Big Bend National Park - "The Window"

The Chisos Basin Campground is in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend NP at 5,100 feet. All the campsites have great views of the mountains. There are some spectacular hikes in the Chisos Mountains and we have chosen 2 of the best. First up is "The Window". The Window hike is a 3.5 mile round trip hike out of the campground to a precipitous pour-off that drains the Chisos Basin, through a narrow notch in the basin rim, to the desert below when it rains. A pour-off is generally a bowl or funnel shaped area of smooth water worn rock that becomes a waterfall when it rains. The rock above pour-offs is usually smooth and full of potholes that trap water which is used by animals for days or weeks after a  rainfall. The Window pour-off appears to drop a considerable distance
to the desert floor below, but it's hard to tell because it is so smooth and slippery that you can't get very close to the edge. The view out across the valley is fabulous. It was a great short hike and we met some mule deer on the way back up.