Big Bend National Park – 10 Things to Do!

Big Bend National Park – 10 Things to Do!

These are 10 things you can do in Big Bend National Park! At over 800,000 acres, it is one of the largest, yet least visited national parks in the United States. If you enjoy hiking, canoeing, sight-seeing, stargazing or soaking in natural hot springs, this is the park for you. Here you can explore the flora and fauna of the Chihuahuan desert, hike the Chisos Mountains or paddle down through several amazing canyons on the Rio Grande, which serves as the international border with Mexico. We loved Big Bend so much that we visited it on two separate trips in December 2017 and 2018.

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FULL SERIES
Rio Grande – Boquillas Canyon Kayak | Big Bend National Park – https://youtu.be/5qTdwWtJavI
Ernst Tinaja Hike | Big Bend National Park – https://youtu.be/kHSZTC-t958
Rio Grande – Santa Elena Canyon Kayak | Big Bend National Park – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VioghoixSiU
Rio Grande – Fern Canyon Hike | Big Bend National Park – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt8WpuDrz3U
Rio Grande – Hot Springs Canyon Kayak | Big Bend National Park – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qetFTdk3CAc
Emory Peak & South Rim | Big Bend National Park – https://youtu.be/32OkFKwkEuo
Upper Burro Mesa | Big Bend National Park – https://youtu.be/sFK-rd8lGIw
Big Bend National Park – 10 Things to Do! – https://youtu.be/W4XLwtpWGGo

Music from Epidemic Sound – http://bit.ly/2MY6ilU

Attribution:
daveynin – Gateway to Big Bend (top portion is cropped out) – https://www.flickr.com/photos/daveynin/8307592858/
License – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

Vincent Lock – Milky way from Big Bend – https://www.flickr.com/photos/27630470@N03/13899779235/
License – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

Steve – 20200720-IMG_4527.jpg – https://www.flickr.com/photos/mrlaugh/50173919918/
License – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode

0:00 Intro
0:32 Big Bend
1:22 Emory Peak
2:34 South Rim
3:50 Upper Burro Mesa
4:51 Santa Elena Canyon
5:56 Fern Canyon
6:55 Hot Springs
7:31 Hot Springs Canyon
8:18 Boquillas Canyon
10:17 Ernst Tinaja
11:11 Dark Sky Park
12:06 Terlingua Ghost Town, Horse Riding, DB’s BBQ

50 Comments

  1. @leemeyer748 on June 27, 2025 at 11:54 am

    We loved our trip there; hiking and exploring the river on a borrowed inflatable boat. A grand time we had!

  2. @sandspike2929 on June 27, 2025 at 11:56 am

    I love BB Park. If you motorcycle don’t miss the river road west from Terlingua to Persidio. Fantastic ride.

  3. @connectingwiththeoutdoors81 on June 27, 2025 at 11:56 am

    Thanks, very informative video. Have you ever hiked the Mckittrick Canyon in Guadalupe Mountains National Park? This trail is so pretty in the fall! Check out a short video I made of it end of last year. https://youtu.be/dx6j2Im9mi0?si=tgCPEPs5fuIaJNFJ

  4. @MegaRetr on June 27, 2025 at 11:56 am

    Did you feel safe being so close to the border? )))

  5. @microcosm1957 on June 27, 2025 at 11:56 am

    Emory peak isn’t #5 in Texas… more like 11 or more

  6. @brianortiz6385 on June 27, 2025 at 11:56 am

    Big Bend is not that great. Your video makes it sound like you can do all these activities in just a couple of days the park is too big it’ll take several days. You didn’t mention that you need a passport to cross at Boquillas Crossing into Mexico.

  7. @bhupeshdihenia6514 on June 27, 2025 at 11:58 am

    Great review. Thank you!

  8. @HopefulHoneybee on June 27, 2025 at 12:02 pm

    Look at that FLAT HORIZON!

  9. @ConNie-k3n on June 27, 2025 at 12:02 pm

    Glad to see as can’t do myself

  10. @SahanaReddy-k7r on June 27, 2025 at 12:05 pm

    What’s the best time to visit this national park ?

  11. @lisaneely-gibson1765 on June 27, 2025 at 12:06 pm

    That rock road is in better condition than the roads where I live in hunt county. Looks like it wouldn’t be that hard to navigate

  12. @katieandjoeonthego on June 27, 2025 at 12:10 pm

    This is a great video! We are heading to Big Bend in a few weeks and your video gave us a lot of great ideas (especially that hot springs)

  13. @giselaramsey9277 on June 27, 2025 at 12:10 pm

    Very informative and concise , Bravo !

  14. @epach1747 on June 27, 2025 at 12:11 pm

    least visited. let’s keep it that way 😅.

  15. @Lcatcher24 on June 27, 2025 at 12:12 pm

    Debating on taking a 3 day trip out there but I live in south Texas but damn this place is still 9 hours away 😳

  16. @getreal4real169 on June 27, 2025 at 12:13 pm

    My husband and I hiked to the Window when we visited Big Bend. I really enjoyed it. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤. It took us 9 hours to drive there from Houston. I heard that they have the dome and stucco structures to rent there now. There are some that’s clear for star gazing. I also went to Terlingua and went horseback riding. Thanks for sharing.

  17. @michaelfitzgerald434 on June 27, 2025 at 12:14 pm

    Went to Big Bend a few years ago. My 3rd favorite NP! Gorgeous place. And the food in the Park is great!!

  18. @stevenmerlock9971 on June 27, 2025 at 12:15 pm

    I love camping in the wild = off-roading near old ore road near telephone junction. Once the sun goes down that’s when the fin begins.

    Few people have seen the sights of the universe but hitch a ride look at the sky and you will understand.

  19. @jenniferchi2117 on June 27, 2025 at 12:16 pm

    This is such a good video! When did y’all go to Big Bend and for how long? I’m thinking about going soon 🙂

  20. @franciscolugo5611 on June 27, 2025 at 12:18 pm

    Can I Drive my ATV?

  21. @SweetMamaG on June 27, 2025 at 12:20 pm

    Just to give non-texans an idea of how vast TX is, el paso is closer to los Angeles than it is to Houston. Im in san Antonio, 7 hours from big bend, 3 from Houston, 1.5 from Austin, 3.5 from Dallas, 2 from the gulf. We’re bigger than most countries, and don’t ever forget it 😂

  22. @damesaphira9790 on June 27, 2025 at 12:20 pm

    Play the song "Gringo Honeymoon" by Robert Earl Keen, as you canoe down the river! You will never forget the experience.

  23. @joetallore8002 on June 27, 2025 at 12:21 pm

    Going there next December thanks for the insights

  24. @mariannepage16 on June 27, 2025 at 12:27 pm

    I just came back from Big Bend, second visit. It was great, but 5 days were not enough time. Fog prevented a South Rim view, but hiking in a cloud via Pinnacle, Boot Canyon, we crossed over to the Laguna Meadows via Colima Trail. Some rain in spots made this a very special hike after all. Would love to return but it will take 2 years due to the renovations planned in the park.❤

  25. @oooelaineooo on June 27, 2025 at 12:28 pm

    Where do you put in to get to the hot springs?

  26. @dannylgriffin on June 27, 2025 at 12:28 pm

    Very good video. Now I think I should do river trips there. (There are better places to eat than the Starlight Theater).

  27. @LeNguyen-tv2cv on June 27, 2025 at 12:28 pm

    Love your video. Thank you for sharing.

  28. @FrankF1965 on June 27, 2025 at 12:29 pm

    Great video. We are going to Big Bend next month. Steely Dan rules.

  29. @metarus208 on June 27, 2025 at 12:29 pm

    awesome guys

  30. @frederick6008 on June 27, 2025 at 12:29 pm

    If one of you had a medical emergency you would love the antennas.

  31. @richards144 on June 27, 2025 at 12:31 pm

    great video. Big Bend is on my list.

  32. @elizabethtipton4193 on June 27, 2025 at 12:31 pm

    I’m so glad I came across your video. I had no idea who is all of these things to do at Big Bend. I’m heading there today and hope to take one of those canoeing trips.

  33. @jackattack101z on June 27, 2025 at 12:32 pm

    I live in terlingua

  34. @The_Gallowglass on June 27, 2025 at 12:33 pm

    "If you like…stargazing"
    0:12 Shows a picture of a couple of…maybe…stars. lol

  35. @Phil-s4u on June 27, 2025 at 12:35 pm

    I might be wrong but I think those antennas r there to help people who might need help.

  36. @mklotzba on June 27, 2025 at 12:39 pm

    Went to take a leak at 3AM. I was so awe struck at seeing the Milky Way stars that I stood outside my tent for 20 minutes. Simply amazing.

  37. @nitha609 on June 27, 2025 at 12:40 pm

    If they build a nice town with lots of hotels maybe people will go.

  38. @dennismccauley1914 on June 27, 2025 at 12:40 pm

    Was there in July, 2022. Saw 6 bears, including a sow with 3 cubs. Amazing place!

  39. @patkeeler6645 on June 27, 2025 at 12:41 pm

    Big land

  40. @BlurnGanston on June 27, 2025 at 12:42 pm

    The music 👎

  41. @ProudBerliozian on June 27, 2025 at 12:43 pm

    SIX hours from El Paso?! Your burro needs an oil change, man.

  42. @californiathroughmylens on June 27, 2025 at 12:45 pm

    Thanks for make this video! I’m actually going to big bend soon and I was excited to see it pop up on my feed!

  43. @rickson50 on June 27, 2025 at 12:47 pm

    When did you go? Is it always so desolate/colorless looking?

  44. @kingofcastlechaos on June 27, 2025 at 12:47 pm

    I was a raft guide out there in the late 80’s and met this amazing girl raft guide on a Santa Elena trip. 3 weeks later I asked her to marry me. Stopped by the store in Terlingua to buy a ring. That was 38 yrs ago and still going strong.
    I have seen Fern Canyon totally clogged with ferns and also scoured clean like a pot- an amazing place but incredibly harsh if you are not prepared.

  45. @Bhunnidb on June 27, 2025 at 12:48 pm

    Can you fish there ?

  46. @LouisianaAstroRambler on June 27, 2025 at 12:48 pm

    I want to go so bad, I’m only 14 hours away lol

  47. @brandoncaro82 on June 27, 2025 at 12:48 pm

    Great video! Planning a long weekend trip and plan to eventually float the Rio Grande.

  48. @anthonysears871 on June 27, 2025 at 12:50 pm

    Stay home. Made your beds on greed in cities and suburbs.Betsy there! Tourists ruin everything by bringing their city "sh" to rural areas! We do not want you here!!!!

  49. @rener5399 on June 27, 2025 at 12:50 pm

    It’s stoodie butte…not study butte…

  50. @JJ-rl5ef on June 27, 2025 at 12:52 pm

    Beautiful photography 🎉

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