(Click on any picture for full size view. All pictures taken with a Canon Powershot A540 6.0mp camera)
The planning for this trip began in Dec 2007. My wife Mary indicated an interest in going with me on one of my backpacking trips. After numerous solo backpacking trips, the thought of having her share the experience with me was very exciting. All of my previous backpacking trips have been in the Grand Canyon, and I was looking for someplace a bit closer to home and a bit less travelled by tourists. Big Bend National Park seemed like the perfect place to visit. The Chisos mountains look great from the pictures I had seen, and I couldn't wait to experience Big Bend for myself.
02/09/08 Saturday
We started our trip about 9:30am in Yukon, OK. We drove the turnpike from there to Lawton, OK, then over the Red River into Texas. The roads through north Texas were in good shape, with only one small area of road construction. Most of the way to I-20 was divided highway along Hwy 277 between Wichita Falls and Abilene. The road bypassed many of the small towns, which definitely sped up our progress. I was hoping we could make it to Marathon, TX before sundown.
We stopped for lunch at Schlotsky’s in Sweetwater, TX. Mary discovered Wal-Mart does carry different products at different stores as she found Mr Pibb on the soft drink aisle. :) They also had wine in the store, which is something we don’t see at home. Apparently, this store was not in a dry county. Weird laws.
We purchased gas there for $2.81 gallon and logged over 25 mpg in our rental ’08 Toyota Highlander. We then drove down I-20 as far as Monahans. The speed limit on I-20 increases to 80mph just east of there. At Monahans, TX we then turned south on Hwy 18 to Fort Stockton. Gas in Ft Stockton was $3.15 gallon, but we didn’t stop there (would later regret that decision). We figured we could always buy gas and eat dinner in Marathon which was the last town you pass before entering Big Bend Nat’l Park. We have never been to Marathon, and had no idea what we could expect.
The drive from Ft Stockton to Marathon was quite long and desolate. We only saw a few cars, a pack of javelinas and 3 deer on the way. It was dark by the time we made it to Marathon, and it appeared that other than the Gage Motel the entire town basically shuts down at sundown. Even the gas stations ($3.25 gal) in town were closed. The RV park was basically not setup for tent campers like us. Sleeping on the ground in a tent pitched in a gravel parking lot was not too appealing to us.
It was decision time for us. We decided to skip dinner, drive as close to the park entrance as we could and sleep in the car for the first night. We passed a border patrol guard station about 10 miles south of Marathon. That was the last civilization we would see for the night. With only a crescent moon, only the car headlights lit the road ahead. I slowed down to around 55 mph in case any deer were out.
We finally made it to the Park entrance, and proceeded to the Persimmon Gap entrance just in case they were still open. As expected, it was closed (it was 7pm), and I was running down to about ¼ tank of gas. We drove back just outside the north entrance of the park and slept in the car by the side of the road in order to avoid being fined by a park ranger. There was no wind and we could hear coyotes howling a short distance away. The skies were ablaze with stars. It had been years since I have seen the swath of light that the Milky Way makes across the night sky. Only 3 or 4 cars passed by all night long. I didn’t sleep very well at all, but at least we wouldn’t have far to drive in the morning to get to the park.
02/10/08 Sunday
I think I was awake around 6am, so I proceeded to break out my MSR backpacking stove and heat some water for some hot oatmeal. Figured the least we could do after sleeping in the car would be to have a hot breakfast.
The entrance station at Persimmon Gap wasn’t open at 7:45am, so we drove on down to the main park station at Panther Junction. We stopped for pictures when the Chisos Mountains came into view:
We stopped at the Ranger station, spoke with a very helpful ranger who got us our Park Pass and discussed our camping permit options. We wanted some place close to Emory Peak so we could get up the next morning and hike to the top. The ranger reported that EP1 (Emory Peak 1) site was filled that night, but TM1 (Toll Mtn 1) was available, and was only a short distance from the Emory Peak trail. It sounded good to me, so we got the permit for TM1.
After leaving the Ranger station, we went to the gas station at Panther Junction and filled up. $3.30 gal, but considering the next station was about a hundred mile roundtrip (and only a nickel/gal cheaper), we figured that price was a bargain.
The road west from Panther Junction met the Chisos Basin road in a few miles, then we turned south and took the Basin road. The views of the Chisos were spectacular! Soon, the road began winding up switchbacks with Casa Grande peak dominating the view ahead.
The drive was scenic and relatively short into the basin parking lot. The lot was about ¾ empty, so we parked, then began going through our checklist of items to take up the mountain for our first overnight tent camp. It took us about 45 minutes to get our gear ready and get to the trailhead just to the west of the parking lot. We took each other's picture before hitting the trail:
It is 3.5 miles from the Basin parking lot to the TM1 campsite via the Pinnacles trail. The trail was in good shape and was pretty steep in sections. I was still recovering from a chest cold, and was having some difficulty breathing and keeping up with Mary. I’m sure my fitness level was not where it should be for such a hike, as well I was not acclimated to +5000 ft altitude. As usual for me, I was carrying far more gear than I really needed for an overnight camp. I made it, but it was a struggle and I could only make about one switchback without stopping for air! :) We had some awesome views of Casa Grande from the Pinnacles trail:
We finally made it to Pinnacles Pass and found the side trail to the TM1 campsite. It was only 100 yards off the main trail. We were able to establish a camp quickly and we both decided to take a snooze. I started up my GPS to check the altitude here... it registered a bit over 7000 ft.
After a nap, we hiked down the Boot Spring trail and passed 2 bear boxes at the start of the Emory Peak trail. That was a great idea having bear boxes at that location so you could throw all of your gear in there and only carry a water bottle up to Emory Peak. We also hiked down the Boot Spring trail as far as the point where you can see the boot rock formation.
TM1 had spectacular views looking back towards the basin and had some trees in the immediate vicinity of the camp, so I thought it might be protected from the wind.
We later found out the price to pay for great views... WIND. Mary and I hardly slept at all due to the howling winds that never stopped. Fortunately for us, the temperatures never got that cold (it may have dropped to 40F). I had assumed (incorrectly) that the wind would die down after sundown. Winds gusted between 20-30 mph the entire night. Between not getting much sleep the night before in the car and then again Sunday night in the wind, I was exhausted.
02/11/08 Monday
We got up around 7am Monday and packed up our camp, then proceeded down the short trail to the beginning of Emory Peak trail. Both bear boxes were empty, so we put both our packs in one bear box, and began the hike up. It is 1 mile to the top of Emory Peak. The hike up was a good workout, but nothing really difficult, especially without the weight of a pack. The only thing that stopped me from making it to the very peak was the last 25 feet of exposed climbing. The drop off the north face of Emory was too much for me. I can handle exposed trails by keeping my vision locked on the ground in front of me and blotting out what I see in my peripheral vision. In this case, I figured I could do that going up, but coming down I would be looking straight down. This was definitely not something I was willing to do.
Mary wanted to go up there alone, but I persuaded her to stay with me just below the peak. I was concerned that she would make it up there, but might have trouble scrambling down. We got a few pictures from just below the peak.
The hike back down to the Boot Spring trail went pretty fast, and we retrieved our packs and began the hike back down the Pinnacles trail to the Basin. We had reservations in the lodge for 3 nights, so the remainder of our hikes would be day hikes. Day hikes can be quite enjoyable, especially with light packs and the reality that a nice hot meal and a real bed awaited us each night.
02/12/08 Tuesday
Tuesday was an exploration day for us. We began the day with a drive down the Ross Maxwell drive to Santa Elena canyon. It was very impressive to see the monolithic canyon walls on each side of the Rio Grande.
The flow rate of the Rio Grande was pretty low, making it hard to imagine how the river could have ever cut such a deep canyon through all that rock.
We hiked the 1.7 mile trail into Santa Elena canyon, where we got more great photos. One couple in a canoe paddled upstream. It looked like a great way to explore an area of the river free from any tourists.
After leaving Santa Elena, we then drove to Terlingua/Study Butte to see what restaurants we could find for lunch. Once there, we saw only a few local joints which we were not willing to try. I ended up getting out my backpacking stove and boiled some water for a Mountain House meal at the picnic shelter near the ‘center’ of town.
After that gourmet delight (haha), we then drove back into the national park and around to the other side of the park at Rio Grande Village. There is a neat car tunnel on the main road as you get close to the village:
The village appeared to be mainly a RV site with a hookups and a store. We really didn't feel like hiking the 3 miles to the hot springs from there, so we drove back to the ‘improved dirt road’ that leads to the hot springs. I find the term ‘improved dirt road’ to be a very broad definition as it didn’t seem that improved to me. I guess that depends on how bad it was before, I guess :) I had to drive 5 mph or less on the really rough sections. Once at the parking lot, I was shocked to see that someone in a Civic coupe had made it. I was surprised he didn’t drag high center coming in.
The hot springs were only about .2 mile downstream from the parking lot. We passed a couple of buildings that at one time contained a store and what I imagined was some type of hotel. There was a shack across the river on the Mexican side. Other visitors we spoke with said a man lives there that has various things for sale if you wave him over. We never saw anyone come out, but then we never yelled across the river, either. I read the warning signs coming in and didn't want any trouble.
02/13/08 Wednesday
Today's theme: South Rim or bust.
7:50am – We left the basin parking lot and headed up the Laguna Meadows trail. Our goal was the South Rim, a bit over 6 miles away. The information I read indicated that the Laguna Meadows trail was less steep than the Pinnacles trail, and this was definitely the case. We were able to make it to the South Rim in about 3 hours and 20 minutes, with several rest stops included.
At Blue Creek canyon, a group of Blue Jays flew around and kept us company for the remainder of the journey to the South Rim. We stopped at the bench next to the sign detailing the Blue Creek Fire:
The trail then winds up a few switchbacks which provide some great views of Emory Peak. Soon, we were at the sign pointing to the South Rim. The view from the edge was stupendous! We were standing over 2500 ft above the desert below. The scope and vastness of the view easily rivals that of the view from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I only wished that the haze was a bit less than what we saw. One wonders what the view must have been like from this spot 100 years ago. My GPS indicated we were at almost 7400 ft.
I fired up my MSR stove, boiled some water, and we ate Mountain House spaghetti with beef. The taste reminded me of Spaghetti-O’s, but actually it was quite good. I couldn’t image a more scenic place to lay out a mat and have a picnic lunch. The wind was only a light breeze which was surprising considering the exposed rock we were perched on.
After lunch and sightseeing, we then hiked back down from the rim, then took the spur trail to the SW4 campsite that everyone recommends. After seeing this campsite for myself, I can see why that spot is so popular. It is only a few hundred feet from the rim, but is back in the trees and is in shade most of the day.
We came back the same trail, making it to the basin in about 2 hours and 37 minutes. We only met 5 people on the way up and 5 on the way down (2 of those were on horseback). Here is a view of the basin area from the Laguna Meadows trail:
After cleaning up at the room, we headed over to the restaurant. There was the usual cluster of people outside the restaurant sharing the Wi-Fi connection. Mary had the blackened salmon (quite tasty – I helped her eat it). I chose the Chisos Cheeseburger. It tasted great after eating trail mix and energy bars on the hike back from the South Rim.
In general, the food at the Basin Lodge was good, although a bit expensive. Considering the remoteness of the area, I can understand why costs would be higher there. The employees were all very helpful and courteous. I think there may have been a recent change in management, as there was constant supervision by the manager over the wait staff in the restaurant. The Lodge was less than 1/2 full (if the number of cars in the parking lot was any indication).
02/14/08 Thursday
Made the long journey back home. When we passed the Border Patrol station north of the park, the guard just peered in the window, inquired if we were both US citizens. That was it. I figured at the minimum, we would both have to show our Driver's Licenses.
Things I'd do different:
Find a less exposed campsite for tent camping other than TM1. It would appear that both TM1 and EP1 (Emory Peak 1) are two of the most exposed sites in the Chisos. The constant wind proved to be a bit much.
If you own a Sprint phone and plan on using it around Big Bend, forget it. Mary's phone and mine went dead just south of Ft Stockton. On the other hand, my Tracfone worked fine as long as I was in the Chisos mountains with a view towards the north. I even called my folks from the TM1 campsite.
Should have realized Marathon, TX was a VERY small town and not many options for lodging or camping.
Mountain House freeze dried dinners 'for 2' is not enough food for 2. Between the 2 of us, we were looking for more to eat after finishing one of those. The exercise definitely brings out a hearty appetite.
Things that didn't need changing:
The weather. It was absolutely perfect. Lows dropped only into the mid 40's, highs were in the upper 60's. Plenty of sunshine each day. February is indeed a great time to visit Big Bend. Haze in the air and wind were the only two issues.
Friendly people. It was such a change of pace compared to the hurried staff at Grand Canyon to meet such friendly people at Big Bend. The park staff and locals we spoke with were all very helpful and courteous. Oncoming drivers even would lift a finger or two to wave at you. Reminds me of the days when I was a kid and visited relatives in rural NW Okla. Definitely this does become a factor when you are looking at returning to such a place.
Would I like to return someday? You bet!
Thank you for taking the time to read my trip report. If you have any comments/suggestions/personal experiences at Big Bend, I'd like to hear from you. E-mail: cddman@hotmail.com