The Ultimate Big Bend National Park Family Hiking Guide

Want to get your kids out hiking, thinking about making the trip to Big Bend National Park in West Texas, wondering how long to plan your trip? This Big Bend Family Hiking Guide will answer all your questions and more. Not only is Big Bend National Park a treasure trove of awe-inspiring hikes, but it is the perfect destination with a mix of desert, mountain, and river hikes. We guide you through our favorite family-friendly Big Bend National Park hikes with kids with all the tips of an expert so you can have a more enjoyable trip.

What You Need to Know Before Visiting

Before making the trek to Big Bend National Park in West Texas, there are a few big things to consider. The first is the plan for water. As you will be hiking in a desert in West Texas, you will want to bring adequate amounts of water each day. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s explore the logistics before you visit Big Bend National Park.

What is the Best Time of the Year to Visit Big Bend?

Let’s start with the logistics. We suggest planning your trip for spring or fall to avoid the coldest and hottest temperatures found in the summer and winter.

Traveling to Big Bend National Park is a must for any hiking family and the beautiful scenery will make you so glad you made the trip. However, you will want to use caution when planning your trip to Big Bend. This is a desert park, so summer temperatures can reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit by late morning and remain high until early evening.

For this reason, we highly suggest planning your trip to Big Bend National Park in the fall or spring. We made the decision to make the trek in late March and were pleasantly surprised with the weather. We had some windy days and a few cold days but also so pretty hot days for us too. However, we never saw 100 degree weather and safely completed each of our hikes, and even multiple hikes in a day. Plus March is a great time to see the Texas Bluebonnet flowers that appear each spring.

What about winter? For the hiking family, winter is probably preferably to summer because the weather will be much more mild. However, let us caution you that the weather does get near freezing at night. So you will definitely want to layer up and plan to be in a heated lodge or camper with heating for the night.

How to Get to Big Bend National Park?

There are two main entrances into Big Bend National Park in West Texas. The first entrance is to drive 200 miles Southwest of Midland and enter through the North entrance at the Persimmon Gap Visitor Center. This places you in the very North of the park and quite a drive to reach the heart of the park.

The other entrance is in Terlingua, just to the West of the Maverick Junction entrance. This entrance is only about 8 miles from the Terlingua ghost town. You will be closer to Old Maverick Road and the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive by using the West entrance.

The drive into the park is one main road with spotty signal and Wi-Fi availability. Do proceed with caution as a local tire repair shop let us know that he receives many customers from the Big Bend area. To read about traveling to and from Big Bend National Park, check out our post on Driving Guadalupe to Big Bend. And if you are looking to make the trip to Guadalupe National Park, don’t miss our post on Camping and Hiking in Guadalupe National Park.

The Weather and the Nights

While it is usually hot and sunny in West Texas, it isn’t always. There are times when the weather can get quite cool, especially in the winter. Thunderstorms are part of any summer in West Texas in Big Bend National Park.

However, for most of the trip, it will be quite hot and sunny, especially if you arrive in the summer. Be sure to be mindful of the times you begin a desert hike, saving these for early morning or later in the evenings. Choose to spend time in the Chisos Mountains or near the Rio Grande during the high heat of the afternoon. And of course, always have a plan for sunset viewing. Big Bend National Park is a haven for sunsets.

On a clear night, you will have excellent viewing of the sky. Big Bend National Park is a dark sky park. It is considered an Oasis of Darkness, and has some of the best star viewing around. It is one of the darkest places in the continental 48 states. So definitely plan to spend an evening star gazing and go ahead and bring along that telescope.

Animals in Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park in West Texas is home to many different kinds of animals. You will want to prepare your kids for the possibility of seeing more dangerous animals. Big Bend National Park is home to black bears, mountain lions, and rattlesnakes. For tips for encountering a wild animal, visit our post on Hiking Safely with Kids.

Big Bend National Park Hiking With Kids

As you plan your trip with your kids, keep in mind the 800,000 acres of land that is Big Bend National Park. This can be rather overwhelming if you have never traveled to this park before, and as many people will only travel here once in a life time, you definitely want to make the most of this vast land.

If you can, grab a Big Bend National Park map. You will see that Big Bend is divided into 3 main areas: The Westside, The Eastside, and Chisos Basin. The Westside follows Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and tends to be mostly desert hiking with some river hiking along the way. While the Eastside, over by Panther Junction and Rio Grande Village, tends to have quite a few river hikes with some desert hiking mixed in. The Chisos Basin focus mostly on hiking in the mountains, but it’s still desert hiking here as well.

How many days do you need in Big Bend with Kids?

We planned 5 days and nights at Big Bend National Park. After our trip, we found this to be the perfect amount of time to spend at Big Bend, but our own children really wished they had more time. Our plan allowed us to spend 2 full days exploring the Chisos Basin Mountains, with a full day in the Rio Grande Village and another day on the westside of the park along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. The last day was split between additional hiking on the westside and Panther Junction.

However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy Big Bend National Park with a different itinerary. In fact, The Piasano, Big Bend’s newspaper, provides a one day, three day, and even week long suggestions for visiting the park. If you only have one day, plan for mostly driving with short hikes along the way. With three days, you can get out of the car and enjoy a few more hikes, but will most likely stay on the beaten trail. Our five days at Big Bend allowed us the time to get off the beaten trail and enjoy a few of the more remote hiking trails within the park.

Kids Hiking Gear for Beginners

If you plan to tackle some of the mile or longer hikes at Big Bend National Park, you will want to come prepared. At a minimum, you will want to purchase a hiking hydration backpack for each of your children and each adult who will be hiking that is able to walk. Regardless of the time of year you plan to hike, you will need plenty of water. And if you plan to travel during the summer, you will need even more water for each hike.

Kid’s Hiking Hydration Pack

We love these Miracol hiking hydration backpacks for our day hikes with kids. We suggest purchasing a different color per person so that you can easily get each pack ready. In addition, this will limit the fights over which items belong to which child and help each child be more responsible for their own pack.

These packs come with just the right amount of pockets to hold everything your child needs. We are able to have each child carry their own first aid kit, water, lunch or snack, and any other accessories. The water pouch holds 2 liters of water and is so easy to drink from our 3-year-old figured it out with no problems. Additionally, the thermal insulated compartment helps keep water and food cool throughout your hike. And built right into the pack is a safety whistle too. We like our kids to carry a second better quality whistle, but having a spare is awesome with curious kids.

High Visibility Hats

If you are going to make a second purchase, we highly recommend these high visibility hats. First, your kids need a hat to protect from the sun. Second, these hats have a tie to keep them secure, especially on windy days. We love these high visibility hiking hats every time we go anywhere. We can spot our children no matter where they go and everyone else knows they belong to us too (which can be a bad thing sometimes, depending on the day). You won’t lose your kids with these hats!

Looking for more hiking essential gear for beginners, head on over to our post on Hiking Safely with Kids. You will see all our must have hiking gear for kids, plus learn our hiking safety rules and even being safe around animals.

What are the Best Hikes for Families in Big Bend National Park?

With more than 150 miles of trails, how do you know which to try with your family, especially when hiking with young kids? The Piasano, the Big Bend newspaper, is a great resource to find kid-friendly hikes and learn a little about each hike. For novice hikers, we highly suggest hikes less than 3 miles. You may think 1 mile seems long, but most kids can complete a mile long hike in less than 30 minutes. And once you start hiking, the extra mile or two tend to just blend in.

Once your kids have a few shorter hikes (3 miles or less) under their belt, you can slowly begin to increase the number of miles per hike. Additionally, if you have a younger child and are willing to carry them in a backpack, you can shoot for longer hikes as well. We kept our hikes under 2.5 miles for our first National Park visit and added one longer hike per visit with each additional National Park we visited.

Kid-Friendly Hikes near Chisos Basin Visitor Center in Big Bend

When hiking Big Bend National Park, Texas, there are so many mountain trails to explore. Most of the mountain hikes are located within the Chisos Mountains, near the Chisos Basin Visitor Center with a turnoff located just West of the park headquarters at Panther Junction Visitor Center. This area has quite a few trails that overlap for a time, so it is exact important to follow the trail signs and use the hiking safety tips from our post Hiking Safely with Kids.

Chisos Basin is a great place to venture during the heat of the day. The heat of the day tends to be a little less intense here with the amazing tree cover and the mountains.

Balanced Rock

The hike up at Balanced Rock was one of our all time favorite hikes at Big Bend National Park. When entering the park from the west, right before the turn off into the Chisos Mountains Basin Area, you’ll come across a dirt road on your left: Grapevine Hills Road. You will travel about 6.4 miles down the dirt road, which was easily traveled with our Suburban. But don’t worry if you have a less dirt road ready car, we saw plenty of minivans at the end too! Just take it slow and keep a good eye on the road.

This is an easy 2.2 mile hike through a boulder field along a sandy wash. There is a short, steep rock scramble near the end that our children enjoyed. The rock scramble was fairly easy for our kids and nothing they couldn’t handle, unlike our when we hiked Devil’s Hall Trail at Guadalupe National Park. This hike is best done early in the morning or saved for later in the afternoon as there is no shade. Do keep an eye out for snakes and remind your children to watch where they step and place their hands, especially when climbing.

Window Trail

One of the most enjoyable hikes was the Window Trail hike through the Chisos Mountains. This is a 5.6 mile round trip hike. There is a recommendation for a shorter hike of 4.4 miles by parking in the campground, which we did. There is a parking lot in the campground that you can use so you don’t need to worry about trying to park at someone else’s campsite.

This hike is rated moderate hiking because it is a little longer and does have a slight uphill return as you will hike the same path back. This is not a loop hike. However, the hike was a nice easy path for walking and this tends to be a little cooler since we are in the mountains. From the window you have a great view of the scenery and you are able to look for lots of wildlife and plants. You do need to exercise caution since you may encounter a black bear or mountain lion. For us, we mostly saw birds along this path, but did come across a roadrunner in the campgrounds and many different plants.

If you are short on time, try the Window View Trail. While this isn’t the same beautiful view from the end of the Window Trail, you do get an awe inspiring sight with a much short trek. The Window View Trail is less than 0.5 mile and is a paved walkway for even easier hiking. You’ll never be too far from the car with this short hike and can be great to let the kids out to stretch their legs as you drive through Big Bend National Park.

Chisos Basin Loop Trail

This trail was a little different than the last two as it is the first loop trail, and one of only a few at Big Bend National Park. This hike is rated a moderate 2 mile round trip hike. The hike does gain some elevation as you walk, following up and down the mountains. While the trail rises 350ft, it was usually a steady incline with only a few steep areas. Keep your eye out for animal tracks and birds along this trail. Plus the trees provide some nice shade from the midday sun.

Our children were well able to handle this trail and even our 3 year old hiked much of the way with only one skinned knee to show for it. Just a little tip, we did learn that hiking counterclockwise is easier since it has a more steep downward descent at the end instead of a steep upward climb in the beginning, but you really can’t go wrong in either direction.

This trail starts at the Chisos Basin Visitor Center but does share the trail for part of the way with two other trails: The Laguna Meadow Trail and The Pinnacles Trail. Therefore, it is especially important to keep an eye on the trail signs and always take a good look around you when you come to a fork in the trail.

Lost Mine Trail

The Lost Mine Trail is on the opposite side of the road as the Window Trail. This hike is a 4.8 mile moderate hike, very similar to the Window Trail. There is a small parking lot near mile 5.1 on the Basin Road, so do plan to arrive early to tackle this hike. Parking can fill pretty quickly and stay full for most of the day. This hike does have quite a bit more of a rise in elevation than the Window Trail, so do be sure your little ones can handle the incline.

If you are looking for a shorter hike, you can shorten The Lost Mine Trail to a 2 mile hike and still have an excellent view to the southest. The steepest parts of the trail are after the first mile and ends at a ridge overlooking the mountains in Mexico. You can’t go wrong with this hike, but if you have time for only one, our family preferred the Window Trail hike.

More Advanced Mountain Hikes in the Chisos Basin Area of Big Bend National Park

These next two hikes are amazing hikes offering stunning views, or so we heard. With our pack of 4, ranging in age from 3 to 11, we decided to pass on these two hikes for this trip. Hopefully another day we can give them a go.

Emory Peak

The Emory Peak hike is a challenge listed in the kid’s Junior Ranger books. So if you have a little older group, you can tackle this hike and earn a Junior Ranger patch too. While this is an 11 mile round trip strenuous hike, it does take you to the highest point in Big Bend National Park. There is some moderate rock climbing near the end, but we hear the views are incredible.

This trail does begin on the Chisos Basin trail, veering off towards the Pinnacles Trail before splitting at the Emory Peak Trail Junction. The last quarter mile is the steepest climb with the rock scramble at the very end.

South Rim

This is an even longer hike than Emory Peak with a 12 mile strenuous road trip hike, even longer if you include the East Rim. You can follow either the Pinnacles Trail or Laguna Meadows Trail to reach the South Rim. We hear the Laguna Meadows Hike is a little less strenuous, but not by much. The 2000ft elevation climb leads to a cliff with absolutely stunning views of the desert below.

This is a day long hike and something we would recommend with only more seasoned child hikers. The climb is no joke and the hike length along will be a struggle for many.

The Best Kid-Friendly Hiking Trails in Big Bend National Park off Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive

When going on Big Bend National Park hiking trips, it’s important to remember that many of the hikes are actually in the desert. These hikes tend to be best planned for early morning or later in the evening to avoid the heat of the sun. You will want plenty of water for any hike in Big Bend National Park, but especially the desert hikes off Ross Maxwell Drive.

The hikes below follow the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive starting from the Castolon/Santa Elena Junction on 118 down to the Santa Elena overlook. We highly suggest making the stop at the Castolon Visitor Center. The volunteer here was so incredibly helpful and fun! And if you want a different trip, try coming Old Maverick Road and beginning with Santa Elena Canyon Trail.

Lower Burro Mesa Pour-off

We actually began our trip with this relatively short easy 1 mile hike through the dry wash bed. For most of the trail, you will meander down the wash bed, following the wide bed of rocks. This trail ends in a canyon at the bottom of the Upper Burro Mesa Pour-off, where water has carved a deep channel into the rock wall. This is a nice easy walk through the dry wash bed, with a great view of the geologic features and the power of water.

Tuff Canyon Trail

This was our favorite hike in Big Bend National Park and we almost skipped it. You will find this one located at the Tuff Canyon overlook along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, just before the Castolon Visitor Center. If you have to choose between the Lower Burro Mesa Pour-off and this one, go Tuff Canyon every time. You can walk just the top overlooks to peek down into the Tuff Canyon. All three overlooks are super close to the road and you won’t have to venture far from the car.

If you have a bit more time, we recommend that you continue down the trail near the end of the parking lot to head down into Tuff Canyon. Just follow the signs for the Tuff Canyon floor for this easy 0.75 mile hike. This canyon is comprised of volcanic ash, also known as Tuff. During the rainy season, Tuff Canyon in Big Bend National Park in Texas can fill with pools of water, so be sure to check the conditions at one of the visitor centers.

Santa Elena Canyon Trail

We loved this trail. This hike is at the very end of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. This 1.6 mile easy hike offered so many wonderful opportunities to spot wildlife along the trail. We saw so many different birds and lizards that everyone was able to spot one by the end. And nothing makes a hike more exciting than being able to see different animals. Even though this hike is along the river, it is rated as a desert hike with a sign alerting hikers to avoid the midday sun. So plan this for the beginning or end of your day.

This hike crosses over Terlingua Creek, which is usually a dry river bed. You may not even notice you are crossing it at the time since it looks very similar to the trail. However, this creek can cause the crossing to be a big muddy when it rains in West Texas and on occasion, the trail actually closes due to flooding. Once your cross the creek, you will begin to climb up to an overlook. Some of these steps are a little steep and the path does get a bit narrow, but nothing our kids couldn’t handle.

Then you will climb back down towards the water’s edge, where your children can touch the Rio Grande River. The Santa Elena Canyon Trail ends where the canyon walls meet the water. You won’t be able to walk any further without going into the water or climbing the canyon walls.

More Advanced Desert Hikes on the Westside of Big Bend National Park

These next two hikes are two we would only recommend if you happen to have older hikers and are looking to enjoy everything Big Bend National Park. While the hikes themselves aren’t too stressful, the length coupled with the desert heat can overwhelm even the more experienced hiker.

Mule Ears Spring Trail

This moderate 3.8 mile desert hike ends at a small desert spring. Since our kids love springs so much, we ventured out on this hike in the mid-afternoon during March and found the heat a bit much. The hike itself was pretty easy going with few people, but there wasn’t really anything new to see. The spring at the end was rather disappointing since it was overgrown with plants, but there really was water there.

As you hike closer to the Mule Ears, you lose the beautiful view. This is one hike we suggest skipping if time is of the essence. Instead, pull off at the overlook by mile 15 on the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and take your pictures there.

Chimneys Trail

This is a hike we did not venture out on this trip. This is a 4.8 mile moderate desert hike. There is no shade, so definitely plan this one early or later in the day to avoid the midday sun. This trail leads to volcanic dike rock formations that look pretty cool from the pictures online. And we hear there is beautiful Native American rock art and shelters to view on the base of the chimneys. The Chimneys are visible from the road.

You can turn this hike into a 7 mile hike connecting Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive with Old Maverick Road. If you plan to make the return trip, it would be a total of 14 miles.

The Best Rio Grande and Panther Junction Big Bend Hikes to Experience with Kids

As you plan your Big Bend National Park Hiking Trips, don’t miss out on this side of the park even though it’s a little far from the entrance. Okay, a lot far. The Rio Grande hikes are some of our favorite hiking trails in all of Big Bend National Park and Texas too!

The hikes below follow Route 118 starting from the Panther Junction Visitor Center down to the Boquillas Canyon Trail.

Panther Path

Wondering about some of the plants that can be found in Big Bend National Park in Texas? This is a great, short hike to learn more about the plant life. This hike is a 50 yard loop, paved path right outside of the Panther Junction visitor center. The path is full of the plant life and many of the plants are labeled with a plaque naming the plant and providing a little information. Our children thoroughly enjoyed learning the difference between the different types of cactus and many of the similar looking plants.

Plus, the Junior Ranger books offer a special patch for completing this short hike.

Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail

You’ll travel right past this short 1/2 mile round trip hike as you travel from Panther Junction to Rio Grande visitor center. This short hike begins at Dugout Wells. You’ll discover remnants of a human settlement with interpretive signs to alert you to what you are seeing. If you are lucky, you might even discover some javelina tracks. This is the perfect place to have a picnic lunch or stop for a snack.

Hot Springs Canyon Trail

This is an easy 3/4 mile hike, ending by the riverside hot spring. As you walk, you’ll get to see remnants of a resort, historic buildings, and pictographs. The park rangers advise you to arrive early or later in the evening to avoid the high heat and it’s important to know that this is a popular tourist attraction. The water at the springs is a hot 105°F.

Ernst Tinaja

The Ernst Tinaja trail is another of our favorites. This is one of the least traveled trails in the park because you’ll spend more time traveling to and from than to actually hike the trail. Just past the Rio Grande Overlook, when traveling towards the Rio Grande Visitor Center is Old Ore Road. This is a very rough, uneven, and narrow road. You will want a high clearance, 4-wheel drive vehicle for this road and will still need to take it slow. If you don’t have the right car, you can hike in, but it is about 5 miles to arrive at the trailhead.

There is a small parking lot near the trail head. Out of all the Big Bend National Park hiking trails in Texas, this hike was something else. The hike itself is an easy 1.6 miles to arrive at Ernst Tinaja, the water filled pools. These were amazing to see and the geology here was spectacular. The colorful, layered limestone rocks were a sight to see. It was well worth the 5 mile beat up gravel road both in and out from the trailhead.

If you choose to continue to go rock scrambling, it does get a bit more challenging. Take a moment to talk to your children about watching where they step and place their hands. We heard reports of rattlesnakes in the area, even though we lucked out and didn’t see any. Our kids love a good rock scramble and wanted to keep exploring. Some of our fellow hikers saw mountain goats as they were climbing around.

Rio Grande Village Nature Trail

This is another easy 3/4 mile hike located near the Rio Grande Visitor Center. The guide actually suggests parking near campsite 18. The trail follows a wildlife viewing platform over the pond. This is a wonderful place to spot fish and birds. Then the hiking trail continues up the hillside for some great views of the Rio Grande, Chisos Mountains and Mexico.

Boquillas Canyon Trail

This was one of the most fun hiking trails in Big Bend National Park, Texas. This is an easy 1.4 mile hike along the Rio Grande. It does begin with a short climb from the parking to an cliff offering a great view of the Rio Grande. You’ll wind along the river’s edge and have some great views of Mexico. Our children loved the sandy beaches and had a lot of fun seeing all the souvenirs out along the path.

Some of the residents from Boquillas, Mexico place out a variety of souvenirs along the trail. These souvenirs do have a price and the only payment accepted is cash. However, it is discouraged to buy anything along the trail, but it is still fun to look. You will find everything from painted walking sticks, to desert animal creations and coffee mugs. If you are lucky, you may also come across a group of people selling homemade tamales.

This hike is a different experience than any other in Big Bend National Park, Texas. Not only is the weather a little cooler being right next to the river with little pockets of shade, but the people you meet along this trail are some of the nicest people around who love to engage with you.

Have More Time for Your Big Bend National Park Hiking Trip?

If you have a little extra time, we suggest you head up to the Persimmon Gap Visitor Center. Just head north from Panther Junction. Along the way, you will come to a few hidden gems that you might just enjoy as much as we did.

Fossil Discovery Exhibit

The Fossil Discovery Exhibit is a nice place for the kids to get out and stretch their legs. You can explore the open building filled with replicas of fossils from all different time periods, including some rather large dinosaur fossils. Then if you choose, you can climb a hill to peek into the area where fossils were discovered at Big Bend National Park and take in the sights.

There are even a few picnic tables and a play area for kids. Our kids loved to be able to climb and run around among the fossil-like play structures.

Dagger Flat Auto Trail

This is a great little hike for your car. Well, it’s not so little, it is a 7 mile road into the heart of a unique forest within Big Bend National Park. Just pull up the Dagger Flat Auto Trail PDF guide and you’ll learn a lot about the Yuccas and special plant life on this Big Bend National Park hiking in West Texas trail for your car.

Dog Canyon

About 3.5 miles south of Persimmon Gap Visitor Center, you’ll find a pull of https://creatingbutterflies.com/the-best-safety-tips-for-easy-hiking-with-family for Dog Canyon Trail. The Dog Canyon Trail hike is a 4 mile moderate hike. This is a desert hike so it is suggested to aim for early morning or early evening to avoid the hot sun. After about 1.5 miles, this trail does drop into a dry wash bed and into Dog Canyon to explore the geology of a slot canyon.

Is Big Bend worth the trip?

The Big Bend National Park Hiking Trips are well worth the long drive in. The kid-friendly hikes come in so many different lengths that there is bound to be something for everyone. The views and scenery of the three different ecosystems from the desert to the mountains and the river trails will delight children of all ages. In addition, Big Bend National Park, Texas, is the only national park with an entire mountain range within its borders. How cool is that?

A Note on Hiking in Big Bend National Park

I know I spoke about this earlier, but it is just so important I wanted to take a moment to reiterate it. Water is essential when hiking in Big Bend National Park in West Texas. You will want to make sure you have plenty of water for any hike you embark on but be extra careful with desert hikes, especially hikes between 10am and 4pm as these tend to be the hottest times of the day. The National Park Service recommends that every person carries at least 2 quarts of of water for a half day hike. Please be sure to have enough water before venturing out at Big Bend National Park.

Looking for more guides on visiting United States National Parks? Don’t miss our guides on Guadalupe Mountains National Park, White Sands National Park. Plus, we’ve put together a 5 Day Itinerary to get the most out of your trip to Big Bend National Park.

Have you visited Big Bend National Park in West Texas? Are you planning a trip? Leave us a comment below to let us know. Have a favorite hike that we missed? We’d love to hear from you so we can update our best kid-friendly hike trips in Big Bend National Park post to help others. Looking for more content from us, we’d love it if you would subscribe to our newsletter.

Hi, I’m Nicole.

Here at Creatingbutterflies we provide families with practical solutions to real life problems for everything parenting, scouting, dual language, and enjoying time outdoors. We are a family of 6 with 4 wonderful becoming bilingual children who loves scouting, camping, and hiking with their family. Mom is an educator and dad is a firefighter/paramedic.