Tourist Information
Big Bend is one of the largest, most remote, and least-visited national parks in the lower 48 United States. In recent years only 300,000-350,000 visitors have entered the park annually.
Big Bend's primary attraction is its hiking and backpacking trails. Particularly notable among these are the Chimneys Trail, which visits a rock formation in the desert, the Marufo Vega trail, a loop trail that passes through scenic canyons on the way to and from the Rio Grande, and the Outer Mountain Loop trail in the Chisos, which begins in the Chisos Basin, climbs into the high mountains, descends into the desert along the Dodson Trail, and then returns to the Chisos Basin, completing a thirty mile loop. Other notable locations include Santa Elena Canyon, Grapevine Hills, and the Mule Ears, two imposing rock towers in the middle of the desert. There are professional backpacking guide services that provide trips in the park.
The park administers 245 miles (394 km) of the Rio Grande for recreational use. There are professional river outfitters that provide tours of the river. Use of a personal boat is permitted but a free river float permit is required. Until 2002 visitors often crossed the Rio Grande to visit the Mexican village of Boquillas, but the Department of Homeland Security closed the border crossing. In June 2009 the Department of Homeland Security began treating all float trips as trips that had left and re-entered the country, and required participants to have an acceptable form of identification, such as a passport.
Another popular activity is birdwatching with more than 450 species of birds recorded in the park. Many species stop in the park during their migrations.
There are five paved roads in Big Bend. Persimmon Gap to Panther Junction is a 28-mile (45 km) road from the north entrance of the park to park headquarters at Panther Junction. Panther Junction to Rio Grande Village is a 21-mile (34 km) road that descends 2,000 feet (610 m) from the park headquarters at Panther Junction to the Rio Grande River. Maverick Entrance Station to Panther Junction is a 23-mile (37 km) route from the western entrance of the park to the park headquarters. Chisos Basin Road is 6 miles (10 km) long and climbs to 5,679 feet (1,731 m) above sea level at Panther Pass before descending into the Chisos Basin. The 30 miles (48 km) Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive leads to the Castolon Historic District and Santa Elena Canyon.
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