Big Bend National Park

One of the largest, and least visited, national parks in the continental United States is Big Bend. The reason for the lack of visitors has more to do with isolation than what the park contains – it’s another 100 or so miles down to the road from Alpine to get to much of anything in the park, and by the time you hit Alpine, you have likely already been in the car for hours. Once here, though, Big Bend rewards the effort with stunning desert vistas that rise up to tall mountains covered in juniper and pine forests, narrow canyons surrounded by sheer cliffs, abundant wildlife, and plenty of opportunities for hiking.

Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park
The Chisos Mountains are the only mountain range in the United States that are fully contained within the boundaries of a national park, and they are also the southernmost mountain range in the continental US. They rise up to Emory Peak at 7,825 feet above sea level, and are partially forested, in contrast to the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert.

Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park

Chisos Basin Lodge & Casa Grande Peak
Casa Grande Peak (7,325 feet) towers above the Chisos Mountains Lodge, located in the Chisos Mountains Basin. The basin is a valley in the middle of the mountains, developed with a variety of park services, including a restaurant, retail store, visitors center, lodging, and campground.

Window View Trail, Chisos Basin
The Window, an opening in the mountains surrounding the Basin, allows for grand views of the surrounding desert below.

Window View Trail, Chisos Basin
Scenes from hiking the Window View Trail.

Window View Trail, Chisos Basin
Scenes from hiking the Window View Trail.

Emory Peak, Chisos Mountains
Emory Peak, the highest point in the Chisos Mountains, is the highest peak in this photo.

Window View Trail, Chisos Basin
Scenes from hiking the Window View Trail.

Window View Trail, Chisos Basin
A closer view of The Window.

Prickly Pear Cactus
Ripe prickly pear tuna (fruit) on the cactus in the Chisos Basin.

Window View Trail, Chisos Basin
Scenes from hiking the Window View Trail.

Window View Trail, Chisos Basin
Scenes from hiking the Window View Trail.

Casa Grande Peak
Casa Grande Peak, as seen from the Window View Trail.

Window View Trail, Chisos Basin
Scenes from hiking the Window View Trail.

Yucca Plant
Yuccas are common throughout Big Bend National Park, even in the higher Chisos Basin.
Cactus Wren Nest in Cholla
A cactus wren's nest in a cholla cactus in the Chisos Basin in Big Bend National Park.

Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park

Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park

Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park

Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park
Looking west toward Rio Grande Village in the park, with a mountain ridge in Mexico in the distance.

Rio Grande Village Nature Trail
A beaver lake near the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande Village Nature Trail
A beaver lake near the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande Village Nature Trail
Hiking the Rio Grande Village Nature Trail near the Mexican border.

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