Popular West Texas hiking trail closed until further notice due to increase in bear activity

‘Our goal is to protect both the bears and park visitors. It’s their home – we’re the guests.’

File image of a black bear (Pixabay)

HOUSTON – Big Bend National Park’s well-loved Window Trail is closed until further notice due to a significant increase in bear activity.

“This emergency closure is due to significantly increased bear activity in the narrow trail corridor, and the safety of both the bears and the public is paramount,” park officials wrote in a social media post. “We ask for your cooperation during this time and apologize for the inconvenience.”

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Both the upper and lower Window Trail trailheads are closed.

“National park biologists are monitoring the bear activity and we will open the trail as soon as the bear activity in this area declines to normal levels,” Big Bend Superintendent Bob Krumenaker said in a statement on social media. “Our goal is to protect both the bears and park visitors. It’s their home – we’re the guests.”

Hiking the Window Trail has long been considered a classic Big Bend National Park experience and a must-do hike for many. The trail offers an incredible view through the Chisos Basin’s famous Window -- a large slot in the mountain rim where water drains from the basin.

MORE: Swimming suspended at Jacob’s Well for foreseeable future


About the Author

Briana Zamora-Nipper joined the KPRC 2 digital team in 2019. When she’s not hard at work in the KPRC 2 newsroom, you can find Bri drinking away her hard earned wages at JuiceLand, running around Hermann Park, listening to crime podcasts or ransacking the magazine stand at Barnes & Noble.

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