Following on our road trip from Austin and an overnight stop at the Davis Mountains State Park, we were on the road once again, this time headed to Big Bend National Park.
We set off from Fort Davis, where we were able to restock our gas and ice (and, had we needed other supplies, we could have picked them up at the local grocery store). From there it was about 2.5 hours into our campground, but once again we decided to stop along the way, this time in the town of Marathon for a view of the small but lovely Gage Gardens.
Finally, shortly after that detour, we made it to Big Bend.
After getting my National Park passport stamped (a must!) at the Panther Junction Visitor Center, we proceeded to our reserved campground for the next three days, in the Chisos Basin Campground.
Chisos Basin is considered the most “desirable” campsite in the park (especially for tent camping, as it’s a no-generator zone), but that means it’s also in high demand. We reserved our spot early, but if you miss that chance, they do have a number of “first-come, first-served” spots available. Unfortunately, this means that every morning is basically a zoo in the campground: people wanting a spot driving around asking everyone if they’re leaving or not, and trying to find an elusive space.
Another important note about camping in Big Bend is that they don’t allow any wood fires — so you either need to bring charcoal or a gas grill for cooking. We went with the latter option, and it worked out just fine. After spending the afternoon setting up our gear, we settled in to a nice home cooked meal of fajitas off the grill.
The next morning, we intended to hike the Lost Mine trail first thing, but found the parking lot overflowing with cars; as such we decided to call an audible and did the Mule Ears Springs hike instead.
In reality, I think we actually lucked into a far better hike — the Mule Ears Spring trail was vibrantly alive with all sorts of flowering cactus, and each hill revealed a gorgeous new vista. Plus, we had the trail pretty much to ourselves.
After Mule’s Ears, we continued on to the West side of the park to enjoy a picnic lunch overlooking the Rio Grande at Santa Elena Canyon. The big, beautiful canyon’s mere presence made mockery of any notion for the need for a wall along this magnificent border.
After lunch, we meandered back to our campsite along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, stopping at the many exhibits along the way. The most impressive, and a must-do while at the park, is a stop at the Sotol Vista, for the most panoramic view of the entire landscape.
Finally, that evening, we decided to head over to the short, paved Window View trail (not to be confused with the Window trail) for what we were told was a spectacular sunset view. We were not disappointed. Both the following photo and the one at the top of this blog are from that viewpoint.
The next day, we set out to get a closer look of the spot we’d watched the sunset through the night before. So we took off first thing in the morning to hike the Window Trail.
And man, it did not disappoint. The 5-mile out and back starts in the open before winding through a slot canyon, and eventually, some light bouldering work puts you at the “V” of the window itself.
A few things to know about this trail though: first, it’s mostly downhill on the way in, which means it’s nearly all uphill coming back. Keep that in mind, and keep good tabs on your energy. Second, if there have been recent rains, just cross this one off your list. You have to traverse a dry creek bed at several points, and if it’s been raining, it becomes impassible. Finally, do it early! We had the trail largely to ourselves at 8:30am, but probably passed at least 60+ other hikers on our way out.
That afternoon, we booked a canoe tour of the Rio Grande with local river outfitter, Big Bend River Tours, in Terlingua. While I had expected that we’d be paddling Santa Elena Canyon, they actually took us to the Big Bend Ranch State Park near Lajitas, Texas, and the Colorado Canyon. This was great, because we actually got to try our hand at a few class 2 and class 3 rapids along the way.
Finally, we ended our final full day in Big Bend with a stop to the only restaurant inside the park boundaries, at the Chisos Mountain Lodge. Here, I tried the ribeye, while the hubby enjoyed a chimichurri pork chop. Both were middling-to-good, but nothing to really write home about. Still, after 3 days cooking in a campsite, a meal you don’t have to prepare yourself is lovely.
Finally, we headed back to our campsite for our final night in the park, before continuing our West Texas exploration the next day. Stay tuned for our final post about Marfa, and our return trip to Austin!
