Big Bend
Remote desert park where the Rio Grande carves deep canyons below the Chisos Mountains
- Hours
- Open 24 hours, all year
- Entry
- $30 per car
- Reservations
- Not required
- Size
- 801,163 acres
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Big Bend protects more than 800,000 acres where the Rio Grande makes a huge turn along the US-Mexico border. It holds three worlds in one park: the Chihuahuan Desert, the forested Chisos Mountains, which top out at 7,832 feet on Emory Peak, and the river with its sheer limestone canyons. The Chisos are the only mountain range fully inside a US national park. Big Bend became a national park in 1944.
The park is huge and remote, so most visitors pick a base and explore one area at a time. More than 450 bird species have been recorded here, more than in any other US national park. Big Bend is an International Dark Sky Park and one of the darkest places in the lower 48. You can even step into Mexico for lunch at the Boquillas Crossing, one of the few border crossings inside a national park.
The park and surrounding area
- Park boundary
- Other parks
- Major highway
- Road
- Rivers and lakes
- Town
Plan your trip
- Best time to go
- November through April brings mild days and cool nights, with spring wildflowers and cactus blooms in March and April; summer is very hot along the river.
- How long to stay
- Plan at least three days to see the mountains, the desert and the river.
- Getting there
- Midland (MAF) is about 3.5 to 4 hours away and El Paso (ELP) about 5 hours; San Antonio (SAT) is roughly 6.5 hours by car.
- Wildlife
- Look for roadrunners, javelinas, mule deer, coyotes, Mexican jays, black bears in the Chisos and, in spring, the Colima warbler.
Plan and book
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Where to stay
Tours and activities
- Guided tours on Viator (opens in a new tab)Day trips, wildlife, photography
- Tours on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)Compare options and reviews
- Campsites on Recreation.gov (opens in a new tab)Official federal booking site
What to pack for Big Bend
- Large water reservoirWater sources are rare and you need far more than you think in the desert.
- Wide-brim sun hatThere is almost no shade on desert trails, even in winter.
- Sturdy hiking bootsTrails are rocky, and cactus spines pierce thin shoes.
- Paper map of the parkCell service and GPS data are unreliable across most of the park.
- Red-light headlampUseful for dark-sky stargazing without ruining your night vision.
A first day, start to finish
- Sunrise at the Chisos Basin
- Lost Mine Trail
- Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive to Mule Ears and Castolon
- Boquillas Canyon walk
- Stargazing after dark
Don't miss
- Santa Elena CanyonA 1.7-mile round-trip trail into a 1,500-foot-deep limestone canyon on the Rio Grande, though the paved road to it was closed by flood damage in fall 2026.
- Lost Mine TrailA 4.8-mile round trip in the Chisos Mountains that climbs about 1,100 feet to a ridge with views of Casa Grande and Juniper Canyon.
- The WindowA 5.6-mile round trip from the Chisos Basin down to a narrow pour-off that frames the desert far below; the climb back up is the hard part.
- Ross Maxwell Scenic DriveA 30-mile paved road past Sotol Vista, Mule Ears and the Castolon historic district on the way to the river.
- Boquillas Canyon and Boquillas CrossingA 1.4-mile round-trip trail near Rio Grande Village, plus a port of entry where a $5 rowboat ride takes you to the village of Boquillas, Mexico.
Know before you go
Do
- Fill your gas tank before you arrive, since the only fuel inside the park is at Panther Junction and Rio Grande Village.
- Carry at least a gallon of water per person per day, even on short hikes.
- Bring your passport if you want to visit Boquillas, Mexico.
Don't
- Count on cell service, which is spotty to nonexistent in most of the park.
- Hike in the low desert in the middle of a hot day; start at dawn instead.
- Drive into flooded low-water crossings or onto closed roads after storms.
Park entrances are open 24 hours a day, year-round. Panther Junction Visitor Center is open daily 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Chisos Basin Visitor Center daily 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed noon to 1 p.m.); the Rio Grande Village, Persimmon Gap and Castolon visitor centers open only November through April. As of October 2026, flash-flood damage has closed the paved road from Cottonwood Campground to Santa Elena Canyon, plus Old Maverick Road, Hot Springs Road and River Road, until further notice.
Book a campsite early for November through April, and plan your days around the Chisos Basin in the heat of the afternoon, when it runs 10 to 20 degrees cooler than the river.Trekker's tip