Window Falls

Worth the drive

Is it plungeworthy?

220feet tall

A waterfall on Oak Creek.

Scale57/60

Documentation15/20

Character8/20

The details

Watercourse: Oak Creek
Coordinates: 29.28093, -103.33085

Get directions →

About Window Falls

Window Falls is a 220-foot waterfall in Texas, on Oak Creek.

It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.

Plungeworthy rates Window Falls 8/10 — worth the drive. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

The Chisos Basin's drain: every drop of rain the basin catches funnels to one 220-foot pour-off framing the desert far below. You hike to the brink, not the base — and the last quarter mile is polished slickrock ending at the edge of everything.

Getting there

Trailhead: Window Trail, Chisos Basin, Big Bend NP
Parking: Basin trailhead lots
Road: Paved mountain road
Hike: 5.5 mi round trip, 800 ft of climb (moderate — the climb comes on the way back)
Heads up: Four miles round-trip if you start from the Basin Campground trailhead. Most days the pour-off is dry rock and pure view; water means recent rain.

When to go

October through April; summer afternoons are ovens, and storm days make the pour-off briefly, dangerously real.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: Big Bend entrance fee
Dogs: No
Camping: Chisos Basin Campground
Warnings: The polished chute near the lip has no railing and no second chances when wet. This trail has had bear-activity closures — glance at park alerts.

Researched from NPS — The Window Trail · American Southwest — Window Trail. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Window Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.