Vernon Bailey Mountain

It is undeniable that Big Bend NP has a lot of iconic views and hikes. The park is 1,252 square miles or 801,163 acres. That makes it the fifteenth largest park in the National Park System and the eighth in the lower 48 states. If you ever visit the park, please do not make the mistake of spending only a day. You will barely touch the surface of everything the park has to offer.

Big Bend NP offers desert, mountains, and river environments. The photo above shows the Chihuahuan Desert on the horizon and the Chisos Mountains in the foreground. For river scenery, you can visit the Santa Elena Canyon and even go canoeing up that river, for example, or you may cross into Mexico at Boquillas.

Besides The Window (as seen in the photo above), other iconic views and hikes include the previously mentioned Santa Elena Canyon, the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, a long hike to the South Rim, or a shorter hike on the Lost Mine Trail, where I made the photo above. There is no doubt that beauty abounds in the park.

One peak is rarely mentioned when one thinks or hears about Big Bend NP. I am talking about Vernon Bailey Mountain, which can be seen on the right-hand side of the first photo above. It is 6,672 ft (2,034 m) in elevation. Because of its prominent location in the Basin, Vernon Bailey Mountain can be seen from various trails. I captured the second photo on the Chisos Basin Loop, an easy hike around the Basin. The loop is only 2.4 miles (3.86 km) long and has 465 feet (141.73 m) in elevation gain. That loop gives a hiker an excellent view of all the significant peaks in the Chisos.

In the view above, Vernon Bailey Mountain is seen from the start of the South Rim trail via Laguna Meadows. This trail is long and usually involves overnight camping. However, we have hiked it in a day in some of our previous visits. We leave early in the morning (around 9 AM) and can return before dark, including a stop for lunch at the South Rim. The trail is about 14 miles (22.5 km) long and is easier to navigate going via Laguna Meadows.

If you prefer to camp while at Big Bend NP, I suggest getting your reservation for site 52 as I did a few years ago. You have the unique view of The Window right from inside your tent, and you will also see Vernon Bailey Mountain, as in the photo below. Site 52 is very popular and in very high demand among campers.

That is the story behind the shots. If you liked these photos, you might also be interested in other posts featuring Big Bend NP, Chihuahuan Desert, Chisos Basin Loop, Chisos Mountains, Laguna Meadows, Landscapes, Lost Mine Trail, National Parks, Vernon Bailey Mountain, The Window, and Texas. Until the next time, keep clicking and capturing the beauty your eyes find.