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LakeQuality

Updated July 2026

Cattail Falls

Brewster County County, Texas — about 80 ft, mid-height.

An 80-foot spring-fed plunge tucked in a hidden box canyon on the west side of the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park, reached by an unmarked roughly 5.7-mile round-trip hike off Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.

Height
80 ft
Type
Plunge
Access
Moderate Hike
Trail
5.7 mi out-and-back
Elevation gain
500 ft
Best season
Spring
Land manager
National Park Service (Big Bend National Park)
Watercourse
Not documented

Before you go

Waterfalls are hazardous by nature — wet rock, cold water, and unstable edges — and flow varies enormously with season and recent rain. Trail figures here describe the route as documented, not conditions today. Check National Park Service (Big Bend National Park) for closures and current conditions, and confirm land status before setting out.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Cattail Falls drops about 80 feet. That makes it the 266th-tallest documented waterfall in this inventory, taller than roughly 62% of the falls listed here. Height comes from published land-manager and survey records, not from our own measurement.

The Cattail Falls Trail reaches it about 5.7 miles (out-and-back) with roughly 500 feet of elevation gain, rated moderate. The nearest town is Terlingua. That describes the route as documented, not conditions on the day — check with National Park Service (Big Bend National Park) for closures and current conditions.

Spring. Waterfall flow swings enormously with snowmelt and recent rain, so a fall that roars in spring can be a trickle by late summer.

More Texas waterfalls

Sources

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