Lost Mine Trail - we did this the day we arrived in the park 
Window Trail - the trail head for this was at our campground so it was a good way to start our our first morning in the park. We loved it - there was great scenery, the end where you walk through a canyon with a stone bottom was awesome, and the view was fantastic. One of our two favorite trails (about 4.5 miles).
The Chisos Basin Loop Trail - there are lots of branches off this trail and various ways you can do it, but it is the longest trail system in the park (I think - we did about 12.5 miles of it.)
After our long day of hiking we did some driving to the south west part of the park and set up camp. Soon after we got into Cottonwood campground we had some visitors - javelina (11).
Our legs needed a break so the next morning we went kayaking down the Rio Grande through the Santa Elena Canyon. All you can see without getting in the water.
Well, we actually went about 2.5 miles up river before we went down (about 5 miles total). Since the Rio Grande is our border with Mexico one side of the canyon is US and the other Mexico. So I saw Mexico for the first time. And not only did I see it, I actually went there - we ate lunch on the Mexico side.
When we got done with kayaking it was 95 degrees! It is March, the beginning of March. We felt like we were baking. We were rather exhausted and not thrilled about the heat, so we leisurely drove back to the Chisos Basin along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, stopping at view points along the way.
Some of our views at our campground int he Chisos Basin - we stayed here our 1st, 3rd, and 4th nights. The 4th night the temperatures were down in the 20s - temperatures varied 70 degrees while we were there - 50 degrees within 24 hour periods - crazy!)
We were cold and tired when we woke up the next morning, and we had read that the hot springs were over 100 degrees - which sounded great on a cold morning but not on a 95 degree day - so we started off our day with a soak, which was perfect. Our bodies needed it (it totally helped our bodies relax and our muscles felt rejuvenated after - maybe there is healing power in the water) and we had it all to ourselves until our last 10 minutes or so (except for the Mexican cows across the river).
We took the rest of the day easy doing a bunch of little hikes (about 4 miles) in the Rio Grande Village area - including Boquillas Canyon. In that area, across the river is the Mexican town of Boquillas. It is a tiny village and I guess they are super poor. When you are in that area every where you go there are little spots were these people have left little crafts they have made, most of which have price tags on them, there's a can or something to leave money in, and a sign asking for help. They were everywhere. It is not only illegal for them to cross the river to come on our side, but also for them to try to sell stuff over here. So they just leave it. But the river is not very wide or deep, so several times we saw them standing on their side watching over there stuff. Then we were surprised when we were at one look out and saw two men on horse back riding over. They were friendly and waved, but we weren't interested in discussing buying stuff from them so we got in our car to leave. At about that same time a Border Patrol truck showed up with two men. As soon as the two Mexican men saw them they hopped on their horses and took off, back to their side. The Border men got out of their truck, look at all the stuff, and then just waved at all the Mexicans on the other side. From there we went to the trail to the Boquillas Canyon. All along the trail there was the stuff to buy. Two men were standing there and talked to us about their stuff. Then the Border guys drove up. These men didn't have horses, they just walked across the river without even getting their shorts wet. We are thinking are borders aren't very secure, and that the Border Patrol doesn't really care. You would think if they really wanted to deter this behavior they would confiscate the stuff they are trying to sell, but they don't, they just leave it. Anyway, it was kind of funny watching the Border Patrol and the Mexicans play their little game - we guess they probably do it several times a day.
Our last hike was out to Balancing Rock. It reminded us of Valley of Fire. This was our other of our two favorite hikes. There are fun rock formations and the boulders are perfect for climbing on. We had a lot of fun (about 2 miles). This was a perfect way to end our Big Bend Trip - well, then we camped another night, but a great last hike.
