The chance to hike through and see all our beautiful National Parks is one of the main reasons we chose to head off on this adventure.  Since we haven’t had great luck getting to the parks so far we were so excited to finally make it to Big Bend. We were counting down until we got there and wanted to make sure we made the most of our 5 days as we could.  We managed to squeeze in 8 hikes, some scenic drives, a dip in the hot springs, and we caught every sunrise and sunset so i’d say we did a pretty good job!

I will say the biggest advice we can give is be prepared for the heat. We stayed in the park at the Rio Grande Village campground for 3 nights and 1 night in Cottonwood campground.  There are no hookups so no electric (aka no A/C) but considering how massive the park is, we didn’t want to waste any more time driving back and forth from outside the park. We found that it was cool in the early mornings so we began hiking everyday just before sunrise.  We would hike for a few hours and be back at Wanda by lunch time when the sun really started blazing. Even with that schedule, some of the hikes (in the full sun) like the return of the window trail and Boquillas canyon were pretty brutal

We opted to do some shorter 4-6 mile trails so we could hike more of them and see more of the park versus some of the longer hikes like the South Rim Trail (12-15 miles).  And we were happy with that decision. We were able to hike several trails in each area of the park Rio Grande, Chisos Mountains and Castollon. If we had done the longer trails, we would have had to sacrifice some of those trails.  But if you have more time go for it, we hear it's an awesome, (but strenuous) hike. ​

Grapevine Hills Trail (2.2 Miles)
The Grapevine Hills Trail to Balanced Rock was our first desert hike.  It is down a pretty rough, bumpy dirt and rock road, so we were certainly happy to have Walter (our Jeep).  The actual trail is a quick and easy 2.2 mile hike but the last bit up does involve a bit of a rock scramble.  The Balanced Rock at the end is quite a showpiece. It is amazing to us how a boulder that size could tumble down the mountain, land in the middle of two other rocks and come to a rest.  I mean what are the chances?? And the fact that it manages to stay fully supported there is kind of wild. It is a very cool spot, has a great view through the arch underneath and a fun spot for photos.  

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Lost Mine Trail (4.8 Miles)
This was one of the highest ranked hikes (according to our research, the REI app and the Alltrails app).  It is a 4.8 mile roundtrip hike in the Chisos Mountains. We really enjoyed this hike, it was moderate with a good ascent and a bunch of switchbacks.  If you can’t make it to the top there is a good lookout spot about 1 mile up, but it is really well worth the trek to the top. The view is amazing.   With good visibility you can see quite far, to mountain ranges in Mexico. Our timing was spot on (we are all about sunrise hikes now), we were the only ones on the trail and had a good 45 minutes to ourselves at the top to enjoy some breakfast and take in the views.  It’s one of those vantage points that you kind of just sit in silence, slow down and in stare in awe at how absolutely beautiful nature is sometimes and really appreciate having the chance to see it.

On our return trip down, we passed a few people who alerted us to a bear sighting off the trail (the Chisos is home to bears and plenty of mountain lions).  But unfortunately several large groups were also making their way up the trail, so it seemed the noise scared him off much to our disappointment!

To get on this trail there is a really tiny parking area, not too many spots and it fills up pretty quick so again...plan to get there early because the only other area to park is a bit further down the road, adding quite a big uphill climb before even starting the trail.
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The Window Trail (5.6 Miles)
This hike is also in the Chisos and the trail head is right by the visitor center.  The morning we headed out to drive to this trail, we managed to catch some Javelinas still hanging around our campground, they are really pretty funny looking and on our drive we caught a coyote running across the road.  Despite the amount of wildlife in the park, besides roadrunners and some bunnies these are the only bigger animals we managed to see, although you could hear plenty at night.

This hike is 5.6 miles with a descent first and the return trip is up, not really our preferred type of trail we usually like to get the uphill climb over with first.  But sometimes that is not an option so we suck it up. The first portion of the hike is a pleasant walk before the landscape kind of changes as you go into the canyon with huge rocks walls and Oak Creek.  Before coming to the window pour off, you will go up and down and across several passes of the creek which is really pretty. And then the main attraction, the window. It is beautiful.

​The name is obviously quite appropriate as it is just a 3 sided square open in the middle of the two walls which allows you to see through to other mountains in the distance and a great view of the horizon.  We were very impressed. PLEASE BE CAREFUL though, the rocks are pretty smooth and slippery and it is just a sheer drop off just past the window.

Once again our timing was impeccable, we had the place to ourselves.  There is something so amazingly special about being in these spectacular places in a National Park by yourselves.  Gives you more time to take it in and reflect. The whole park makes you realize just how small you really are in the grand scheme of things, which always helps put things in perspective for me.

On the return of this hike, the temperature spiked and even though it was still only around 9 am it was full sun beating down on us for most of the ascent so plenty of water is a must.  

Boquillas Canyon Trail (1.4 Miles)
So you want to hop on over to Mexico?  This is the spot. Boquillas crossing is the border patrol area where you can hop on a canoe and make your way across the Rio Grande (takes about 5 minutes) for a beer and some tacos in Mexico. If you don’t have your passport, or are short on time you can hike the canyon trail which gives you a clear view across the river to Mexico. The trail is short, only 1.4 but it in full sun so it gets very hot by midday.  Pretty cool to see, and always love a good canyon trail, how the walls rise so high on the sides of you but part for the water. But I will say, the water is pretty gross looking here, so I wouldn’t necessarily want to take a dip in it, seemed very muddy.
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Rio Grande Nature Trail (.75 Miles)
This is not exactly a hike, its short .75 mile walk and picks up right at the Rio Grande campground but it is the BEST spot in the park for a sunset.  The overlook is absolutely perfect for catching the sun set over the Rio Grande River….probably one of the best sunsets we have ever seen. Kev went up one night on his own and I went up another night.  We couldn’t leave the girls in Wanda because it was way too hot. So strange to us how like the hottest time of day is late afternoon and night. Even when the sun sets it does not cool off for hours.

Anyway, make sure you hang around a bit after the sun disappears because it takes a little for the colors to really come out.  The pinks and oranges that paint the sky are incredible. Just bring a flashlight for the walk back.

Hot Springs
You have to take a dip in the hot springs! The trail is not far from the Rio campground and is short.  The pool is kind of small and a bit slimy but it is set right on the river and is a great spot to catch the sunrise.  The morning temperatures make it a lot more comfortable to get into the water, I cannot imagine forcing myself in once the sun was overhead and temps reached the 90's.  It is also pretty quiet and relaxing in the morning.

Santa Elena Canyon Trail (1.7 Miles)
This is another highly ranked trail but is on the Castolon side of the park (completely opposite from Rio Grande).  So, we decided to move to the Cottonwood campground for easier access. The drive in to the campground and hikes, the Ross Maxwell drive is gorgeous, it’s a popular scenic drive and for good reason.  

The Santa Elena trail is 1.7 miles roundtrip and at sunrise the sun peaks in through the canyon walls and is really beautiful.  I preferred this canyon to Boquillas, I thought it was much prettier and seemed more dramatic. You do have to cross the river to get to the trail, and although the wash is usually dry it wasn’t when we were there.  So, we had to detour a bit further up to find a good spot to cross and make our way back to the trail.

I’d say if you only do one trail over on this side of the park, this is the one to do.

Mule Ears Spring Trail (3.8 Miles)
This is a desert hike off Castolon road and to be honest it was very underwhelming for us.  We were disappointed. Its a 3.8 mile out and back hike through the desert, no shade and nothing that nice to look at,  The path actually takes you away from the Mule Ears namesake and to the Mule Ears Springs, which is dried out and overgrown.  The other chimney trail nearby looked like a similar walk straight into the desert and we decided to skip it after we weren’t really thrilled with this trail.  Maybe it’s us and maybe we just don’t like desert hikes that much considering the heat and how bare they are (besides flowers and cacti) but if you are at all limited on time during your visit Id consider skipping this.  

​There you have it, our experience trekking through Big Bend.  Really hard for us to pick favorites but if we have to I’d go with Lost Mine and Santa Elena and Kev’s vote is the Window Trail.  AND we both agree the sunset on the Rio Grande Nature Trail Overlook was a top pick….so I guess it doesn’t seem we are that great at narrowing things down at all.

Have you been to Big Bend?  What were your favorite trails? Let us know in the comments below. ​

By: Ashley Quiambao

RV Camping in Big Bend
While Big Bend has some availability for online reservation through Recreation.gov for Rio Grande Campground and Chisos Basin, its only between November 15 to April 15 and most of the campsites are first come first serve. Our original plan was to get a permit for a backcountry campsite but there are a limited number of them which can accommodate RVs.  Our back up plan was to stay in the Rio Grande village Campground.  Since we were quite nervous about getting a spot, we made sure to get there as early as possible.  A visit to Panther Junction sent us to the Rio campground because there were no backcountry spots open.   So, we spent three nights at Rio Grande Campground and one night at Cottonwood. From what we saw there was a lot of turnover at each campsite. If you are there early enough, you should be able to find a site but each night they were all filled up. ​ 

If you're looking for full hook ups:
You only have 1 option in Big Bend. Head towards Rio Grande Village RV campground (next to Rio Grande Village campground- confusing I know).  They have reservations sites and first come first serve spots, but only about 25 in total.  It is not run by NPS, no view, and is basically a glorified parking lot that looked full every night we were there. 

If you want to back-country:
Get to Panther Junction as early as possible. Backcountry is first come first serve. We got there an hour after opening and we had no luck. All the sites that were able to accommodate our size and RV capabilities were booked for the week.  ​But if you are in something smaller like vanners or truck camper or anything with high clearance and 4x4 wheel drive there were many options for you. 

Campsites and Water
Each campsites vary in amenities and size but almost all of them had a bear/javelina boxes.  Potable water that can be easily added to your RV can be found by the dump station at Rio Grande Village. Just make sure to use a water regulator as the spigot had really powerful water pressure.  At all the visitors centers and in a couple of places within the Rio campground there were also potable water spouts to fill your water jugs for drinking.  At Cottonwood, in the front of the campsite there was a building where you could get potable water (no dump station at Cottonwood though).

Despite the temperatures and somewhat primitive conditions, we had an incredible time RV camping in Big Bend.  We are so happy we made the long drive to visit.  Hopefully, this answered some of your questions and provided you with some direction for planning your Big Bend adventure. 

Let us know if you have any other questions in the comments below. 

By: Kevin Quiambao