to be anticipated: conditions to be checked according to the season. A car is usually the easiest way to connect the different sectors. Accessibility varies from site to site and deserves to be verified step by step.
Strengths and constraints
Strengths
- Santa Elena Canyon
- Chisos Basin
- Lost Mine Trail
Before you choose
- Car often useful
- Conditions to be checked by season
Places worth visiting
A selection to start dreaming and organizing the stay — not an exhaustive list of everything there is to see.
Nature and panorama
Santa Elena Canyon
Santa Elena Canyon locks the Rio Grande between two almost vertical limestone walls, on the border of Texas and Mexico. The trail runs from the shore quickly reveals the scale of the place: brown water, fresh walls, echoes in the canyon and razing light on the cliffs at the end of the day.
Place indismissible
Chisos Basin
Chisos Basin forms a mountainous bowl in the heart of Big Bend, surrounded by steep ridges and trails that go straight to the heights. The air is cooler than in the low desert, sunsets fit into the Window, and deer often cross the edge of the lodge.
Nature and panorama
Lost Mine Trail
Lost Mine Trail climbs through the Chisos Mountains through pines, agave and rocky laces, with ever-wider views of Juniper Canyon and Casa Grande. The walk is fairly sustained but very legible, especially beautiful early in the morning when the ridges cut out in a clear light.
Nature and panorama
Boquillas Canyon
Boquillas Canyon accompanies the Rio Grande in a limestone gorge where the river marks the border with Mexico. The trail first crosses sand banks and engraved cliffs before reaching the narrow entrance of the canyon, often more peaceful than Santa Elena.
Practical tips
This information helps know if the destination matches the planned trip before starting a fuller search.
To go further
More activities
Restaurants, walks, culture, leisure and outings to search without leaving the destination card.
The nearest destinations
The closest ideas on the map, to extend your trip.
Similar destinations
Same landscapes and the same pace of travel, elsewhere in the world.
