Big Bend Here We Come

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The Big Bend area of Texas is quite remote. It borders the Rio Grande River for over 100 miles, with Mexico just across the water. It includes both Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. Our camping spot is situated between the two parks in the small town of Study Butte. The drive from Fort Davis is only a little over 100 miles. The road is very desolate but in good shape. We actually saw our first tumbleweed as we were heading out of Fort Davis, but I doubt it will be the last one. We stop in Alpine along the way while we have cell coverage and make a reservation in New Mexico. We weren't sure if we would have any coverage when we got to camp and since we will be arriving at this campground in New Mexico on Christmas Day, we thought it wise to plan ahead. Not only did that place have room for us, but they are doing a prime rib dinner that afternoon. Good timing on our part I suppose.

The campground we are staying at in Study Butte is Big Bend Resorts Adventures. I know it sounds impressive, it it may actually be the nicer of the several places in the vicinity, but calling this place a resort is stretching it a bit. Good thing we aren't here solely for the amenities. It's $25 a night for the weekly rate and has full hookups. The cable no longer works at the sites so we will be doing without television unless we feel like going to the game room and watching there. The internet at our site is not too good although Chris sometimes has luck for an hour now and then.

Nice Views from the Campsite

Where's the Beef? A Short Walk from Camp

The campground is convenient to both parks. The National Park entrance is about 3 miles away while the state park is about 16 miles away. Although the parks seem close, they are both Texas sized. The National Park is about 1200 square miles and the State Park about 470 square miles. For those familiar with Letchworth State Park back near our former home, it comes in at about 22 square miles. Admittedly the bulk of both these parks in Big Bend are remote wilderness that seldom gets explored. But it takes time to drive between places we want to see in either park. I'm glad we are here for 12 nights. We still won't get to see all the good spots but we should be able to get to many of them.

Day one didn't start out too good. I wasn't feeling 100% but couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong. We took it relatively easy and drove into the National Park visitor center at Panther Junction. After showing our National Park Pass, they give us a window sticker. Fortunately it is good for a week, so we won't be forced to do this each day we come into the park. The ranger helped answer some questions and then started the 20 minute video to familiarize us with the park.

Next we drive down a dirt road for 6 miles to Gravevine Hills trailhead. This is a 1 mile hike out to a unique rock formation. The first 3/4 mile is very easy with the last quarter mile being a bit of a rock climb. Fortunately the exertion and fresh air seemed to make me feel better. The scenery along the way was pretty incredible but I suspect each hike we do here will be beautiful. The balance rock was impressive.

View Along Trail at Grapevine Hills

Mountain Views 

Balanced Rock

Chris Poses Under Rock

Another View Through Opening

From there we drove to the Chisos Basin visitor center and just walked around for a short bit before I started to feel iffy again and we just headed back to camp.

Impressive View of Chisos Mountains

The next day we headed back to the National Park and took Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. This 30 mile paved road take you past many places to stop along the way as it heads south and east, eventually ending at the Rio Grande River. We stop along the way and visit the old Sam Nail Ranch. About all that is left are a couple windmills and a few non-native trees planted years ago. A couple pull offs with scenic vistas were visited as we took in all the scenery.

Remaining Windmill at Sam Nail Ranch

View from Sotol Vista Overlook

At Burro Mesa Pouroff trailhead, we stopped to do the one mile round trip hike back to a huge waterfall - without water at this point. Given the trail follows the stream bed, I suspect that this hike is a wet one if the water is flowing. This was the third stop along the drive where we ran into the same group of four young women sightseeing. By now they likely think we are stalking them.

More Mountains

Heading Back to Burro Mesa Pourout

Chris Dwarfed by Pourout

Next stop is the Casolton Visitor Center. Being more remote, there aren't  as many amenities here but it still worked as a rest stop and lunch spot. The Dorgan house was set back from the main road off a short trail. Not many people stop here but it was worth the visit. Just a short drive from the visitor center is the end of the road at Santa Elena Canyon. This place is really spectacular. The canyon walls are up to 1500 feet high. Since half the canyon wall is in Mexico, I guess this is one area where Trump will not need a wall built!

Remnants of Dorgan House

Looking Across the Rio Grande at the Wall

The round trip trail is just under 2 miles long. To get from the parking area to the main canyon trail, you must negotiate thru a smaller side stream. Fortunately the water was not too deep so it wasn't a big deal. On the other side of the water, the trail was not very well marked and there seemed to be all sorts of minor trails others have taken over the years so it took us a little exploring before we found the obvious stairs and railing that takes you up to a great view of the Rio Grande and the national park to the north. The trail takes you back into the canyon but initially more than 100 feet above the water. We saw one pair of kayakers float by during our hike.

Spotted at the Boat Launch - Probably Kayaking

Approaching Santa Elena Canyon

Eventually we made it to the end of the trail and were roughly at water level on our side, with just a shear cliff on the Mexican side. The face of the opposing rock wall had very defined lines that at first appeared to be horizontal. The optical illusion presented by the river being tilted with respect to the rock layers was quite stunning but not easily represented in a picture.

View Back North as We Enter Canyon

Looking Up the Rest of the Canyon

At the Water's Edge

The day was coming to an end and although Old Maverick Road was a much shorter way back, we were warned about the 12 miles of washboard and opted to retrace the 30 miles of pavement. We did stop at one more place on the way back to do about a one mile round trip to Homer Wilson ranch. This place is actually in pretty good shape and has a stunning view. If you like desolation, this could be the place for you.

Homer Wilson Ranch and Its Backdrop

Chris Checks Out the View From Inside