Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, Texas, United States
4.5 (317 reviews) Spent Ranking #4 in Big Bend National Park Scenic Drives
Beautiful Drive!!!
We really enjoyed the drive today. The cacti and assorted shrubs were just beautiful and many were bursting with blooms. There is so much to see in all directions. Be sure and stop and read the plaques along side the road. We saw a rattlesnake stopped on the road- we watched the creature for quite a while. Loved it!!!
Address
, Texas, United States.
Mobile
Website
http://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/ross-maxwell-scenic-drive.htm
Current local date and time now
Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 18:55
User Ratings
4.5 based on (317 reviews)
Excellent
77%
Good
21%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Reviews
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4PandaHouston 5:00 PM Nov 7, 2021
Different Landscape than the Chisos Area
The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive to Santa Elena Canyon is 31 miles. We did this drive on Saturday, October 30 and did 3 trails (Santa Elena Canyon, Tuff Canyon and Lower Burro Mesa Pour Off). Our favorite trail was the Santa Elena Canyon Trail. We also stopped at the Santa Elena Canyon Overlook, Mule Ears Viewpoint and Sotol Vista Overlook. This area is really different than the Chisos section which has more trees and vegetation.
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4Grover R 5:00 PM Apr 3, 2021
Amazing Drive, Especially at First Light
For me simply driving trough Big Bend was amazing. However, the road from the Chisos to Santa Elena is a highlight, the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. I did have the chance to drive this down and back to see Santa Elena at dawn. The dive is beautiful and it changes with the sun. The northern portion is a surprisingly significant drop with great views of the Chisos, the Mule Ears an Cerro Castallen, butte near Tuff Canyon. Some of my favorite pictures of the trip are dawn outlines of these features. The other amazing thing is Santa Elena at the bottom. Here the road levels along the Rio Grand and brings you right next to the awesome cliff that create the canyon. It is one thing to see these in a picture or from a distance. However, as my friend said when drove along the river "Dang" because here you did not simply see the cliffs, you could feel them lording over you. Either way, this is an amazing road that you have to drive when you are in Big Bend. If you can do it at first light.
