Big Bend season is just around the corner, so I wanted to share some of my favorite things to do in the most beautiful area of Texas! For the last few years, the Chisos Mountain Lodge has threatened to close down for renovations, but they’ve delayed the restoration until May of 2026. So you have time to get out there and hike some beautiful trails in the Chisos Mountains before they close down the basin!

3 Days- Hire a Guide

If you’ve never been out to Big Bend, it’s quite a lovely experience to hire the Big Bend Boating and Hiking Company to take you on a backcountry float. This awesome outfitter will provide you with all the gear and food you need! Alll you need to supply is a pillow, your sleeping bag, and a happy face! My group did a 3 day, 2 night trip in Santa Elena Canyon and it was magical! I made new friends, paddled the Rio Grande, and ate cake by the river thanks to my amazing tour guides Catie and Adam.

We met early in the morning in Terlingua at the Big Bend Boating and Hiking Company headquarters, where Catie and Adam drove us (and canoes) into the park to start our paddle into the backcountry. They provided canoes, wet bags, and even tents! We had lunch by the river, swam over to Mexico, then paddled further into the backcountry.

Since this outfitter takes lots of groups out, they have everything mapped out, a private privy for the backcountry, and a pretty epic outdoor kitchen set up. We enjoyed delicious home-cooked meals- breakfast, lunch, and dinner– all surrounded by the company of new friends.

This is a great way to be introduced to Big Bend, if you have more time, you can explore more parts of the park, but this 3 day paddle will leave you breathless! I’m still itching to go back and take the Boquillas Canyon Tour with this outfitter.

3 Days – Go Solo

Day 0: Arrive at Chisos Lodge or stay in Terlingua

No matter where you come from it’s going to take you at least half a day to get to Big Bend. So plan on making the trek and settling in for the evening wherever you decide to lodge. While it’s open, the Chisos Mountain Lodge is the best place to stay as it provides easy access to all areas of the park. Second best option is to stay in Terlingua, but be warned from Terlingua over to the hot springs is at least a two hour drive. You can also stay in Alpine, “the Gateway to Big Bend”, but this is also a two hour drive into the park, which can make for very long exploration days!

If you stay at the Chisos, you can enjoy the Window Scenic trail at sunset, and enjoy dinner at the lodge! Then rest up, you have a day of hiking ahead of you.

Day 1: Window Trail, Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, and Santa Elena Canyon

If you are staying at the Chisos Lodge (you have until May before they shut down for renovations! Hurry! Go!), get up in the morning and hike the Window Trail. Pack a snack and lots of water. This is an out and back trail, and while it’s a great scenic hike down, be prepared to hike up to get back to the start of the trail. After lunch, cruise the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, stopping to see all the things you want to see and exploring Santa Elena Canyon. You can usually cross the river and hike up a ways along the canyon.

Window Trail Information

• Mileage: 6.5-6.8 Miles
• Elevation Gain: 974 Ft
• Estimated Time to complete: 3+ hours

Santa Elena Canyon Information

• Mileage: 1.6 miles
• Elevation Gain: 241 Ft
• Estimated Time to complete: 30 min-1 hour

Day 2: Boquillas, Mexico and Hot Springs

Take a quick day trip to Boquillas Del Carmen, Mexico! Make sure you have your passport in hand at the Boquillas Crossing Port of Entry, then pay 5 bucks round trip to ride across the Rio Grande on a little metal boat, and from here you can walk to town or rent a donkey and a guide for the day. We chose donkey and I loved my little La Preciosa! This little boutique (almost ghost) town has a church, a bar, and two restaurants! There are lots of sellers who set up a tables of souvenirs to buy, so bring cash, as most will accept USD, and I’m still upset I didn’t have enough cash for those homemade tamales. Just fyi, if you pay for the donkey and the guide, your guide will act as your host and walk you around town and even suggest where to buy trinkets. Plus, he’s happy to hang out in the bar while you play pool.

When you are done, jump back on your donkey and travel back across the border crossing. You’ll be very close to the relaxing Hot Springs in Big Bend National Park, so go ahead and wind down for the day by relaxing in the healing waters! This area can get really busy, but people tend to come and go pretty fast. So hang out and enjoy the Rio Grande! Depending on the flow and time of year, you can even jump in the cold Rio Grand and then warm back up in the hot springs. But BE CAREFUL as the Rio Grande can sweep you away!

Day 3: Lost Mine Trail, Terlingua Ghost Town, and Dinner at Starlight Theater

Whatever day you decide to hike the Lost Mine Trail, make sure you get there early! There isn’t much parking and if you are driving in, they will even close the road when parking is full in the basin. At the base of this trail, there is a bear storage for your food, but we saw many people eating snacks and even enjoying lunch at 7,650 feet in elevation! This is a really nice switchback trail where the views just keep on giving. Climbing to the top of this trail was so worth the payoff. This is one of the most beautiful views in Texas. According to legend, there were Spanish explorers that forced local indigenous people to mine silver here (Adding to the mystery is that there is no geological evidence of silver in this area and geologists don’t there ever was.) One day, the enslaved workers rebelled, killed the enslavers, and then sealed the mine! Hence the mine lost to time and legend!

Lost Mine Trail Information

• Mileage: 5.4
• Elevation Gain: 1,233 Ft
• Estimated Time to complete: 2.5-3 hours

After this hike, you might want a nap, but you should definitely treat yourself to dinner at the Starlight Theater. Make sure to reserve some time to walk around Terlingua Ghost Town and enjoy a beer on the porch with the locals at Terlingua Trading Company.

5 Days

Day 4: Float Santa Elena Canyon

Hire the Big Bend Boating and Hiking Company to take you and yours on a half-day or full-day float. Alternatively, you might want to visit some of the Big Bend sites by horse! The Lajitas Stables have half- day, full-day, and even sunset horseback trips! The half-day and shorter trips from both of these outfitters are affordable at a little under $100 per person.

Day 5: Take a Day Trip

A day trip from Big Bend means driving at least 3 hours out. So you may want to work in one of these activities on your drive home.

Day Trips- Big Bend Adjacent

Davis Mountains State Park

The Davis Mountains are one of my favorite places to chill and hang in nature. Camping here is so wonderfully remote, and if you don’t want to camp, the Indian Lodge is just a great place to lay your head! I love waking early and having coffee on the porch on a chilly morning. And because this is the mountains in a desert, even summer mornings are chilly! (Well, for Texas anyway.)

The Skyline Trail is a must. There are some great CCC pavilions, old cooking stoves, and more to check out. If you can stay, for nightfall, this park hosts some of best star-gazing in the state! During the day, if you want, you can hike the Skyline Trail and actually walk down to the Fort Davis National Historic Site. My kids particularly enjoyed the medical museum and taking photos of clouds that looked like chimney smoke.

While the Skyline is the most popular trail, you can get great elevation hiking the Indian Lodge Trail and it has gorgeous views to boot!

Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Research Institute

I absolutely love visiting Desert Botanical Gardens because I’m a sucker for cacti! This research institute not only has a highly specialized cactus museum, it has truly gorgeous hiking trails with geology that cannot be experienced anywhere else in Texas! Finding cold springs in the arid countryside is one of my obsessions. I recommend walking the Modesta Canyon Trail to experience a descent into a canyon where you can witness extrusive igneous rock on one side of the canyon and intrusive igneous rock on the other side! You’ll pass by Modesta Springs and then loop around Lions Head Hill and back towards the nature center.

Balmorhea Swimming Hole and State Park

I am obsessed with cold-spring fed swimming and Balmorhea boasts being one of the biggest swimming natural swimming holes in the US (but also Barton Springs says they are the largest swimming hole in Texas….. so I’m not sure who wins out because I didn’t bring a tape measure to either one.)

This swimming hole has a newly renovated courtside lodging I have yet to experience, but the swimming here is divine! This is a true desert oasis. Imagine it’s 110 outside, but you are chilling in cold water, sun warming your face as you gaze at mountains in the distance.

Mcdonald Observatory- Star Party

If you drive all the way out here, you must book a star party at Mcdonald Observatory, where you can view star phenomena from giant high-quality telescopes. The great thing about the observatory is they honor “rainy day” tickets if you come and for some reason the clouds are obscuring the stars. If you have younger children, I recommend booking your party for fall or winter, as the summer star parties don’t begin until after 11 pm!

More to explore?

Big Bend is the largest national park in the United States. There are so many other trails to explore and adventures to be had, and I can’t wait to get back out there and explore! This is a great place to explore, hike, backpack, and paddle! Just make sure to bring lots and lots of water, stay hydrated, and bring food because restaurants and grocery stores are few and far between out here!