One of our favorite trails in Big Bend National Park is Santa Elena Canyon, where you hike alongside the Rio Grande River as it flows through spectacular 1,500-foot cliffs. Roundtrip Distance: 1.6 miles Elevation Change: 80 feet Average Hiking Time: 1 hour The trailhead is at the end of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. At the river, to access the trail you’ll have to first cross the bed of Terlingua Creek, and then climb a short but steep bank. Sometimes there’s water in the creek and sometimes it