Visitor center · Big Bend National Park
A quick Chisos wildlife primer before you head for the Basin trails.
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 and Window View“You're coming up on Chisos Basin, a mountain-ringed bowl with a gap called the Window opening toward the desert.”
Plays as you drive up to Chisos Basin Visitor Center 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
The Chisos Basin Visitor Center is a low building in the mountain-ringed Basin, about 10 miles southwest of Panther Junction. Its exhibits cover the plants, animals and birds of the Chisos Mountains, making it a useful first stop if you want some context before a hike. It’s also a good place to ask staff about trails and wildlife.
One exhibit features a mountain lion; the wider displays focus on Chisos plants, animals and birds. The Basin sits in a bowl surrounded by high mountains, with a low opening to the west looking out toward the desert below. That contrast helps explain why the drive up feels like a change of landscape.
Backcountry and river-use permits are issued here, and you can pay the park entrance fee. The Big Bend Natural History Association bookstore and restrooms are in the building, and a faucet on its east side fills personal water containers. The center is wheelchair accessible, with accessible flush restrooms, Wi-Fi and auto or bus/RV parking.
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
ChallengingSouth Rim Trail12.5 mi · 6.5 hr · At the trailheadA hard climb to the rim, back through Boot Canyon and Pinnacles.
EasyWindow View Trail0.3 mi · 30 min · At the trailheadA paved Basin loop with a clear view through the Window.
ChallengingEntire Rim Loop13.6 mi · 9 hr · At the trailheadBoth Chisos rims and Boot Canyon in a full-day loop.
ChallengingPinnacles Trail7 mi · 4.5 hr · At the trailheadA steep, shaded climb to a high pass above the Basin.
ModerateLaguna Meadow Trail7.4 mi · 4.5 hr · At the trailheadA steady climb into meadow country with views back to the Basin
ChallengingEmory Peak Trail10.5 mi · 7 hr · 0.1 mi awayA full-day climb to Big Bend’s highest summit and wide-open views.
ChallengingOuter Mountain Loop30 mi · 18 hr · 0.1 mi awayThree days from Chisos woodland to exposed desert, with no reliable water.
ModerateChisos Basin Loop Trail2 mi · 1 hr · 0.1 mi awayA shaded Basin loop with Window views and pine forest.
Store · At the trailheadChisos Basin StoreCold drinks and camp basics, without a detour from the Basin.
Lodging · 0.1 mi awayChisos Mountains LodgeStay at the park's only lodge, high in Chisos Basin.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayWindow ViewA short, paved loop for sunset through the Window.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayChisos Basin AmphitheaterRanger talks bring local stories to a stone stage outdoors.
Campground · 0.4 mi awayChisos Basin CampgroundHigh-country camping for hikers; road and site size favor smaller rigs.
Scenic pullout · 1.4 mi awayTree Zone ExhibitStand under an oak where desert plants meet mountain woodland.Sight · 1.7 mi awayEmory PeakA 10.5-mile round trip earns a 360-degree summit panorama.
Sight · 1.9 mi awayThe WindowA long hike to a 200-foot pour-off framing the desert.Parkwolf’s Big Bend ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
