Big Bend National Park: Off the Beaten Path

Current Ranking: 5/19

I am writing this with a fresh mind on the matter after a second visit at this incredible park! First time we went to this park we did very little planning and were not expecting much except for a getaway from El Paso. Boy were we surprised when we arrived to the Chisos Basins campground! I had no idea there were amazing mountains, lots of wildlife, canyons and history in this off the beaten path place in the united states!

The first major surprise were the beautiful mountains; we were really not expecting from this gorgeous place! Upon a second visit we did the most notorious of hikes here (photographed above) Lost mine trail. Which really shows you the vast mountain range you did not know existed in this area.

Our first visit we also did the window trail (pictured to the left) giving a canyon view with really unique rock and a wild cliff which starts within the chisos campground. Before our first visit we really didn't know what was around, the only goal we had was to see Santa Elena Canyon which is definitely a MUST if you go to Big Bend, but we had no idea how big and how much variety is in this park.

Let's talk about the MUST I stated earlier: Santa Elena Canyon. This is a HUGE canyon that the Rio Grande has carved its' way through and is a site you have to see for yourself. Even the drive up to it is AWESOME but walking up to the canyon is something I will always cherish. When it comes to canyons I have a tendency of appreciating it more from the ground looking up vs looking down into the canyon like grand canyon overlooks. Since you took the time to drive down here definitely take the short hike to get into the canyon walls. I do regret not doing that the first time we went. So our second trip we made it a must. Semi pro tip: Don't follow the trail. I do not know how you are supposed to stay on trail to start the canyon climb through the side stream but trust me, follow all the people walking to the right and hiking the side of the canyon. It will be less muddy and does not include trying to climb up a mudslide.

Our First trip here was in early 2021 and unfortunately we could not visit the eastern portion. If you have another day free you definitely have to visit the boquillas area. In particular, the Historic Hot Springs trail. I will admit, I was not really expecting much from this area, but I was yet again surprised to say how amazing this area was! It was already quite hot so we were not really planning on dipping into the 95 degree natural hot springs ruins from an old bath house. Don't miss out on this experience. We were so gladd we dipped our feet in the springs and a couple sides also gives you a chance to cool down in the rio grande as well so great opportunity to enjoy the amazing scenary. We were

able to enjoy our time (which we tend to not enjoy people around but there were not as many as expected) and saw some beautiful horses enjoying the river. I would also like to note there are some cool hot springs history sites here and even some petroglyphs in the very short hike to this location. Side note: the parking lot of this hike is where we found mexican souvenirs that were laid out with a cash box to pay for them. I brought cash hoping to find one of these! We bought some hand painted mugs!

The remainder of our hikes that I would recommend require high clearance cars so please keep that in mind. Big Bend is remote even within its own boundaries and we enjoyed that we could really get away from the majority of people. On the east side we also went on a very rough road to Ernst Tinaja trail. I personally am not sure it was worth the drive. the hike was short and the rock variety was cool but it wasn't the biggest payoff for it. If you are looking for great insta shots, this could definitely be a contender tho!

The last hike we did on rough roads was worth the drive and hike and another very popular place in the park: Balanced rock. Pictured below, balanced rock was an easy hike and a fun canyon hike that reminds me of canyonlands, in the needles district. This is a pretty popular instagram spot, according to most vlogs I have seen researching for our trip. I was pleasantly surprised to have our Sunday breakfast at the balanced rock undisturbed the entire time. I cannot guarantee you will get the same results but I would highly recommend making this an early morning trip if you can to avoid the wait for a photo in the phony arch

Did you have any idea that this place was so cool? You better get started planning your own trip!