In April I returned to Big Bend to take some of the trails we did not get to the first time. The first day I took the trail to the south rim and back, a twelve mile trail from the Chisos Basin visitors’ center about six miles to the rim and then back. The Laguna Meadows trail starts off in the Chisos Basin semi-desert shown here (looking back towards the Window), then becomes a deciduous forest as the altitude increases, finally becoming alpine meadows and pine forests at the top.

I recommend getting this detailed trail map of the Chisos Mountains; it would have been helpful. The trails are clearly marked, but farther apart than you might think. I took Laguna Meadows to the Rim, then Boot Canyon, went up the Northeast Rim (a 3 mile detour), rejoined Boot Canyon, and took the Pinnacles back to the campground. If the Southeast Rim trail is open, I recommend taking it, but it does add 2 mi to the trip. Without the detour, the trail is 12.1 mi, if the Southeast Rim is open, it is 14.4 mi, and with my detour about 15 mi. It is definitely easily doable in one day, but start early.