Great hike! Elevation gain very modest until the end. Loved the number and size of madrones.
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The Pinnacles trail was very pretty scenery. Trail was in good condition. Beautiful clear cool morning. At least I made 1/3 of the complete trail.
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The Pinnacles trail was very pretty scenery. Trail was in good condition. Beautiful clear cool morning. At least I made 1/3 of the complete trail.
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We had a great hike. It was our longest family hike like this. There were a lot of great views and we really enjoyed the scramble climbing to the summit.
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Scenic hike to a dry waterfall (the pouroff). The trail follows a wash, trekking through loose sand alternating with narrow sections requiring some scrambling. The walls rise for the last 1/4 mile or so, a lovely narrow canyon and respite from the sun. A final ~15 ft scramble down to see the pouroff.
We passed many people unable or unwilling to scramble the narrow sections. The Lower Burro Mesa trail would be a better option to avoid the scrambling.
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The hike is a very easy hike close to the visitor center. No shade. Desert landscape. Trail goes around the base of Lone Mountain.. A few birds and signs of deer, javelina but didn’t see any.
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Strenuous hike, but enjoyable with all the sights and wildlife. Went up Laguna and down Pinnacles. Saw two bears. One near the south rim viewpoint and the other on the way down about a mile south of Emory Peak. Bring lots of water. Have fun!
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Amazing canyon hike with gorgeous views. About a mile level easy hike to a quarter mile scramble up to the balanced rock. Well marked but sometimes hard to see trail markers. The drive to it had a couple of very rough spots. Not for cars, vans, or rvs. If you bike over, it’s an easy ride as you descent 800’ and a complete slog on the return. No shade.
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Lots of elevation at the beginning, and end of the trail. It was hard, but certainly worth it for the views. The trail takes you along the edge of the mountain and down into a valley with thick woods. There was more shy than I expected, even with the recent forest fire, killing many of the trees in one area. The wildlife that I observed allowed me to walk right up next to them before getting off the trail and allowing me to pass. There are several campsites along the trail that you can reserve if you want to make it a two day hike.
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The dry creek bed was extremely muddy so I turned back. Nice easy hike, follow the stone piles, no shade, good for families.
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My first time down this road, I should say down and up this road, and ultimately 10 miles in two hours. That’s nonstop driving white knuckling in many different places. This is hands-down my favorite part of Ore road so far, four-wheel-drive low 100%.
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We hiked to the peak. My son and a friend went to the very top. My husband and I stopped at the level just below the peak, about 30’ below. The wind was very strong and we thought it was a tiny area. Found out later it wasn’t.
I love hard hikes and I’d do it again but climb up to the peak.
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Incredible views of the Santa Elena Canyon. Main trail was easy to navigate, but unofficial trail that bypassed crossing the Terlingua Creek was very rough.
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This is a moderate hike, but most is fairly easy. The spring was dry when we hiked. The views of the mountains are beautiful.
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The Lost Mine Trail, may not be for an actual lost mine, at least not in this branch, that I've seen. It is however a very picturesque hike through differing landscapes, cresting several ridges for fantastic views. The trail end affords 360˚ views of the surround hills/mountains and many peaks throughout the Chisos Mountains, and is well worth the effort. It is not an "easy" hike, should be at least moderate, as you gain nearly 1200' in elevation over the ~2.5 mile one way (~5 mile round trip). Allow 2-2.5 hours out, for frequent views and rest stops. Take plenty of water, 1-2 ltrs per person.
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This is a moderate hike. Clearly marked trail access along the road to Chisos Basin. The trail is well maintained. It starts with easy inclines but gets steeper once you’ve gone about a mile. Switchbacks help to dampen the incline. Some mostly rock areas may be an issue if wet.
Great vistas of Juniper Canyon and into Mexico. The rocks, vegetation and birds all add to the reasons to do this hike.
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Fabulous hike with excellent views on the way up. Did this with my girls—twins age twelve and our six year old. Trail was in good shape but plenty of uneven terrain.
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Loved the hike! Good workout with a challenging scramble at the very top (not for the squeamish). Amazing views throughout and we were lucky to see lots of desert flowers after a month of rain in the area.
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Great hike up to Lost Mine Peak. Easy enough for kids, but tough enough for a bit of an uphill challenge for adults.
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This trail has a little bit of everything. Meadows lots of stair steps, long vistas, wildlife(bears, deer, tarantulas, snakes, you name it), and bouldering. It’s a challenging hike. Don’t set out with less than 2 liters(3 is advisable) of water, even in the fall. It’s all uphill from the basin to the summit w very short sporadic flat sections. It’s rocky so unless you are experienced wear good hiking boots and bring poles. The return trip is all downhill w all those stair steps ranging from a few inches to a foot or more. One of the best Big Bend Hikes!!!
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South rim view port and the many biomes you pass through make this a very worthwhile hike, best in Texas.
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Stunning hike. Saw three black bears. One was within fifteen feet of trail. Bring lots of water and a wide brimmed hat.
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Too ten hike! Great views even along first mile. Awesome views up top. Go early to bear heat and to get a parking place at trailhead.
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Great views in way up and once you get to too. Go early morning to not only beat the heat, but also to get a parking spot.
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Well worth the payoff of having to hike back out as temps rose. Hit trailhead at 8:15. Back by about 11:40, with plenty of drink stops along the way, plus we took our time at payoff Window for the beauty and a few photo ops. A very nice morning hike.
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A challenging hike that was beautifully worth it. Stunning views for much of the hike. Proud I made it and enjoyed the time with my sister Melissa:)
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I enjoyed the trail and even consumed more than 1 gallon per day which is the recommended amount by the NPS.
It went into the 90s and the clothing I had was inadequate. Sunburn.
Would do again but in January or late February.
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This was an awesome hike with fabulous views all along the route!
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Hikers guide from the national park rates this as MODERATE. It truly is moderate and took generally decent shape people almost 4 hours. TOTALLY WORTH the hike but the easy rating on this app is wrong
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Great view at the end and a fun hike up and back.
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Dylan Sylvia I hope to see balance truck I hope that will kill ordinary humans
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Really nice hike - about 3.75 miles out and back, nice slot canyon and great Pouroff.
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Really nice hike - about 3.75 miles out and back, nice slot canyon and great Pouroff.
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This was an amazing hike up to Balance Rock. The last .25 mile was a hard climb, but the views made all the hard work totally worth it. Highly recommend this hike if you are in Big Bend.
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Stunning drive in @Sunrise. Cold. Layers. Take stick. Beautiful the entire way! Leave by 7am-so not rushed when up there. Take bear spray
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Easy hike but well worth it. The views of the canyon are amazing, breathtaking
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The trail to Balanced Rock is not exceptional but once on top, it’s all worth the walk and climb. The climb is difficult (all fours) but short. The climb back down more-so. Also easy to get on a false trail coming down so watch your descent closely
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The trail had amazing views! Not one time did we look around and not be satisfied with the view. Gorgeous and should be witnessed by everyone!
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Being this my first hike it felt difficult towards the end. You’ll be rewarded with a unique, off the beaten path view.
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Stunning hike. Saw three black bears. One was within fifteen feet of trail. Bring lots of water and a wide brimmed hat.
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Trail is an easy, gravel covered trail walk from the parking lot, in similar condition like all BBNP to start for ~3/4 mile, but requires some climbing up at the end, over uneven surfaces, rocks and boulders. The road starts out as a nicely graded, for about 3/4-1 mile. The remaining 5+ miles (after recent rains during our visit), becomes rougher in places, but was still mostly passable, for 2WD SUV’s when exercising appropriate caution. NOTE: while most bill this as “improved dirt road” It is not advisable for low clearance automobiles!!
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Getting down into the river bed from the end of the Lost Mine Trail is a moderately steep bushwhack and can be tricky at the beginning but once in the creek, navigation requires only following the creek. Of course there is no water in the creek except at the end in some tinajas. The hike took me about 2 hours from the end of Lost Mine and I carried only water and a few other small items. The view from the top of the pour off is worth the hike. For anyone looking to rappel this a 200 foot rope should suffice if you plan on climbing back up. There are plenty of anchors about 30 feet from the edge but nothing at the edge.
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The payoff of the South Rim overlook can’t be captured by photos. You need to go there and take it all in yourself.
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Great road with a few challenges. Take it slow, air down and use a spotter in the gap and you’ll be fine. Enjoy!
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Drove Old Ore Rd. Nice drive, but rocky, rough, and steep road. Wonderful views and terrain.
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Really great hike in winter. Multiple canyons and great vistas. Unbeatable sunset. Well marked and groomed trail conditions make for a great overall experience costing moderate difficult.
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This hike was awesome and should not be missed if you like to hike and want amazing scenery. Parking is limited at the trailhead so you may want to factor in some extra time. The trailhead is not at the visitor center as we were led to believe.
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This is the best moderate hike in the park. Wonderful views. Lost Mine Trail far exceeds the trail to the window and only requires a little more effort. If you are not able to hike all the way to the end, just hike the 3/4 mile to the saddle for a great view of Juniper Canyon. This part is an easy walk with a gradual incline.
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Jeep Badge of Honor Trail. 4wd a must and high clearance def recommended. Did the trail North to South. It gets to the point right off the bat! Was a great day of wheelin! You can turn around and go back down the trail or continue going (which is what we did) and follow the River Road all around the park. Took us about 5 hours of backroad trail driving to get back to a main road and was worth every minute. Some of the best views in the park. And with the summer monsoon season upon us, made for some killer storm watching!
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Okay first of all. I was warned not to do this trail near the summer months. But it was a part of the park I haven’t seen and seemed like a challenge I could accept. It was hot and there was NOT a lot of shade. We took breaks in what little shade we could find. But it was still manageable. We wanted to go further but we found a nice shaded spot to setup camp. And as the day settled into night it was very enjoyable. Our plan was to finish the hike in the morning. But we decided we didn’t want to risk getting caught out in the heat again. So we left early unable to finish the entire trail. The walk back in the morning being mostly down hill and in the shade was very enjoyable. This is where it gets bad. Unfortunately as we approached my vehicle parked at the trailhead. It had been broken into. With a lot of my fiancé’s valuables taken. Mostly likely by illegals. We made a report with the ranger. They were very professional and I appreciate all the help received by them. A lot of folks near the visitors center offered help. Which all made us feel a lot better. All and all if you consider doing this trail. Do it during the cooler months and plan to do a a single day hike. It’s just to secluded and too close to the border.
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