Family Itinerary for Big Bend National Park with Kids in 5 Days

Getting ready to plan a trip to Big Bend National Park? Want to hit up the best hikes that your children can manage but not overwhelm them either? Well, we have planned a 5 day Big Bend National Park travel itinerary with kids. This itinerary begins with arriving early evening with just enough time for a sunset hike the first night and leaving fairly early on the fifth day. While we provide some details for each hike here, please visit our post on Stunning Big Bend Hikes with Kids for more details.

What is Big Bend National Park?

Big Bend National Park is located in far West Texas along the Texas-Mexico border. It is located within the Chihuahuan Desert and follows the curve of the Rio Grande. Within its borders is the entire Chisos Mountain range. While enjoying the 800,000 acres of the park, you will experience three different habitats: desert, mountain, and river.

Big Bend National Park is a desert national park, thus it can be best to try to plan your vacation during late fall, winter, or early spring. The summer months tend to have high heat advisories and many rainy days, including flooding. In fact, a few of the visitor centers actually close during the summer.

Looking for the best way to drive into Big Bend National Park? Be sure to read our post on Driving Guadalupe Mountains National Park to Big Bend National Park. We were able to avoid some more treacherous roads with the help of a friendly park ranger.

What’s the weather like at Big Bend National Park?

The weather at Big Bend National Park varies by the time of year you travel. In the late fall, winter, and early spring, the temperatures can fall to quite cool for the evening. While the lows generally stay above freezing, you may experience temperatures in the low 40 degrees Fahrenheit overnight. The day time temperatures may climb to the upper 70 to lower 80 degrees Fahrenheit. During this time, you will experience little rain, but may find yourself in a downpour once during your vacation.

During the summer months, temperatures can become overwhelming. While the evenings are quite pleasant with temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s, the daytime temperatures can feel exhausted reaching highs over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Summer also tends to be the more rainy season with some trails flooding and becoming unreachable.

The Chisos Mountains area is generally cooler than the more desert areas of the national park. Chisos Mountains can range anywhere from ten to twenty degrees cooler than the rest of the park. Our Big Bend National Park travel itinerary with kids does take into account early morning and later afternoon hikes. No matter the weather, you will want to dress for sun as there is little shade and lots of sunshine.

Big Bend National Park hours

While Big Bend National Park is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays, you should plan your arrival carefully. Entrance fee stations and visitor centers do have limited hours and some of them close during the summer. Be sure to check out the National Park Service website for the current operating hours.

Even though Big Bend National Park is open during holidays and major days off from school, these tend to be busier times. This park is considered one of the most remote national parks in the United States with under 400,000 visitors yearly. So while busier, you can definitely still enjoy this treasure in West Texas on days off from school.

What should you do and see during your visit to Big Bend National Park

We are including our 5 day itinerary to Big Bend National Park with kids. Our kids are fairly good hikers, not even flinching at a 5-mile hike. It is not uncommon for them to hike 7+ miles in a day, generally spread out of two to three hikes. If your children are just beginning, that’s perfectly acceptable. Big Bend National Park has many hikes under two miles that are just the perfect length for family.

We traveled to Big Bend National Park with children ages 3, 6, 9, and 11. Our three older children were happy to hike and enjoyed the numerous rock scrambles and views. Our three-year-old wanted to hike, and she did hike quite a bit, but she spent many miles riding in our hiking baby carrier. As you prepare to hike with kids, check out Safety Tips for Hiking with Kids for the best gear for kids and the safety tips we teach our children.

As Big Bend is so spread out and rather large, we tried our best to group hikes together. This helped us to tackle quite a few hikes without feeling overwhelmed with all the driving. Our Big Bend National Park Guide will help you to plan the just right vacation for your family.

Day 1 Itinerary for Big Bend National Park

Lower Burro Mesa Pour Off – 1 mile hike

We arrived around early evening with just enough time to set up our campsite, make dinner, and venture on an evening hike. After getting everything unpacked, we headed over to the Lower Burro Mesa Pour Off for a beautiful sunset hike through a dry wash bed. The hike was easy and relaxing. In addition, it was beautiful seeing the colors from the sunset shining on the canyons.

Day 2 Big Bend National Park Travel Itinerary with Kids

Balanced Rock – 2.2 mile hike plus 6.4 mile drive down a dirt road

Chisos Mountains Visitor Center

Window Trail – 5.6 mile hike

We started our day with a drive down Grapevine Hills Road. This is a dirt road that winds north for about 6.4 miles. I’m sure the drive depends on the weather conditions, especially the amount of rain, but we did see plenty of minivans in the parking lot for Balanced Rock Hike. This is an easy hike through a boulder field along a sandy wash. Our kids thoroughly enjoyed the rock scrambles. Be sure to plan this hike for early morning or later afternoon evening as there is no shade and it can get quite hot. Bring plenty of water too!

Then we made the trek into Chisos Mountains to stop at the visitor center. Our kids are Junior Park Ranger obsessed! We love the books and they love the badges. The books are jammed full of useful information.

Then we drove over to the campground to tackle the Window Trail in Big Bend National Park. By parking in the campground parking lot, the hike is only 4.4 miles. Since we were in the mountains, this hike was a little bit cooler which was welcomed. The view from the window was amazing and well worth the hike there. We did keep our kids away from the edge, but they really enjoyed being able to look down.

Day 3 Itinerary for Big Bend National Park Multiple Trails

Ross Maxwell Drive

Santa Elena Canyon – 1.6 mile hike

Castolon Visitor Center

Tuff Canyon – 0.75 mile hike

Mule Ears Spring Trail – 3.8 mile hike

Panther Junction Visitor Center

Panther Path – 50 yard loop

We took Old Maverick Road down to Santa Elena Canyon. This road was fairly easy to travel and we didn’t see a single car along the way. While the road is a little less well maintained than Ross Maxwell Drive, it was nothing that we couldn’t handle.

The Santa Elena Canyon hike was an absolute favorite. This trail is rated as a desert hike with temperatures getting very hot with the afternoon sun. The signs posted here recommend finishing this hike prior to 10am or beginning after 4pm, so we definitely wanted to try this one early. Our kids loved walking along the Rio Grande and being so close to Mexico. The climb into the canyon was a lot of fun; we saw fossils, lizards and so many birds. The view from the overview is beautiful!

We made the drive along Ross Maxwell drive, and stopped in at the Castolon Visitor center. This is a much more rustic and limited visitor center, but well worth the stop. The volunteer at the center spoke highly of our next hike, which was unplanned but so worth it.

The Tuff Canyon hike should not be missed. You can make a quick stop at the three overlooks, or hike down into the canyon. The canyon earned its name because it is comprised of tuff or volcanic ash. Our kids enjoyed the geology here. Definitely keep an eye out for rattlesnakes though.

2 Extra Big Bend Hikes

The Mule Ears Spring Trail was our last stop along the Ross Maxwell Drive for a hike. This is a desert hike and even though it doesn’t have the signs warning about midday hiking, we would definitely advise going early or later to avoid the heat. These is no shade for the majority of the hike. Near the spring, which was more like a puddle, we got a little respite and enjoyed a snack under the trees. We did get serenaded by a beautiful Mexican Jay.

Depending on time, plan to stop in at the Panther Junction Visitor Center. This is the main visitor center in the park. There is a small Panther Path hike where the various plants are labeled. We loved learning more about the plants in Big Bend National Park and our kids even earned a small patch for their scouting uniforms.

Extended Day 3 Travel Itinerary for Big Bend National Park

Drive North to Persimmons Gap

Fossil Discovery Exhibit

Persimmon Visitor Center

Dagger Flat Auto Trail – 7 mile car hike

If you really want to visit all 5 Visitor Centers, don’t skip this trek. We made a quick stop at the Fossil Discovery Exhibit, where our children loved the playground. The opportunity to climb and run was well enjoyed. The climb up the hill to see the excavation area was definitely more for mom and dad. However, everyone delighted in the replica fossils showing the history of the area.

Make the drive up to Persimmons Gap earlier rather than later. This visitor center closes early most days and is generally closed by 4pm. Then on your way back towards your campsite, go ahead and pause for the Dagger Flat Auto Trail. This car hike was so fun to learn more about the plant life in this area, especially the yucca. Grab the Dagger Flat Auto Trail PDF guide before beginning this one.

Day 4 Big Bend National Park Itinerary for Families

Ernst Tinaja – 1.6 mile hike plus 5 mile drive down a dirt road

Rio Grande Visitor Center

Rio Grande Nature Trail – 0.75 mile hike

Boquillas Canyon Trail – 3.8 mile hike

Hot Springs Canyon Trail – 0.75 mile hike

Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail – 0.5 mile hike

We began our day with a drive down Old Ore Road. This 5 mile gravel road is a really rough, uneven and narrow road. You will definitely want a good high clearance vehicle for this hike. Take the drive nice and slow and plan to spend more time driving in and out than actually on the hike. However, we would definitely suggest going on this hike if you have the right vehicle. The Ernst Tinaja Trail is one of the least traveled in the park but absolutely spectacular. We loved the water filled pools and the rock scramble at the end. Mountain goats enjoy the heights here.

Then continue on over to the Rio Grande Visitor Center. The Rio Grande Nature Trail is located nearby and was well worth the walk. Our kids loved the boardwalk and through enjoyed spotting fish and turtles below. This is a beautiful spot to see the sunset too!

Afterwards, we continued the drive down to Boquillas Canyon Trail. This was such a fun hike being so close to Mexico. Some of the residents from Boquillas, Mexico cross the Rio Grande and place out souvenirs for the hikers. You can grab a walking stick, mug, apron, or even some hot tamales. This hike feels so different from the rest of the desert with the pockets of shade and cooling breeze. If you plan your day just right, there is a border crossing from Big Bend National Park into Boquillas, Mexico as well.

Early Evening Explorations

Later in the day, head on over to the Hot Springs Canyon Trail. The signs nearby suggest trying out this trail early in the morning or later in the afternoon to avoid the heat. This short hike loops past historic buildings and pictographs ending at the hot spring. The water is 105 degrees Fahrenheit!

On your way back towards your campground, take a stop at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail. This hike begins at Dugout Wells. There are signs here to teach you more about the early home built here as well as the plants in the area.

Day 5 Itinerary for Big Bend National Park

Chisos Basin Loop Trail – 2 mile hike

Lost Mine Trail – 4.8 mile hike

Chisos Mountains Visitor Center

Depending on the time that you have before departing, pick one last early morning hike. We went on the Chisos Basin Loop Trail since it was one of the only loops in the park. Be sure to keep an eye on trail signs and definitely look back over the trail at each one. There are multiple trails here and it can be easy to start along the wrong path. If you have a bit more time, you may wish to try the Lost Mine Trail. This trail is on the opposite side of the road as the Window Trail and has excellent views of the southeast.

When the visitor center opens, make one last stop into the Chisos Mountains Visitor Center to pick up your children’s junior ranger badges. And if you are so inclined, grab yourself a souvenir too!

How Many Days Do You Need to Explore Big Bend National Park, West Texas?

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?

We found that 5 days was perfect for our trip; however, we definitely could have stayed longer. The park newspaper, The Paisano, does have an itinerary for 1 day, 3 day, and 1 week trips. If you have less time, definitely drive the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and head down into the Rio Grande. If possible, plan a stop at the Chisos Basin or Panther Junction Visitor Center.

A Note on Hiking in Big Bend National Park

Plan for enough water when hiking in Big Bend National Park in West Texas. This is especially important for any hikes between 10am and 4pm as these tend to have the most grueling sun and oppressive heat. Remember, Big Bend National Park is in the Chihuahuan Desert. 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.

As you plan your trip to Big Bend National Park, take a moment to plan out your meals too. Our Easy Camping Meals post is a favorite for ensuring that meals don’t monopolize your family vacation.

Are you planning a trip to West Texas to see Big Bend National Park? There is a Big Bend State Park nearby too! Have you visited Big Bend National Park before? 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 join our growing Creating Butterflies family by subscribing to our newsletter below.

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.