Big Bend National Park west desert · West desert in Big Bend National Park
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West desert in Big Bend National Park
West desert in Big Bend National Park
Tuff Canyon Trail. Easy (0.75 mi / 1.2 km round-trip). Take the well-marked turn-off before Castolon (headed towards Santa Elena Canyon). There are viewpoints here but you can also hike down into the canyon; just follow the signs. For some reason gnats can be extra pesky in this area.
Bottom of the Burro Mesa Pour-Off Trail. Easy (1.0 mi / 1.6 km round-trip). You'll see a turn-off for the Burro Mesa Pour-Off between the Sotol Vista Overlook and the Mule Ears Viewpoint along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. Follow the road 1.5 mi (2 km) to get to the trail-head. Requires a bit of path finding ? rock cairns mark which way to go through the washes. Along the way you'll notice a giant rock formation that looks quite like a sideways sandwich and of course the enormous pour-off at the end. A different trail will take you to the top (see separate entry).
Santa Elena Canyon Trail. Easy to Moderate (1.7 mi / 2.7 km round-trip). Among the more popular trails ? a definite must-see. Follow the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive to the end, past Castolon. Near the parking area you can get great views of the canyon but to get the best views, cross Terlingua Creek towards the right-hand wall of the canyon. You'll likely see other people making their way to the trail; follow them if you're confused. It is possible for the creek to become too high to cross; if there's any doubt at all, hike the trail another time. The trail involves climbing up several switchbacks with stairs built into the canyon wall before descending to the banks of the Rio Grande, where the trail eventually ends.
Red Rocks (Blue Creek) Canyon. Moderate (3.0 mi / 4.8 km round-trip). A scenic trail past the Homer Wilson Ranch house and through a large canyon; the eponymous red rocks can be seen at the end. The trail continues after that very steeply up into the Chisos Basin but this is only for hardcore backpackers. The trail-head is at the Blue Creek Ranch Overlook turn-off from the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.
Upper Burro Mesa Pour-Off Trail. Moderate (3.6 mi / 5.8 km round-trip). An adventurous trail that leads to the top of the Burro Mesa Pour-Off through some washes and a (somewhat spooky) slot canyon (a different trail will take you to the bottom ? see separate entry). The trail-head is found 6.9 mi (11 km) south of the beginning of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. Parts of the trail are marked by rock cairns and are fairly easy to follow &emdash; that is unless a flood washes them away, in which case some path-finding (with a map and compass) will be required. Inquire about park conditions before setting out, also a good amount of rock-scrambling is required. Do not attempt if rain is in the forecast; some sections have no escape routes.
Ward Spring Trail. Moderate (3.6 mi / 5.8 km round-trip). A good trail to find solitude; this route leads through the desert to a pleasant spring. The trail-head can be found at mile-marker 5.5 along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. Requires some path-finding.
Mule Ears Spring Trail. Moderate (3.8 mi / 6.1 km round-trip). A trail that leads to a peaceful spring with expansive views of the Mule Ears formation and desert wildlife along the way. You can turn back after the spring or continue a bit further (and upwards) to get seldom-seen views of the other side of the Mule Ears. The trail-head starts at the well-marked Mule Ears Overlook turn-off along the Maxwell Scenic Drive.
The Chimneys Trail. Moderate to Strenuous (4.8 mi / 7.7 km round-trip). Leads to a series of "chimneys"; rock pinnacles formed through volcanic activity and intriguingly decorated with Indian pictographs. The trail actually continues far past the chimneys and eventually leads to the unpaved Old Maverick Road which becomes an extremely long hike, instead just go back the way you came after visiting the chimneys. The trail-head is marked, about 1.2 mi (2 km) south of the Burro Mesa Pour-Off turnoff on the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.
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Big Bend National Park Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.