Big Bend National Park Things to Do

This is the final stop along the Lost Mine Trail Self-guided Tour. Enjoy the 360 degree views!

This is the sixteenth stop along the Lost Mine Trail Self-Guided Tour. Here one has a great view to the south of Casa Grande, Toll Mountain, and the East Rim.

This is the eighteenth stop along the Lost Mine Trail Self-guided Tour. This affords a close-up look at nolina, also known as bear grass.

This is the nineteenth stop along the Lost Mine Trail Self-guided Tour. Here we discuss oak trees and the large variety of species in the park.

This is the second stop on the Lost Mine Trail Self-guided Tour. Here we talk about the return of black bears to Big Bend and an information sign says what to do if you encounter a bear.

This is the twentieth stop along the Lost Mine Trail Self-guided Tour. This location affords a great view of the road into the Chisos Basin and a view out through the Window.

This is the twenty first stop along the Lost Mine Trail Self-guided Tour. At this stop listen to the birds around you and learn about the Rufous-crowned Sparrow.

This is the twenty second stop along the Lost Mine Trail Self-guided Tour. Here we look at and discuss the evergreen sumac.

This is the twenty third stop along the Lost Mine Trail Self-Guided Tour. At this location you have a chance to admire and study the beautiful Texas madrone.

This is stop number twenty four on the Lost Mine Trail Self-guided Tour. This high elevation location offers a great view to the west, and is a great place to judge air quality on any particular day.

This is stop number twenty four on the Lost Mine Trail Self-guided Tour. A rock pillar next to the trail is adorned with lichens of different colors.

The Alvino house is the oldest intact adobe structure in Big Bend National Park, and represents the everyday life of the many families who lived and farmed along the Rio Grande. The Alvino House affords a close look at a recently repaired and stabilized adobe structure.

A short walk along the rim of Tuff Canyon takes you to three viewing platforms, as well as an exhibit panel that explains how the canyon was formed.

An exhibit talking about the ancient marine life that created the limestone mountains found in the eastern part of Big Bend.

Although the dry wash is still now, after sundown you may hear rustlings, growls, and cries. Arroyos are animal highways between mountain and desert habitats, providing pockets of moisture and dense underbrush for concealment or ambush. Here predator meets prey.

The sixteenth stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, exploring the giant dagger yucca, which resides primarily in the Deadhorse Mountains.

The seventeenth stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, exploring the Thompson yucca, also known as the beaked yucca.

The eighteenth stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, exploring the honey mesquite, a member of the lequme family.

The last stop (also the end of the road) on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour. This is the best location from which to view the largest number of giant dagger yucca. They typically bloom sometime in April-June.

The second stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, describing the lechuguilla, which is the "indicator plant" for the Chihuahuan Desert.

The third stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, exploring the creosotebush, one of the most successful of desert plants.

The fourth stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, highlighting the ocotillo, one of the most recognizable plants in Big Bend.

The fifth stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, exploring the beautiful strawberry pitaya cactus.

The sixth stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, describing the Texas persimmon tree, found all along the wash in this location.

The seventh stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, describing the torrey yucca, the most common yucca in Big Bend.

The eighth stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour explores the sotol plant, now more prominent as the road has climbed 400 in elevation.

The ninth stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, discussing the volcanic event that produced this hill.

A 14-mile round-trip drive down a dirt road - high clearance necessary - to view a unique forest of giant dagger yuccas. Along the way one can view plants, and possibly animals, common to the Chihuahuan desert.

This is the seventeenth stop along the Lost Mine Trail Self-guided Tour. Here we talk about birds of the Chisos Basin and their songs.

This exhibit describes the erosive forces needed to create the colorful clay hills that dominate the landscape on the western end of Big Bend National Park. These sediments were deposited 65-70 million years, at a time when the environment in Big Bend was much different.

A strenuous, 5.5 mile one-way hike from the Homer Wilson Ranch headquarters up into the Chisos Mountains. The hike takes you along the rocky Blue Creek wash, through an open grassland, and up into the pinyon pine woodland of the Chisos Mountains. The trail ends at the junction with the Laguna Meadow Trail.

An exhibit that discusses the formation of Boquillas Canyon by the Rio Grande.

The Burro Spring Trail is a 2.4-mile hike through the desert to an overlook where you can see Burro Spring in the valley below. Tall cottonwoods and a palm tree (a remnant of early 20th-century ranching) mark the place where water flows to the surface.

Learn about the story of the camel corps experiment and the two expeditions that traversed Big Bend country in 1859 and 1860.

The fifteenth stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, discussing the geologic contact between two sedimentary formations - Del Rio clay and Buda limestone.

The collection of buildings at Castolon is a remnant of Big Bend’s pioneer and military history, where the cultures of Mexico and the United States met. Explore Castolon’s past through the historical buildings and exhibits.

Learn how millions of years of volcanic events created the striking Cerro Castellan.

This exhibit introduces the Chihuahuan Desert, exploring what makes it unique from other deserts in North America.

This short 0.5 mile (0.8 km) trail winds through vegetation typical of the Chihuahuan Desert. Spaced out around the trail are metal signs that discuss the plants and animals found in the park, and point out remnants of the early ranching era of Big Bend .

A moderate 4.8-mile roundtrip hike to a volcanic dike featuring prehistoric rock art and remnants of early 20th-century ranching.

Join a ranger for an evening campground program at this outdoor amphitheater set among the juniper trees and red rock hillsides.

Trails to Boot Canyon, Emory Peak, and the South Rim offer good views of the park and take you into a world far removed from the desert below.

The Chisos Mountains rise from the desert floor. Learn the names of the peaks and how these mountains were formed.

The Chisos Mountains Lodge, located in the Chisos Basin, includes 72 rooms, a gift shop, dining room, and camp store.

The collection of buildings at Castolon is a remnant of Big Bend’s pioneer and military history, where the cultures of Mexico and the United States met. Explore Castolon’s past through the historical buildings and exhibits.

This is the first of nineteen stops along the self-guided Dagger Flat Driving Tour. This location explores the Chihuahuan Desert, which is the second largest desert in North America.

The tenth stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, relating information about the soaptree yucca, which can live to be 250-300 years old.

The eleventh stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, discussing the 9 species of prickly pear cactus found in Big Bend.

The twelfth stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, which talks about the formation of the Deadhorse Mountains.

The thirteenth stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, talking about the littleleaf leadtree with its distinctive pods.

The fourteenth stop on the Dagger Flat Driving Tour, exploring the plant known as candelilla, which has been used to make products including chewing gum, car wax, and shoe polish.

Visitors to Big Bend are often overwhelmed by the scope of the landscape. At this overlook one can spot well-known features of the Chisos mountains such as Emory Peak, the south rim, and Elephant Tusk.

A rugged, strenuous 10 mile trail through the desert. The Dodson Trail crosses the southern Chisos Mountains foothills, resulting in large elevation gains and losses throughout the hike.

The Dog Canyon trail is a relatively flat 4-mile round-trip hike across open desert to a canyon that splits the Deadhorse Mountains. At the far end of the canyon one can see that the horizontal rock strata have been folded vertically by the geological forces that formed the mountain ridge the canyon traverses.

In the 1930s architect Alvert Dorgan and his wife Avis Ann bought land near Sublett’s farm. Later he built an impressive adobe home on top of the mesa using his expertise as an architect to design this atypical hose with a petrified wood fireplace.

The Dorgan Sublett Trail is an easy one-mile roundtrip walk that leads to the remains of four structures that were part of the “Grand Canyon” farms operation in the early 1900s.

Dugout Wells was once known by homesteaders as the "Cultural Center of the Big Bend". A visit today reveals an oasis of trees, a working windmill, picnic tables, and a short 0.5 mile (0.8 km) walk along the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail.

A strenuous 10.5 mile roundtrip hike from the Chisos Basin to the highest point in the park.

A one mile round-trip hike to a year-round water hole that has been eroded into a spectacular limestone canyon. Here, brightly colored rock layers have been folded and swirled into fanciful shapes. With steep and slippery sides, the tinaja often becomes a death trap for unsuspecting animals that seek to drink from its waters.

An exhibit that describes the formation Mule Ears and how it was used as a landmark by many people traveling through this area.

Igneous dikes crisscross the mountain slopes. Learn how these volcanic features were formed at the Fins of Fire exhibit.

This exhibit highlights a dry wash and discusses the effects of flash flooding in the desert following heavy rainfall.

At the Fossil Discovery Exhibit visitors can experience the changes to Big Bend's plants and animals, and the world they lived in, through 130 million years of geologic time. Specimens from Big Bend's remarkable fossil record and vivid artwork illustrate the fascinating story of Big Bend's ancient life.

The Garlick House is an addition to the Castolon Compound, built after the military left Camp Santa Helena. The building is one of many examples of preserved structures in Big Bend that were made from adobe.

Explore the desert and enjoy amazing vistas of the eastern side of the Chisos Mountains.

Big Bend has a fiery, geologically violent past. Stop at this wayside to learn more about how collapsing calderas, steaming volcanic vents, and super hot pyroclastic flows created Goat Mountain.

The granary and tack shed were built as part of Camp Santa Helena for the cavalry horses. A horse barn, large enough for 60 horses, and a corral were also constructed.

Drive this improved dirt road for about 6.5 miles to reach the Grapevine Hills Trailhead, which leads to the balanced rock (2.2 miles roundtrip). Travel beyond the trailhead is only recommended for high clearance, 4x4 vehicles.

This trail leads to a group of balanced rocks in the heart of Grapevine Hills. The trailhead is reached by driving 6.5 miles down the Grapevine Hills dirt road. Depending on road conditions, vehicles with low clearance may not be able to access this trailhead.

This historic latrine has provided one of the basic comforts for solders, Castolon residents, and visitors alike. Unfortunately, on May 22 2019, a spread quickly and showered embers on the historic latrine. Although damaged, the buildings remain a rich remnant of Big Bend’s pioneer and military past.

This historic latrine has provided one of the basic comforts for solders, Castolon residents, and visitors alike. Unfortunately, on May 22 2019, a spread quickly and showered embers on the historic latrine. Although damaged, the buildings remain a rich remnant of Big Bend’s pioneer and military past.

Visit the remains of a historic ranch built on the banks of Blue Creek.

A short hike leads to one of the best-preserved examples of early 20th-century ranching in Big Bend National Park. Explore the stone ranch house, corral, dipping vats, and other ranch features.

View the remains of the motel that was built in 1927 to serve guests visiting J.O. Langford's hot springs.

View the building that served as the Hot Springs Store and Post Office, built in 1927 by J.O. Langford.

This exhibit explores the adaptations that Big Bend's animals have developed to thrive in the Chihuahuan Desert, and the best time of day to possibly see them.

Near Alamo Creek, the road cuts through the ruins of a small community known as La Coyota, the oldest documented community in Big Bend National Park. Not much except a few ruined foundations remain as evidence of the community today, although La Coyota was once home to nearly a dozen Mexican and Mexican American families.

The building that historically held the La Harmonia store was built in 1919-1920 to serve as the barracks for U.S. Cavalry troops stationed here during the Mexican Revolution. As the Revolution ended and troops were withdrawn the building was purchased by Wayne Cartledge and Howard Perry, partners in La Harmonia Company and it served as frontier store stocked with a wide variety of merchandise, catering to the diversity of client on both sides of the river.

The La Harmonita store is a temporary structure that offers ice cold drinks, some snacks, and other general supplies. Store hours and days of operation may vary.

View the remains of a house built by J.O. Langford in 1909-1910 on a hill overlooking the hot springs.

An exhibit that discusses plants that thrive on limestone soils.

View a beautiful rock house to the west of the hot springs built by Alpine resident Charles Livingston.

A moderate, 3-mile trail in the desert.

The Lost Mine Trail climbs to the side of Lost Mine Peak, offering spectacular views of Juniper Canyon and the Northeast Rim of the Chisos.

This is the first stop on the Lost Mine Trail Self-Guided Tour. This is a chance to closely examine the Mexican pinyon pine, a tree only found in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

This is the tenth stop along the Lost Mine Trail Self-Guided Tour. This low saddle affords a great view to the east into Juniper Canyon and the desert beyond.

This is the third stop on the Lost Mine Trail Self-Guided Tour. At this location one can view an ocotillo and learn about several adaptations they have evolved to survive in the desert.

This is the twelfth stop on the Lost Mine Trail Self-guided Tour. Here is an opportunity to examine lechuguilla up close.

This is the fourth stop along the Lost Mine Trail Self-Guided Tour. Here you can learn more about the sotol, a common plant found in middle elevations in the park.

This is the fourteenth stop on the Lost Mine Trail Self-guided Tour. Here we discuss the claret cup cactus..

This is the fifteenth stop on the Lost Mine Trail Self-guided Tour. This affords a close look at a group of prickly pear cactus, which sport beautiful blooms in April and May.

Big Bend National Park is a backpacker's paradise. For those who come prepared, there are hundreds of miles of trails, and vast expanses to explore.

Are you a "Passport to Your National Parks" cancellation collector? Big Bend National Park has a cancellation stamp to commemorate your visit in your passport book.

Hiking trails

The Lost Mine Trail climbs to the side of Lost Mine Peak, offering spectacular views of Juniper Canyon and the Northeast Rim of the Chisos.

The trail begins at the end of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive to Santa Elena Canyon, and is one of the prettiest short trails in the park. The trail crosses Terlingua Creek, takes you to the river’s edge inside the canyon and continues farther winding among large boulders until it ends abruptly where the canyon wall meets the river.

Rio Grande Village is consistently one of the best places to find a large number of birds in Big Bend National Park. The principal area to search is the Nature Trail, located in the southeastern corner of the campground.

Situated near the Rio Grande, under the shade of numerous large cottonwood trees, Cottonwood Campground is a great place to look for birds and other wildlife.

Off the Beaten Path! If you have a rugged vehicle, and wish to get away from it all...Big Bend offers a number of primitive campsites located along rough, remote, backcountry roads.

Lightly traveled roads and varied terrain make Big Bend a premier bicycling location.

If you have a high-clearance, four wheel drive vehicle, Big Bend's primitive dirt roads provide many opportunities to get off the beaten path and explore the remote corners of this park.