The Best Chillin in Big Bend

Basin Drive is a 12.4 mile out and back roundtrip drive that takes you past scenic views in Big Bend National Park, TX.

A simple, quiet drive down a dirt road (Grapevine Spring) leads you through desolate landscape until a parking lot sprouts up to your right.  From here you can see that a stretch of land sandwiched in a little valley where the trail heads directly east.  The trail is easy to follow, just keep yourself between the mountains on each side and enjoy the views in your peripheral.  The landscape is r...

Nugent Mountain is a very handsome butte and Big Bend is a great place to go get some splendid desert solitude and recharge your good vibes. This campsite, NM1, is the perfect spot to relax and get a great practice in.NM1 is one of the park's many backcountry, car camp sites. You will need to get a permit at Panther Junction, and it will cost $12, along with your park entrance fee.Once permit i...

The Window Trail is one of the most popular hikes in Big Bend National Park. Whether you're visiting for a day or camping at one of the sites in the park, the Window Trail is a hike worth doing, and can be done in just a couple of hours at a leisurely pace. The Window itself is a V-shaped canyon that overlooks the desert into Mexico and offers stunning panoramic views, especially at sunset. To...

If you're staying at Chisos Basin, the sunset at Window View Trail is one to see. The Window View Trail is a paved, wheelchair-accessible, 0.3 mile loop that starts near the Chisos Basin Store and leads to a viewpoint.The viewpoint provides an excellent view of the desert floor framed by the Chisos Mountains. Catching the sunset is an excellent way to end your day at Big Bend before staying at ...

The Outer Mountain Loop is a 3-day hike in Big Bend National Park. It traditionally starts at the trailhead in the Chisos Basin, leaving the Lodge area by way of the Pinnacles Trail. You then follow the Boot Canyon Trail to the Juniper Canyon Trail, which leads out of the Chisos Mountains to the southeast. This trail deposits you at the eastern end of the Dodson Trail and your first night's cam...

Head south on the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive in Big Bend. Just after mile marker 3, you will see signs for the Sam Nail Ranch overlook, and a small opening in the scrub brush will appear on your left... but go slow, it's easy to miss! Turn left down the dirt road. Follow it for about a mile or two until you reach a remote parking area in the desert. The road is not terrible, but be careful. ...

The Boquillas Hot Springs are the most famous of geothermal hot springs along the big bend of the Rio Grande River. The springs were originally built into a bathhouse by J.O. Langford in the 1900s and while only remnants of the building remain it's still a perfect place to soak after a day of hiking in Big Bend National Park. The springs are located where the Tornillo creek enters the Rio Gran...

Boquillas Canyon is one of the longest and most beautiful canyons Big Bend has to offer. To get here you will head towards Rio Grande Village from the park's headquarters at Panther Junction. If desired, you can stop at the store in Rio Grande Village to pick up some snacks and beverages before you head out on this scenic hike. Boquillas Canyon Road will take you straight into a parking lot whe...

With a small group of people, canoes and kayaks, and one vehicle the boomerang trip (paddling against the current, then floating back downstream) up Santa Elena Canyon is the best option for floating the prettiest section of the Rio Grande while simultaneously avoiding pesky outfitters and the headache of scheduling shuttles out of Terlingua, TX. In whitewater terms, the Rio Grande is not parti...