Window Trail in Big Bend

The Window Trail is one of the most popular hikes in Big Bend National Park. Whether you're visiting for a day or camping at one of the sites in the park, the Window Trail is a hike worth doing, and can be done in just a couple of hours at a leisurely pace. The Window itself is a V-shaped canyon that overlooks the desert into Mexico and offers stunning panoramic views, especially at sunset.

To begin the hike, you can either start at the Basin Trailhead (roundtrip 5.6 miles) or at the Chisos Basin Campground (roundtrip 4.4 miles). If you don't feel like hiking the first mile from the Basin Trailhead, you won't be missing much in terms of the hike's views and experience.

The hike begins in Chisos Basin and descends to Oak Creek Canyon, which, depending on the season and amount of rainfall, may have a stream running through. During our hike in August, there was a small stream, but nothing more than about an inch of water at any point. The total descent from the Chisos Basin Campground is about 500 feet over 2.2 miles (the way back is all uphill). The last .5 miles of the trail travels over a rocky canyon area that can be pretty slick to climb, so you'll definitely want decent hiking shoes with good grip.

Once you're at the Window, the view opens up to the desert plain below. There are no rails/ropes at the end of the Window—it's just a straight 220 foot drop from the edge, so be careful and don't get too close, the rocks can be deceivingly slick. Enjoy the uninhibited view and wait for the sun to set if you can.

Hiking back, the views are equally beautiful and look out at Casa Grande and Emory Peak. While we were on the trail, we spotted a black bear, two different groups of deer, and javelinas. Wildlife is abundant throughout the basin area, and Big Bend is also home to the mountain lion, so it's best to do this hike with at least another person and to follow safety information in the event of an encounter.