Big Bend National Park guides
11 in-depth guides to Big Bend National Park, in reading order: what to see, how to get around, and what to know before you go. Back to the Big Bend National Park overview.
Desert Heat, Monsoons and Busy Spring Crowds
Spring is the park's busiest season, and March in particular draws large crowds, often during spring break.
Santa Elena Canyon and the Castolon Corridor
The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive is a 30-mile paved road along the western side of Big Bend National Park.
South Rim, Emory Peak and the High Chisos
Many of the park's best hikes begin in the Chisos Basin, within the Chisos Mountains. Trails climb through a mix of pine, oak and juniper forest before opening onto wide views.
Paddling 118 Miles of the Rio Grande
The Rio Grande runs for 118 miles along the southern edge of Big Bend National Park, and it also forms the international border with Mexico.
Darkest Skies in the Lower 48
Big Bend National Park became an International Dark Sky Park in 2012, a status granted by the International Dark-Sky Association after the park measured and reduced excess lighting.
Big Bend's Rugged Unpaved Backroads
Past the paved roads, Big Bend has a network of rugged unpaved backroads that reach historic sites, trails, and remote parts of the park that are otherwise hard to access.
Chihuahuan Desert Life and Birding Refuge
The Chihuahuan Desert covers about 80 percent of Big Bend National Park and wraps around the Chisos Mountains.
Volcanoes, Ancient Seas and Dinosaur Fossils
Big Bend's rock layers hold a record of a time when the region lay beneath a warm sea. About 135 million years ago, the area was underwater, and its fossils include sharks, marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs, and the remains of larger mollusks.
Rock Art, Ranches and Early Settlers
People have lived in this country for more than 10,000 years. The Chisos were among the first groups, though little is known about them.
Crossing to Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico
The Boquillas Crossing Port of Entry is the gateway to the small village of Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico.
Soaking at the Rio Grande Hot Springs
The hot springs lie near Rio Grande Village on the far eastern side of Big Bend National Park, right at the edge of the Rio Grande riverbank.
