Routes, Drive Times & Road Tips to Big BendBig Bend sits deep in far West Texas. Whether you’re coming from El Paso, Midland/Odessa, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, or Dallas/Fort Worth, choose the route that matches your arrival town and the part of the park you want...
By Tom Roush
As a recent transplant to Texas and an avid hiker, I sought out lists of the greatest hikes in the state as soon as I arrived. Of course, the joys of Big Bend National Park come up on every Top 10 list – with the South Rim trail usually at the top of the top.
So, on my first trip, my son and I hiked the South Rim trail, and it was everything the list makers said it would be: spectacular, inspiring, exhausting … It’s a 12 mile walk and was well worth it.
On my next trip, I was hoping for a similar experience. A friend was coming along, and he has knee problems, so we were looking for a trail that would provide spectacular vistas that wasn’t as long as the South Rim trail, with less elevation gain.
And so, we settled on the Lost Mine Trail, and headed to the trail head out of Terlingua early in the morning. The park service website warned that the parking lot at the trail head would fill up, which proved to be perfectly true.
We arrived around 9AM and took the last parking space on the winding road to the Chisos Lodge that is set aside for the Lost Mine Trail. My first bit of advice for anyone seeking this pleasure is to arrive early, because if you can’t get a parking space, you have to park further down the two-lane road and the first part of the hike will be walking along the road to the actual trail head.
Regardless of where you park, the trail head starts unassuming enough, and is well-marked through the brush, offering some nice views back to the west, between the foothills of the Chisos.
About half way along, one is treated to the first glimpse of what’s waiting at the top, which is a spectacular view down the Juniper Valley and up at Casa Grande Peak. As is so typical of Big Bend, the visibility from this point is amazing; even from this relatively low point, one is looking deep into Mexico in the distance.
From this stopping point, the views just get better. There is a series of switch backs as the trail heads higher, and then suddenly, one reaches the back bone of the mountain and the valley – peak and distant mountains merge in to one jaw-dropping 360 degree view of the world.
Here, people gather on the rocks where the trail meets a flat space, and open their sacks and eat. However, there is another 1000 yards that one can go, across a rocky ridge that drops off on both sides; then one finally reaches the true trail end. There is a giant rock there that comes to a point and the brave can climb it and experience a true ‘King of the World” moment, if they choose.
I can’t speak highly enough of this hike. The investment versus the reward is very favorable to the hiker. There were many kids on the trail and at the top, so it’s easy and safe enough for tiny tikes, but they should be kept close at the top because there are no safety features there.
I’ve hiked on several continents and so can confidently report that a trail with such a high payoff accessible with such ease is rare. It is a marvel, even for Big Bend, which is teeming with marvels.
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Thanks to Adrien Torres for sharing this rare sighting of waterfalls flowing (thanks to recent rains) in Cañón de Santa Elena, Parque Nacional, just across the river from Big Bend National Park. 🙌
#BigBendNationalPark #WestTexas #CanonDeSantaElena #ParqueNacional
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Amazing Big Bend sunrise captured by @marcusc_photo ☀️🙌
#bigbend #nationalpark #westtexas #traveltexas #bigbendnationalpark #nps
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Chisos Basin to remain open in Big Bend National Park. 🙌
With construction plans on hold, the previously anticipated closures will no longer take place, which means that winding road into the mountains will stay open and ready to welcome visitors.
Those who know, know: when summer heat settles over the desert, the Chisos Basin answers with fresh breezes, cooler temps and shaded trails.
Visit nps.gov for more information.
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Good news for winter travelers! Chisos Basin will remain OPEN through the 2025 winter season, including lodging, trails, the visitor center, and food services.
Next summer, thanks to funding from the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund, construction work on significant improvements to the Chisos Basin area of the park is expected to begin on May 1, 2026, and continue for approximately two years.
Until then, enjoy the beauty of the basin!
#visitbigbend #vbb #chisosbasin #westtexas #bigbend #bigbendnps
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✨ Your Big Bend stargazing calendar: July 14 – August 15 ✨
Home to some of the darkest night skies in the lower 48, Big Bend was made for looking up. Here`s what`s lighting up (and darkening) our skies over the next month (Photo by @tonymaples):
🌑 July 14 — New Moon. Tonight! The darkest skies of the month mean the Milky Way core glows overhead all evening. No telescope required. 📸 by @marcusc_photo
🌒 July 15–17 — Earthshine moon meets Venus. Look west at dusk for a razor-thin crescent glowing with "earthshine" — sunlight reflecting off Earth onto the moon`s dark side. On the 16th and 17th, it pairs up with brilliant Venus. 📸 by @visitpresidiotexas
☄️ July 17 — Perseid season begins. The year`s most beloved meteor shower starts flinging its first shooting stars across our skies (and keeps going through Aug 24). 📸 by Lee McMillan
🌕 July 29 — Full Buck Moon. Watch it rise over the Chisos Mountains — bring a camera. 📸 by @timmckennaterlingua
🌠 July 30–31 — Double meteor shower. The Southern Delta Aquariids (up to 25/hour) and Alpha Capricornids peak together. The bright moon will wash some out, so catch them after midnight the week before the peak. 📸 @gregvaughnphotos
💥 August 12–13 — The Perseids PEAK, under a new moon. This is the one. 60–100 meteors per hour with zero moonlight to compete with — expected to be one of the best Perseid displays in years. Best after midnight until dawn. 📷 by NPS/ L. Nowell
💫 August 14–15 — Venus at its brightest. Look west just after sunset for the dazzling "evening star" at its greatest distance from the sun. 📸 by 📷 NPS CA. Hoyt
Terlingua, Lajitas, Marathon, Study Butte. Every corner of Brewster County is a front-row seat. Send to your best stargazing buddies now, because that Perseids weekend won`t wait. 🔭
📸 by @shari_hunt_photography
#VisitBigBend #BigBendNationalPark #DarkSkies #Perseids2026 #MeteorShower #Stargazing #TexasTravel #Terlingua #Marathon #BrewsterCounty
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"Big Bend National Park is bigger than Rhode Island and the only national park that contains an entire mountain range, the Chisos Mountains. The skies are dark, the roads to the park are long," notes Carrie Dennis in her recent piece for @travelandleisure. "Majestic Big Bend National Park is fabulous for hiking, scenic car rides, and the Fossil Discovery Exhibit."
Beautifully photographed by Jon Mattrisch @jmke.visuals, the article highlights @bigbendnps`s enormous skies and expansive landscapes and the ‘serene trails leading through the rugged peaks of the Chisos Mountains.’ These moments reflect just why Big Bend is such a treasure. Dive into the full story linked in bio!
#bigbendnps #bigbend #nps #nationalparks #westtexas #visitbigbend #travelleisure
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"Deep inside a remote cave in Big Bend, archeologists have uncovered a pristine hunting kit — potentially the oldest intact weapon system in North America. This discovery offers a rare glimpse into the lives of ancient hunters, revealing tools, weapons, and even a folded pronghorn hide left untouched for thousands of years. Each artifact tells a story of survival, craftsmanship, and the deep connect between humans and the land." - @TexasParksWildlife
Read the full story in the March TPW Magazine linked in bio.
#texasparks #nationalparks #visitbigbend #bigbendnps #bigbend #nps
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Spring in West Texas means bluebonnets are back, covering the fields in a blue spectacle.
It`s a great time to see these iconic Texas flowers up close.
Beautiful photo by @gooolsby
#BluebonnetBloom #texasbluebonnets #bluebonnet #westtexas #traveltexas
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