Santa Elena Canyon Trail
in Texas
Trail Information Roundtrip Distance: 1.6 miles (2.6 km) Elevation Change: 80 feet (26 m) Average Hiking Time: 1 hour Dogs and other pets are not allowed on any trails in the park. The trail begins at the end of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive and is one of the prettiest short trails in the park. To access the trail, hikers must first cross the bed of Terlingua Creek, and climb a short but steep bank.
Conditions change constantly at this location. As the trail enters the canyon mouth, it climbs a series of concrete steps to a high viewpoint. From the viewpoint, the trail slopes gradually down to the river’s edge and continues winding among large boulders until it ends abruptly where the canyon wall meets the Rio Grande.
This is one of the narrowest places in the seven-mile long Santa Elena Canyon. Rest for a bit, and listen for the descending notes of the canyon wren or the call of the raven high along the canyon walls. Safety Alert: Santa Elena Canyon Trail To access the trail into the canyon, you must first cross the bed of Terlingua Creek, and climb a short but steep bank.
- States
- Texas
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid coords
- 29.1677°, -103.6105°
About Big Bend National Park
This trail is inside Big Bend National Park, a national park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $30 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/santa-elena-canyon-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Santa Elena Canyon Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
Dorgan Sublett Trail
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Mule Ears Trail
11 miles from this trail's centroid
Chimneys Trail
12 miles from this trail's centroid
Burro Spring Trail
12 miles from this trail's centroid
Lower Burro Mesa Pouroff Trail
13 miles from this trail's centroid
Upper Burro Mesa Pouroff Trail
15 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.