I spent my childhood exploring various National Parks. Family hiking trips were What We Did, and I have fond memories of the adventures I had as a kid.

When my dad proposed spending Spring Break doing some three-generation family hiking in Big Bend, I was all in. There are so many wonderful Big Bend National Park hiking trails to explore!

My dad is an extremely athletic 71-year-old who refuses to let two cardiac ablations and a hip replacement slow him down. My mom is a lovely but unfit 70-year-old whose dogged determination allows her to keep up with my dad. My husband and I are a mid-40s couple who fit in fitness into our busy family life. We have to keep up with our two sons, 14 and 11, and our 7-year-old daughter.

All seven of us rode for seven hours from Austin to Big Bend in our minivan. The fact that we didn’t kill each other on the drive set a positive tone for our trip!

3 Things to Know before you go Family Hiking in Big Bend

1. Big Bend is extremely crowded at Spring Break. The season of good weather for family hiking in Big Bend is short: December – April. That means Spring Break is a really popular time to go. To find lodging in or near the park, you’ll need to plan your trip more than six months in advance. It’s worth it!

2. Big Bend is HUGE— The national parkland is three times the size of the state of Delaware– you should not expect to see it all. Three days of hiking was plenty for my family. If we’d stayed longer, we would have needed a rest day. Know how much your family can cover in a day and how much downtime they need. Remember that hiking is an excellent form of exercise. But it does make you tired! Set your expectations accordingly.

3. Get up early and get on the trails. We were able to avoid most of the crowds by starting our days early. We aimed to be on our first trail by 8am. The early start allowed us to find parking at the first trailhead and stay in front of the crowds most of the day. We had to wait for a place to park at one trail– Boquillas Hot Springs. We waited only 15 minutes, and it was well worth it. We saw a queue of about 20 cars waiting to get into the parking areas at Chisos Basin. I spoke with a woman who said they waited over an hour for a parking spot.

All of that to say, do your research! By knowing what trails you’d like to hike, strategically planning an order to your day, and starting early, you’re most likely to avoid the crowds. And that will make your experience much more pleasant!

A 3-Day Itinerary for Big Bend National Park Hiking

Day One: The East Side of the Park and Boquillas Canyon

Enter the park via the Persimmon Gap Visitor’s Center. (It was still closed when we went by.) Drive on to the Fossil Discovery Center. This new exhibit is housed in a beautiful structure designed by the Texas firm Lake Flato Architects, and it blends in with the landscape. The fossils within the exhibit are more impressive than I expected. It was ridiculously windy when we visited, but we took the short trail (about 0.1 mile) to the overlook for a great view of what used to be the ocean floor.

We drove on to the Panther Junction Visitor’s Center. There is a short but high-quality film that serves as an excellent introduction to the varied natural resources of Big Bend. My two younger kids picked up their Junior Ranger workbooks and got straight to work reading the exhibits and completing their activities. If you have kids 12 or younger, I highly recommend the Junior Ranger activity books. They are engaging educational activities that will help the kids learn a lot about the park and its environs.

Our next stop was Dugout Wells. It was a perfect introduction to Big Bend National Park hiking trails. Short (1 mile), flat, and an easy to follow loop, the trail was a good introduction to the common natural life in the park. We were planning to picnic for lunch under a lightning-struck tree, but the wind was ferocious and it started to rain.

So we hopped back in the minivan and made a few stops at scenic vistas. There was the Rio Grande Overlook where it was easy to see the lush greenery on the banks of the Rio Grande in stark contrast to the wider rocky landscape. We also stopped at the Boquillas Canyon Overlook for a closer look at the colorful Mexican town just across the river. (Note that valid US Passport holders can make a trip into Boquillas via government-sanctioned ferries. We opted not to do this due to time constraints.)

We drove on to the Boquillas Canyon trail. After a quick lunch in the minivan, we took a pit stop at the park bathroom by the trailhead. Then we headed up the trail (that soon goes down again) to hike into Boquillas Canyon. My kids were fascinated that Mexico was just on the other side of the river. The wind whipped around the canyon, causing the sand to sting our legs (and eyes!). If the weather had been more placid, I’m sure we would have hung out at the river’s edge to play much longer.

We made a quick stop at the Rio Grande Visitor’s Center for bathrooms and a stamp in the Junior Ranger books. After that we drove from there to the Rio Grande campground for the trail head of a nature trail that goes through a burned out area and up to a wide vista. The kids loved that they could run ahead, as there were very few people on this trail. When we made it to the top for the scenic overlook, the wind was blowing like crazy so we didn’t linger too long. It was fascinating to be able to look back over Boquillas and in to the canyon where we’d hiked just an hour or so before.

Our final stop of the day was at Boquillas Hot Springs. It was here we had to wait 15 minutes for a parking spot. The very easy, flat 8-minute hike into the hot springs was one of the highlights of the trip. Even though the small hot springs pool was absolutely packed with visitors, we enjoyed our 15 minute soak. Just as we were getting dressed again, horses came out of the grasses from the Mexico side of the river for a drink. It was really quite magical.

Day Two: Santa Elena Canyon and the West Side of the Park

We got going early because we knew that Santa Elena Canyon is one of the most popular Big Bend National Park hiking trails. To get there early from our lodging in Terlingua, we opted to take the improved dirt road Old Maverick Road for 13 very bumpy miles. If you’re driving a sedan, you might rather go the long way ’round.

Fortunately, we arrived early and were able to be on the trail while it was still quiet. The wondrous scenery overwhelmed us, and everyone was able to appreciate the canyon’s majesty. Following the trail into Santa Elena Canyon is like slipping into history.

The trail itself isn’t difficult– a little bit up and down– and for a hike that’s only about 1.5 miles round trip it sure packs an impressive punch.

Our next stop was the Dorgan-Sublett Trail, one of the newer hiking trails in the park. For family hiking in Big Bend, it’s a must-do. There’s natural history, a great vista, and architectural ruins that tell a wider cultural history of people who tried to tame this wild land. And the whole trail is only 1.3 miles!

There’s enough of an elevation change to get up for a good view, but it’s a gentle slope that’s easy for young (or old!) legs. And the views from the top of the trail are fabulous. It’s easy to see why the Dorgan family chose to build their home here nearly 150 years ago!

We made a quick stop at the Castalon Visitors Center so my kids could complete their final activity to earn the Junior Ranger Badge. I appreciate how caring the Rangers and park volunteers are toward children. They really want to foster a love of nature and the parks in the next generation.

We moved on to the Mule Ears overlook where we were planning on just a quick stop, but it turned in to our picnic lunch location. Then we decided that we’d do the Mule Ears Spring hike (3.6 miles) rather than the Chimney Rocks (4.2 miles) that we’d planned.

Of all the hikes we did in Big Bend, Mule Ears Spring was the biggest disappointment. We should have stopped after the scenic overlook about 0.25 mile down the trail. After that, it was hot, dusty, and really rocky.

Maybe if it were April and the yuccas and wildflowers were in bloom the Mule Ears hike would have been more rewarding. As it was, there wasn’t much to look at, and the payoff at the end– a natural spring– was incredibly disappointing. It was a tiny pool of water, no bigger than a car tire, and there were hundreds of bees buzzing about.

We redeemed ourselves by going to Burro Mesa Pouroff (via the lower trail) next. Although short (less than a mile each way) and flat, the trail was loose but thick gravel which made for slow going. We saw only one or two other groups on this hike, and that made us feel like we knew a secret. And when we got to the end, what a secret it was! A natural apse-like curve in the rock walls made for a stunning sight.

We could also see where waterfalls would be during flash floods. It was like reading the story of the stones set before us. This hike was the most unexpectedly beautiful of everything we did in Big Bend.

Another surprise was in store for us, thanks to my middle kid’s need to go to the bathroom. We saw a bathroom sign at the Sotol Vista, so we swung in. The vista was breathtaking! In every direction we could see nothing but parkland and the varied terrain of Big Bend. We were all so pleased with that detour!

Our tour resumed with a stop at the Homer Wilson Ranch next. I think this one is forgettable, given that I have no memory of going there just a few short days ago! The Sam Nail Ranch I do remember, but it was skippable if your crew is tired and has had enough for the day! Both of these hikes are very short (under a mile) so aren’t really make-or-break experiences.

Day 3: Chisos Basin and the Middle of the Park

One of the park rangers we spoke with told us that if we wanted to do the Lost Mine trail, we’d better be at the trail head around 8am if we wanted a parking spot. Sure enough, we nabbed the last parking spot by the trail head at 8:06 am. (There is a shuttle from the Chisos Basin and overflow parking lots. However, there was so much traffic wanting to get into the basin area by noontime that rangers were running a one-in-one-out queue.) As one of the most popular Big Bend National Park hiking trails, we didn’t want to miss out.

We had decided that in order for everyone to have the best chance at completing all of the hikes on the day’s itinerary, we would go only to the main overlook about a mile down the trail.

We did hike on another eight minutes or so, just to see a bit more, but my mom was back at the overlook waiting on us. I was a little concerned that my 7-year-old might wilt by the end of the day, so turning around earlier rather than later seemed smart.

For those who aren’t in top condition, I would encourage getting in to good enough shape to do the first mile of the Lost Mine Trail. It was real hiking on real trail that leads to a real view…but it can be done without completely tiring one’s self out.

We drove into the basin and had a bathroom break. We opted for the very short (less than 0.5 mile), paved Window Vista Loop. For those with compromised ability, this loop offers a gorgeous view. There are benches and rock walls for seating breaks along the way. It really is quite accessible.

While the Windows Trail (not the vista loop) is one of the most popular hikes in the park, we wanted to do something a little less crowded. We did the Basin Loop Trail, which is a lasso-shaped trail about 1.9 miles long. My oldest son made a strategic decision at the beginning of the lasso section: he led us uphill first. (Always do the harder part first when you’re less tired!) This turned out to be extra smart because that section had far more shade than the return part of the loop. The sun was out very strong by mid-morning.

There is meaningful elevation gain on this short hike. My mom was getting tired, and she fell twice on the trail. It was a combination of fatigue and tripping on rocks. (She’s okay!!) That’s just to say that even though none of the family hiking in Big Bend is long, it’s not all a walk in the park, either.

We opted for an early lunch at the picnic tables at Chisos Basin. All three days we ate sandwiches, fruit, carrot sticks, and hard boiled eggs that we had packed in a cooler in the back of our minivan. It made for quick, nourishing meals so we had more time for hiking. Please note that we also had plenty of water for our crew. Because most of our hikes were short, we didn’t carry water on all the trails. We did make sure to stay well-hydrated, even in the relative coolness (upper 70s) of spring. (And we always made sure to use park bathrooms when available!)

We left the basin and headed down the dirt Grapevine Hills Road. It was in a more improved state than the Old Maverick Road, but it was still a bumpy experience. We took the lumps and bumps because we wanted to hike the Grapevine Hills trail to Balanced Rock. This is one of the most photographed scenes in the park. The first mile of the trail is very easy hiking. So easy, in fact, I couldn’t see my boys after about two minutes.

The last quarter-mile, however, is all elevation gain. A combination of rocky trail and a bit of rock scrambling takes you to the top of the trail and the balanced rock. My kids LOVED the final stretch of this trail, but I could read the nervous anxiety in the eyes of a mama with younger kids as they attacked the elevation gain.

The view from Balanced Rock was stunning. And we of course waited our turn to stand under the famed formation for a photo.

The heat of the day had ramped up, and we were all pretty hot and tired from three days of hiking. Because we wanted to go to dinner at the Starlight Theatre in Terlingua that night, we opted to call it a day at only 3pm. This was a good decision!

If family hiking in Big Bend sounds intriguing to you, I encourage you to plan a trip. It’s an inexpensive way to see some of this beautiful world. Being out in nature all day was a gift for our city kids. And a five day digital detox was really quite refreshing for the adults!

Three generations of family hiking in Big Bend was a great time of connection and appreciation for our small place in this vast, wondrous world.

Did you like learning about Big Bend National Park hiking options? You’d also like the story of a family mishap while hiking Half Dome in Yosemite.

Karen Shopoff Rooff is a certified health coach and personal trainer. The Well Balanced Women blog is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Please discuss your health issues with a licensed medical practitioner.