Five Miles, One Waterfall, And A Perfect Morning
Hiking Series: Big Bend National Park
This morning felt like one of those reminders of why we chose this life in the first place. Pure magic.
My dad and I got out early and headed toward Cattail Falls. The weather was absolutely perfect. It was cool, quiet, and just enough breeze to make you feel awake but not rushed. It was the kind of morning where everything feels still in the best way.
We had the trail to ourselves almost the entire time.
The hike itself is a little over 5 miles round trip, but just know that you’ll have to park about 1.5 miles from the actual trailhead and walk in from there. It adds a little distance, but honestly, it’s part of what keeps the experience what it is. I would start early because there is very little shade until you get to the falls.
And when you get there… it feels like pure magic.
Cattail Falls is one of those places that doesn’t feel real at first. Water in the desert always stops you in your tracks. It’s quiet, tucked away, and incredibly fragile. That’s the part that matters most.
Please note: if you go, respect it.
Don’t bathe in the water. Don’t add anything to it. Don’t treat it like it’s there for you to use: it’s there to exist. The ecosystem out there is delicate, and it stays special because people choose to protect it.
On the way back, we started passing people heading in and it reminded me how rare it is to have a place like that to yourself, even for a little while.
It wasn’t just a hike. It was time well spent. With my dad, in a place that continues to give more than it takes, if you let it.
These are the moments I’m trying to build more of.
Out here, you don’t have to go far to remember what matters.
Grateful to be here.
Thanks for being here!
-Mal