Parking
Use the signed, paved Dog Canyon and Devil’s Den pullout, 4.5 miles south of the Persimmon Gap entrance. It fits about five vehicles.
Overview
About Dog Canyon Trail
Why go
- A dramatic limestone canyon reached by a mostly level approach.
- The roadside exhibit and distant canyon make the destination easy to spot.
Heads up
- Most of the walk is exposed desert before the canyon begins.
- The final rocky wash has unstable footing, and the left turn is easy to miss on return.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Big Bend map
Full mapElevation2,518–2,582 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Big Bend alerts
- ClosureWeather-related road closuresDo not use these closed roads; NPS lists the closures as in effect until further notice.Official details
- InfoBoquillas Crossing schedule changeBoquillas Crossing is open Friday through Monday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; NPS says it will not change to winter hours at this time. Check current park conditions before planning a crossing.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Big Bend Tour Guide
Your drive to Dog Canyon Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Dog Canyon and the Camel Experiment0:00 / 0:31
“Up ahead is the Dog Canyon pullout and Camel Experiment Exhibit, a quick stop with an unusual bit of Army history.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Big Bend Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Candelilla’s Wax Trade
- Lechuguilla’s One Bloom
- Persimmon Gap Visitor Center
- The Smell of Desert Rain
- 110 audio storiesacross Big Bend’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Collared Peccary, White-tailed Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 45 trails, 64 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Dog Canyon Trail
What the route isDog Canyon Trail is a 4-mile out-and-back from the paved pullout on U.S.
Dog Canyon Trail is a 4-mile out-and-back from the paved pullout on U.S. 385, crossing open desert before entering a break in the Deadhorse Mountains. The park estimates 2–3 hours and about 50 feet of elevation change. Choose it for the limestone walls at the end; most of the walk is a fairly level desert approach.
Remember the left turnFollow the cairned sand-and-dirt tread across sparse desert brush. Around 1.
Follow the cairned sand-and-dirt tread across sparse desert brush. Around 1.5 miles in, it reaches a normally dry wash and a metal sign. Turn left into Dog Canyon; the right fork continues toward Devil’s Den. The signed junction is easy to miss on the return, so take a moment to register it before heading into the canyon.
Walk through the canyonThe last half mile follows a rocky drainage, where footing gets uneven and unstable.
The last half mile follows a rocky drainage, where footing gets uneven and unstable. High limestone walls close in around the wash; the route passes between the cliffs and out the other side. Most hikers turn around where the canyon ends and retrace the same route. From the roadside, the canyon’s cleft stands out across the open plain; farther in, the close walls make a striking frame around the trail.
Heat and footingThe approach has little shade and only scattered creosote, cactus, and grasses.
The approach has little shade and only scattered creosote, cactus, and grasses. Bring water and sun protection; the park recommends about a liter per person for each planned hiking hour and cooler early or late starts. After good rain, clay mud can clump on shoes and make walking difficult.
Trailhead and petsUse the signed Dog Canyon and Devil’s Den pullout, 4.
Use the signed Dog Canyon and Devil’s Den pullout, 4.5 miles south of the Persimmon Gap entrance. It is paved and has room for about five vehicles. Dogs and other pets are not allowed on park trails.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Big Bend
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.
