I spent 3 days hiking Big Bend. The famous national park had some cool views, but I'd never go back.

14.07.2024 - 11:40 / insider.com

When my fiancé said he had a few days off from work at the end of May, we quickly planned a trip to Big Bend National Park.

Summer was nearing, and I imagined the flowing waters of the Rio Grande against picturesque canyons, fields of desert cacti, and glorious mountain peaks meeting fresh blue Texas sky.

We reserved a hotel in the area and drove 10 hours from Houston to the park. Unfortunately, our trip wasn't quite what I hoped.

When we arrived at the park, we paid $30 for an entrance pass and then traveled another 35 miles to our lodging site, Chisos Mountain Lodge.

I liked that the simple rooms in our lodge provided mountain views of the heart of the park, which formed from a volcano eruption over 30 million years ago.

The surrounding Chisos Mountains looked ghostly, with eroded rough cliffs and shadowed formations that looked like mysterious creatures.

Although we were in the heart of Big Bend, we quickly realized we'd have a lot more driving to do throughout this trip. The drive from our lodge to Santa Elena Canyon alone was over 90 miles there and back.

I hadn't realized just how massive Big Bend National Park would feel at 1,200 square miles of land or just how spread out its landmarks were.

Most of the remote drives made me feel like I was on Mars. Every plant and cactus we passed looked parched from the scorching sun and sweltering heat.

I felt like desert prey as the signage we passed warned of rattlesnakes, mountain lions, and black bears.

We explored the easy Window View Trail, which offers a beautiful vista of the "window" formed between the mountains. It was outstanding at sunset.

Then we ventured on the rocky Chisos Basin Loop Trail, an easy-to-moderate hike that introduced us to views of Emory Peak, the highest in the park, and the square-shaped Casa Grande Peak.

I was especially excited to see the magnificent Santa Elena Canyon, a gorge where the Rio Grande splits the land between the US and Mexico.

To get there, we took the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, a geological wonder where volcanic ash and various rock formations meet. We didn't pass anyone on the road, just a coyote and vultures.

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When the 1,500-foot-high limestone cliffs and Santa Elena's gorgeous purplish and beige colors came into view, I straightened up in my seat.

I was expecting to see sunlight beam off the ripples of the river between glorious canyon walls. Instead, I mostly saw dry, cracked ground.

I didn't know I might not see the Rio Grande in all its glory, but I later learned that it was always possible.

In 2022, Rio Grande dried out for the first time in about 40 years due to factors like persistent drought and lack of rainfall.

It began happening again in 2023, and with many hot days ahead in