Sight · Big Bend National Park
Ranger talks bring local stories to a stone stage outdoors.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Big Bend Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Big Bend National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Big Bend audio tourRecorded for this place
Chisos Basin Campground and Amphitheater“You're approaching Chisos Basin Campground and its neighboring amphitheater. The campground makes a good base for high-country hikes, but reservations are required, and the small, uneven sites suit smaller rigs.”
Plays as you drive up to Chisos Basin Amphitheater in the Parkwolf Big Bend Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Chisos Basin Amphitheater is a small outdoor ranger-program venue beside Chisos Basin Campground. Wooden benches face a low stone stage and projection screen, set among junipers and red rock hillsides. When a program is scheduled, it’s a free talk of about 45 minutes, with subjects ranging from bears to bandits. It’s a relaxed way to add local context to an evening in the basin; the talk is the draw, not a long wander around the structure.
The amphitheater sits beside the campground, separate from the visitor center and lodge. Auto parking is listed, and the venue is described as wheelchair accessible by a dirt ramp. The ramp’s grade and surface details aren’t specified, so check with the park if you need precise access information. The lodge restaurant and camper store are elsewhere in the developed basin, useful before or after a program but not part of the amphitheater.
Wildlife
377 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
329 sightingsCollared PeccaryMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
500 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
985 sightingsRoadrunnerMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
228 sightingsRavenMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
264 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around noonSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Big Bend. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingEmory Peak Trail10.5 mi · 7 hr · 0.3 mi awayA full-day climb to Big Bend’s highest summit and wide-open views.
ChallengingOuter Mountain Loop30 mi · 18 hr · 0.3 mi awayThree days from Chisos woodland to exposed desert, with no reliable water.
ModerateChisos Basin Loop Trail2 mi · 1 hr · 0.3 mi awayA shaded Basin loop with Window views and pine forest.
ModerateThe Window Trail5.5 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayA 5.5-mile canyon hike with a tough climb back to the Basin.
ChallengingSouth Rim Trail12.5 mi · 6.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayA hard climb to the rim, back through Boot Canyon and Pinnacles.
EasyWindow View Trail0.3 mi · 30 min · 0.3 mi awayA paved Basin loop with a clear view through the Window.
ChallengingEntire Rim Loop13.6 mi · 9 hr · 0.3 mi awayBoth Chisos rims and Boot Canyon in a full-day loop.
ChallengingPinnacles Trail7 mi · 4.5 hr · 0.3 mi awayA steep, shaded climb to a high pass above the Basin.
Campground · 0.1 mi awayChisos Basin CampgroundHigh-country camping for hikers; road and site size favor smaller rigs.
Visitor center · 0.3 mi awayChisos Basin Visitor CenterA quick Chisos wildlife primer before you head for the Basin trails.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayWindow ViewA short, paved loop for sunset through the Window.
Store · 0.3 mi awayChisos Basin StoreCold drinks and camp basics, without a detour from the Basin.
Lodging · 0.3 mi awayChisos Mountains LodgeStay at the park's only lodge, high in Chisos Basin.
Scenic pullout · 1.3 mi awayTree Zone ExhibitStand under an oak where desert plants meet mountain woodland.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayThe WindowA long hike to a 200-foot pour-off framing the desert.Sight · 2 mi awayEmory PeakA 10.5-mile round trip earns a 360-degree summit panorama.Parkwolf’s Big Bend ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
