Cattail Falls Trail, Big Bend National Park

Like Oak Creek Canyon to the north, Cattail Canyon is a major ravine on the west side of the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park, starting in the high country over 6,000 feet and descending steeply to the desert plains below. Oak Creek has a popular trail, leading to the Window, where the drainage falls vertically away by 220 feet, but in contrast Cattail Canyon is largely inaccessible owing to steep sides and a number of intervening pour-offs, though it may be explored with use of ropes.

Only the lowest section of the canyon is easily visited, by the 1.5 mile Cattail Falls Trail, which crosses undulating hills and enters a dense patch of woodland enclosing a small stream that flows through a enchanting series of pools from the base of an 80 foot waterfall. The reddish rocks of the cliff face behind the falls are streaked with white and black, partly surrounded by rich green vegetation, and the whole place is very beautiful but also delicate, home to unusual plants and a variety of wildlife. In midsummer the falls may be completely dry but most seasons have at least some water.

Partly to protect the fragile environment by limiting visitor numbers, the trail to the falls is not marked on the NPS map of the national park, and the trailhead is not signed from the highway. The trail does have a sign, half a mile from the parking area along a gravel track, accompanied by a notice detailing the care needed when visiting; advice includes not to wade in the pools, the need to stay on the path, and to walk on the rocks rather than earth when in the vicinity of the falls.