Big Bend National Park

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April 24

We said goodbye to Suzannah as we head toward Big Bend National Park. About 4 hours out, just beyond San Antonio in the town of Ingram we took a pit stop based on a Roadside America app recommendation: Stonehenge II.

We spent the night about 3 hours further at a La Quinta Inn and Suites in Fort Stockton, Texas, about 7 hours from Houston. We were getting some classic west Texas scenery, waiting for John Wayne to suddenly appear.

April 25

Santa Elena Canyon

From Fort Stockton, Big Bend National Park is 3 hours south. Along the way more beautiful west Texas scenery was had. I had luckily secured a campsite via the National Park reservation system for a couple of nights at the very popular Chisos Basin Campground in the park. Due to it being so popular, and there being little availability, I could only book 1 night at two different campsites. This meant we would need to plan our days to include moving the tent the second morning…not preferable.

We arrived at the Chisos Basin Visitors Center early afternoon. The first thing we did was speak with a ranger as we always do to get the lay of the park and some hiking recommendations.  Next, we stopped in the camp store for a few things while we were there. From there we drove the half mile to the campground. We dropped off our camp chairs in our site to let the campground host and any potential squatters know we were there and headed out to Santa Elena Canyon via the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. There is a 3-mile out and back trail in the canyon that borders the Rio Grande. The ranger at the Visitors Center had outlined the driving route for us. The blooming desert flora was really colorful.

Got to Santa Elena Canyon around 3:15 pm, and it was now in the 90’s.

Hiking the Santa Elena Canyon Trail first required crossing Terlinqua creek which veered off of the Rio Grande. We knew we were going to have to do this, the ranger told us so. The water was thigh deep on us. The creek is dry for a part of the year….but not this time! We had our water shoes with us for this.

After crossing the 40-foot-wide creek we changed back into our hiking shoes to hike the canyon. The trail was hard gravel and dirt…and stunningly beautiful.  The canyon walls across the Rio Grande, into Mexico, were massive.  The scenery was just fantastic.

 

After returning across Terlingua Creek, we waded in the connecting Rio Grande, careful not to go more than half way…into Mexico illegally.

Returning via Terlingua Creek…with the Rio Grande just to the left, feeding the creek.

Chisos Basin Campground

After drying off from the creek crossing, we drove the less travelled Old Maverick Rd. part of the way back to the campground, as suggested by the ranger. This is a very bumpy dirt road that had a sign indicating that 4-wheel drive was required. Though scenic, it really didn’t offer anything that justified the car and body abuse. Ross Maxwell both ways would have been fine.

Back at the campground I spoke with the campground host about our options regarding having to move campsites after this first night. He said he had a cancellation at another site and we could move there for two consecutive nights. Score! We settled in at site 31, set up the tent and had a quick meal.

There is a popular “window view” of the sunset from near the Visitors Center, but we were running out of time so we drove instead of hiking the .4-mile trail there from the campground.  We walked the .2-mile Window View Trail from the Visitors Center to the viewing point and caught a fantastic sunset through the notch of the Chisos Mountains…or “window”. We chatted with about 5 other people there, one couple from Massachusetts!

Then back to the campsite for the night.

The Chisos Basin Campground is perfectly located for hiking trailheads, mountain views, driving the park, and amenities from the nearby Visitors Center. There was running water and flush toilets, but no showers. They do pack the sites fairly close together, so not too much privacy or noise buffer.

Off to bed.

April 26

Lost Mine Trail

Breakfast at campsite.

We decided to hike the 4.8-mile Lost Mine Trail instead of the 12.5 -mile South Rim Trail today. Our first thought was it was just too hot to do the long hike.  But, we also talked to people who had done both, and they said the Lost Mine Trail offers just as amazing views but is far less difficult. Another benefit of the shorter hike is we wouldn’t spend the whole day just hiking one trail, which would allow us to do other things in the park on our only full day in the park.

Needed to drive about 2-miles to the trailhead, and we knew we had to get there early to get a parking spot. We got to the lot at around 8:00 am but all spots were taken. So, we got creative and made our own spot, which was perfectly fine and definitely the last place to park, even creatively, in the lot. There is overflow parking about 1/2-mile away, but we did not want to add that road hike to both ends of the hike.

Choosing this hike turned out to be one the best decisions we made on this trip.  I couldn’t imagine a more perfect birthday hike for me.  There was over 1,000 feet of elevation gain, but it was not too steep, and so the gradual incline made the 2.5 miles hike up just moderately difficult for us. The hardest part was not telling Emilie about the snake I saw cross the trail.

The 360-degree views of the Chisos Mountains at the summit were breathtaking.  Even better was that we were the only ones there.  The summit all to ourselves!

After this satisfying hike, we returned to the campsite to rest a bit and eat lunch.

Boquillas Canyon Trail

Once refreshed, we drove to the east side of the park to the Boquillas Canyon Trail. This trail brought us to a very narrow section of the Rio Grande where we saw Mexicans on horses on the other side.   It was very hot still, about 90 degrees, but it was a great canyon hike. At about 1.5 miles round trip, it was just right in this heat.

There were Mexican handmade crafts for sale on the U.S. bank of the river with honor-system payment. Apparently, they would collect the money overnight and return to Mexico across the narrow river.

After this very hot hike we cooled off with car air-conditioning for a few minutes, then drove to the Langford Hot Springs about five miles away.  To get here, you need to drive a two-mile dirt/gravel road to what’s called the Hot Springs Historic District. A long stretch of this access road is insanely narrow, with no guide rails. But once you start, you’re committed…no way to turn back.

Once in the parking area, the hot springs are another quarter-mile hike.  At the springs Emilie popped up her changing tent and got into her swimsuit.

We then walked down an embankment to where a few other people were bathing.  The perimeter of the bath is actually the foundation remains of an old bathhouse. Went in the hot springs, which is actually in the Rio Grande. After the hot hikes we completed today, this felt great!

 

We got back to the campsite in time to eat dinner, and then hike toward the Chisos Visitors Center to a different part of the Window Trail to get another nice sunset through the mountains.

Quite a packed day at Big Bend National Park!

Off to bed.

Next: Guadalupe Peak/Carlsbad Caverns