Visiting Big Bend National Park With Dogs

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Thinking about visiting Big Bend National Park with your dogs? Last Spring Break we did it with our dog Snoopy. From the information we gathered through the park’s website, bringing a dog to the park will limit our activities and explorations. But, Snoopy is not just a dog, he is a family member. So, he has to go with us wherever we go. I think some of you can relate to this, right?

Before we left for Big Bend, we talked about someone staying in the car with Snoopy when we do hiking or visiting the Visitor Centers. I also made a list of places that we wanted to see and who would stay in the car with him. From the blog posts I read, I wasn’t too impressed with their recommendations. Surely it will be more than just walking or taking pictures by the parking or the roadside, I remember talking to myself.

Before I take you through places where you can take your four legs baby in the park, it’s good to learn regulations for pets in the park and why pets aren’t allowed on trails. That way you will get a deeper understanding before you visit Big Bend National Park with your dogs.

Big Bend National Park Regulations for Pets in the Park:

• Pets are not allowed on trails, off roads, or on the river. Your pet can only go where your car can go.
• Pets need to be on a leash no longer than six feet in length (or in a cage) at all times. → I think the cage is referring to when you camp in the park.
• You may not leave your pet unattended in vehicles if it creates a danger to the animal, or if the animal becomes a public nuisance. → I know there are National Parks that allow you to leave the dog in the car as long as you park under the shades, no longer than certain hours, or the temperature is not over certain degrees. We left Snoopy in the car at Mount Rushmore parking garage and under the shades at Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico. One time we saw a dog left unattended in the car when we were in Mesa Verde National Park. The dog was barking and we told the Park Ranger our concern. He said it’s fine because the temperature is not above … (I don’t recall the exact temperature.) But not in Big Bend, and they are really strict about it.   
• If you plan to hike or take a river trip, someone must stay behind with the pet, or you will need to make arrangements with a kennel service. There is no kennel service in the park. → I read there are kennel services in Terlingua, a town about 15 minutes drive from the park, but we weren’t comfortable leaving Snoopy in the kennel. He hasn’t been in one yet.
• Pet etiquette and park regulations require that you always clean up after your pet and dispose of waste in trash receptacles.

These regulations made by the park for the safety of our pets, other people, and park wildlife. We must observe them if we want our dogs to be with us when we visit Big Bend National Park, even at the limited places.

“Why aren’t pets allowed on trails?”

Just like you, this question always popped in my head every time I read that pets aren’t allowed on trails. We always think our pets are nice, we would keep them on leash all the time, and we would pick up after them.

The trip to Big Bend wasn’t Snoopy first trip to the National Park. He went to Badland and The Great Smokey Mountains summer before this trip. He’s been to some of the parks under the management of National Parks, hiking with us to state parks in Texas and other states. He met bison at Custer State Park in South Dakota and Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. But, why can’t he go hiking with us at Big Bend? I’m sure some of you have the same questions.

One thing to remember, seeing wildlife is a highlight for many of national park visitors. Unfortunately, the mere presence of pets in the park alters the natural behavior of native wildlife. In national parks, the native species have priority.

Following are more reasons why our dogs are not allowed on trails in Big Bend National Park:

• Odors left behind by dogs may prevent wildlife from returning to important habitats such as fan palm oases.
• Sensitive archeological sites are often difficult to see and may inadvertently be disturbed by inquisitive four-legged visitors.
• The safety of your pet is important as well. Abundant cactus spines, rattlesnakes, and thorns are good reasons not to let your pet roam free. Dogs are natural hunters, but can easily become the hunted. Predators such as coyotes and mountain lions can kill pets, even during daylight hours.
• Even though your pets follow instructions and are very well-behaved, others do not know your pet and may feel uneasy when encountering an unleashed animal.
• By following the park’s simple regulations and respecting fellow visitors, you and your pet can have a happy and healthy park outing.

How about Service Animals?

Service Animals are allowed in all facilities and on all trails unless an area has been closed by the superintendent to protect park resources.

Their definition of Service Animals referred to ADA (Americans with Disability Acts) that is an animal that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.

If your dogs are not trained to perform tasks that mitigate the effects of a disability, including animals that are used to provide comfort or emotional support (e.g. therapy dogs), they are considered pets and not service animals. For more info on Service Animals, you can check the park website.

Where to Stop at Big Bend National Park with Dogs

With 801,163 acres (1,252 square miles) in size, Big Bend is the 15th largest in the National Park system. It has three distinct areas: the Rio Grande Village, Chisos Basin, and the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive that are located quite far from each other. Visitors can enter the park from Persimmon Gap in the north (about 39 miles/63 km from Marathon) or Maverick Junction in the west (about 9 miles/14,5 km from Terlingua.)

Following are the stops we made with Snoopy that I separated based on the three areas.

Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive

• Big Bend National Park sign before we entered the park from Terlingua. I think it’s a must to have a picture taken by the park’s sign. 
• Tuff Canyon. There’s a paved sidewalk for a few yards before it turns to a dirt trail. Cerro Castellan is the background.
• Santa Elena Canyon Overlook. The Santa Elena Canyon is far in the distance, but it’s a good choice if you visit the park with dogs.
• Mule Ears Viewpoint. There’s a rock platform where you can sit your dog, so they will look as tall as the Mule Ears Peak in the distance.
• Sotol Vista. Another stop with a beautiful vista of the park.

Other stops that you can make it here:

• Between Tuff Canyon and Castolon Visitor Center there’s a small area that looks like a Badland NP. There’s a pull out that has information about the rock formations. We stopped there, but it was too hot to take Snoopy out and put him back in the car. I just went out by myself while Snoopy stayed in the car with my husband and son.
• Castolon Visitor Center. From early 20s to early 40s there were cotton fields in this area. You can walk with your dog around the farm machines by the parking lot.

Chisos Basin

• There are at least 3 stops along Chisos Basin Road that have beautiful vistas of the Chisos Mountains. You really have to stop there.
• Walking around the Chisos Basin Visitor Center. It’s more to get to know the area because it’s very different from the other two. Make sure you don’t go to Window View Trail. Just because it’s paved, it doesn’t mean pets are allowed.

Rio Grande Village

• Panther Junction Visitor Center. This is the park headquarters where one of the gas stations is located. Pets are not allowed in the building, but if you want to check emails or post pictures to your social media, this is the place. You can take your dog for a walk around the parking lot or sit near the entrance. Our son who stayed in the car with Snoopy while we were inside the building said the Wi-Fi connection in this visitor center is quite strong.
• Rio Grande Village Visitor Center. Just for looking around.

Additional spots:

• Fossil Discovery Exhibit. There’s an interpretative exhibition by the parking lot that I think you can take your dogs for a walk around it. You will find this place first when you enter through Persimmon Gap in the north, from the town of Marathon.
• Bluebonnets were abundant when we visited during Spring Break. Best places to stop for pictures are the road between Panther Junction Visitor Center and Rio Grande Village Visitor Center, and between Panther Junction Visitor Center and Chisos Mountains Basin Junction.
• Stop at pullouts between Chisos Mountain Basin Junction and Castolon/Santa Elena Junction for spectacular sunset views.

My Take On Dogs In Big Bend NP

Remember when I said I wasn’t too impressed with the recommendations from blog posts I read about visiting Big Bend National Park with dogs? 

In reality, something around parking lots and on the side of the roads are where your dogs can go. If you can’t leave your dog at home, there are really limited activities that you can do in the park. Don’t expect a lot!

If you travel alone with your dog, you better drop your dog off at a kennel in Terlingua if you want to hike. If you travel with your partner and your dog, I still think you need to drop the dog off at a kennel. Unless you don’t mind doing things alone, taking turns with your partner to stay in the car with the dog. A family of three like us is the best deal. We already planned who would go to hike or see different places and who would stay in the car with Snoopy before we left home. We chose the places we wanted to see, and my husband and son chose who would stay in the car.  

I met a couple from Austin when we had supper at a restaurant in Terlingua the day we arrived. They were upset and wished they had known better so they could leave their dog with a family member. We also met a couple from San Antonio with their Great Dane puppy. They knew they couldn’t do a lot, but they didn’t want to leave their puppy at a kennel. At the end, it’s your choice.

Big Bend Ranch State Park next door is a pet-friendly destination. There are two must-visit places in the park and your dogs can come with you on trails. We love it there and we met again with a couple from San Antonio with a Great Dane puppy there. So, when you go to Big Bend National Park, you must visit this state park.

Where to Stay When Visiting Big Bend NP

When we visited Big Bend, we did tent camping and stayed in Terlingua because campgrounds in the park were fully booked, except the primitive campground. I prefer to stay in the sites with water, so a primitive campground is not our option.

It was also less than a month when we decided to go to Big Bend during Spring Break, so finding a pet friendly campground wasn’t easy. And, we also preferred to stay as close as we could to the park.

After looking at the top 3 from the list, we chose to stay at Big Bend Resort & Adventures. It’s the closest one to the park. Problem is, Terlingua is a desert, so it’s hard to find grass where our dog Snoopy preferred to do his #2 business.

Some of the campgrounds that you can check in the area are B.J.’s RV Park, Terlingua Ranch Lodge, Rancho Topanga Campgrounds, Study Butte RV Park that is even closer to the park, or Maverick Ranch RV Park in Lajitas that is a bit far, located to the southwest of Terlingua.

If you don’t like camping, Chisos Mountains Lodge inside the park has rooms that are pet friendly. You can always check accommodations through Airbnb or VRBO in Terlingua. Just make sure you read their pet policy before you book a room in their facilities.

Hope this information about visiting Big Bend National Park with dogs will help you in planning a trip to far west Texas.