The Chisos Mountains practically erupt from the West Texas desert. The southernmost range in the United States, they rise from the heart of Big Bend National Park to form a natural amphitheater for some of the most breathtaking views in Texas.
On the first day of 2014, the sun was climbing beyond the Chisos’ eastern rim when I crawled from my tent in the shadows of the mountain basin. The sun’s golden rays struck the panorama of west-facing cliffs, and the fingerlike formations of volcanic rock gleamed red as the light swept across the ridge and banished the shadows.
It was the kind of view that stops you in your tracks. It distracts from the shivering cold, the need for coffee, and the fact that nature’s call is what drove you from your cozy tent in the first place. As the sun continued to climb through the cloudless blue sky, I marveled first at the awesome and immense beauty surrounding me, then at my own smallness in the face of it, and finally at my personal negligence: How was I just now seeing this place?
Well, for one thing, Big Bend is in the middle of nowhere. It is situated on the American side of a “big bend” in the Rio Grande, a stone’s throw from Mexico but a full day’s drive from the eastern half of Texas, where most of the state’s residents live. A small minority of Texans has made the pilgrimage to Big Bend, which remains one of the largest, most remote, and least-visited national parks in the United States.
Forget the crowds jostling each other for a glimpse of Old Faithful, Yosemite Falls or the Grand Canyon. Big Bend offers vastness and solitude at even peak times, which are mostly the spring break months of March and April, and October, when the scorching summer is giving way to the more temperate fall season. Although the park boasts more than 800,000 acres of Chihuahuan Desert, mountain woodlands and river habitat, only 275,000 people visited in all of 2013. To put those numbers in perspective, if every visitor had shown up on the same exact day last year, each person would have had three acres to him or herself.
Travelers who are willing to brave the distance and desert are rewarded with an experience that can be found nowhere else in Texas. They can amble down shady trails through narrow canyons, including spectacular Santa Elena, where the Rio Grande chisels a narrow, 1,500-feet-deep gorge through layers of bedrock. They can trek to the highest peaks, take driving tours through weird desert badlands within view of majestic mountains, relax in natural hot springs along the Rio Grande, or cross the river and ride a horse into the rustic Mexican village of Boquillas.
And while Big Bend has a reputation for extremes, appealing to hardy backpackers and others searching for solitude in a severe environment, the park also accommodates the less adventurous among us, with 123 miles of paved roads and a recently renovated lodge that features comfortable rooms, hot showers and serene views. Getting to the park isn’t the haul it used to be, either. In 2012, the Texas Department of Transportation increased speed limits for many West Texas highways to 80 mph.
After a day of driving, consider a rest in Marathon, about an hour north of the park. The dust-blown town of 430 people owes its continued existence to the travelers heading into Big Bend, and its centerpiece is the Gage Hotel, a historic lodge outfitted in elegant Southwestern style. During my recent visit, the Gage was a little beyond our price range, so my girlfriend and I went down the street and dropped $10 on a lovely campsite behind the Marathon Motel. After setting up camp we headed back to the Gage and warmed up by the fire at the cozy White Buffalo Bar, and we split a buffalo burger under the watchful eyes of an enormous white bison whose wooly head was mounted to the brick wall.
Shirley’s Burnt Biscuit served up comfort food for breakfast. The only gas station in town was plumb out of fuel, but we had enough in the tank to get us into the park—the vehicle entrance fee is $20—and to the fuel pumps at Panther Junction near Big Bend’s northern end.
We were surrounded by desert hills rolling in all directions, studded with spiky sotol, creosote bushes and 65 varieties of cactus, including beautiful purple pads that grew in clumps along the roadway. Then the road turned, and we began a winding ascent into the Chisos Mountains. The desert gave way to the magnificent red canyons and forest of piñon pines, oaks and other trees that thrive at the higher elevation. I had been expecting endless badlands, so the lushness of the mountain woodlands came as a pleasant surprise. Because the elevation there varies so extremely, from about 1,800 feet along the Rio Grande to 7,832 feet at Emory Peak, the mountains trap the passing clouds and receive enough rainfall to support a diverse range of trees, flowers, and critters such as black bear and deer. It is also about the only place in Texas to see the Mexican jay, a pretty blue bird that is native to mountain ranges of Mexico.
We easily found a $14 campsite in the first-come, first-serve Chisos Basin campground, and although we were apprehensive about sleeping in a tent with low temperatures dropping into the mid-20s, we burrowed into two blankets and four sleeping bags and were just fine. Daytime temperatures climbed into the upper 60s, perfect for a long stroll along the Window Trail, where water from the basin funnels through a narrow gap in the mountains and spills over a cliff to the desert far, far below.
Later, as evening approached on a peaceful New Year’s Eve, the patio of the Chisos Mountains Lodge offered the best view of the sun descending through the Window, and revelers celebrated with drinks and dinner inside the lodge restaurant. The volcanic canyons gleamed red in the setting sun, and soon all was dark, the night filled with stars.
First published in Texas Farm and Home.
1,966 responses to “Exploring Big Bend”
Thanks for your post. I would also love to opinion that the very first thing you will need to do is verify if you really need credit improvement. To do that you must get your hands on a copy of your credit profile. That should really not be difficult, ever since the government makes it necessary that you are allowed to receive one free of charge copy of your credit report on a yearly basis. You just have to request the right individuals. You can either browse the website with the Federal Trade Commission or maybe contact one of the main credit agencies immediately.
certainly like your website but you need to check the spelling on several of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very bothersome to tell the truth nevertheless I will certainly come back again.
This site definitely has all of the info I needed about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
I could not resist commenting. Very well written!
Thanks for your blog post. I would also love to say that the health insurance dealer also works well with the benefit of the coordinators of the group insurance cover. The health broker is given a directory of benefits needed by anyone or a group coordinator. What a broker can is search for individuals or even coordinators which will best match those needs. Then he shows his recommendations and if all sides agree, this broker formulates a legal contract between the two parties.
Hi, I do believe this is an excellent blog. I stumbledupon it 😉 I will return yet again since I bookmarked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to help others.
Very good blog post. I absolutely appreciate this website. Stick with it!
Excellent post. I was checking constantly this blog and I’m impressed! Extremely helpful info specially the last part 🙂 I care for such info a lot. I was seeking this particular info for a long time. Thank you and best of luck.
My coder is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on several websites for about a year and am worried about switching to another platform. I have heard fantastic things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all my wordpress posts into it? Any kind of help would be really appreciated!
Does your website have a contact page? I’m having a tough time locating it but, I’d like to send you an e-mail. I’ve got some creative ideas for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great website and I look forward to seeing it expand over time.
I really like reading a post that will make people think. Also, thank you for allowing me to comment.
I really like it when individuals get together and share thoughts. Great site, continue the good work.
Good web site! I truly love how it is easy on my eyes and the data are well written. I’m wondering how I might be notified when a new post has been made. I have subscribed to your feed which must do the trick! Have a nice day!
That is a really good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very precise info… Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read post!
Aw, this was an exceptionally good post. Finding the time and actual effort to create a great article… but what can I say… I hesitate a whole lot and never seem to get nearly anything done.
That is a good tip especially to those fresh to the blogosphere. Short but very accurate info… Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read article!
Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this website before but after going through some of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back regularly!
This is the perfect webpage for anyone who wants to find out about this topic. You realize so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I really would want to…HaHa). You certainly put a fresh spin on a topic which has been written about for a long time. Wonderful stuff, just great.
An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a co-worker who had been conducting a little research on this. And he in fact ordered me dinner because I stumbled upon it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time to talk about this topic here on your site.
One thing I have actually noticed is the fact that there are plenty of fallacies regarding the banks intentions any time talking about foreclosure. One fantasy in particular is that often the bank desires your house. The lender wants your hard earned cash, not your home. They want the bucks they gave you along with interest. Averting the bank will simply draw the foreclosed summary. Thanks for your article.
This is the right blog for anyone who wishes to understand this topic. You understand a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really will need to…HaHa). You certainly put a new spin on a subject that’s been discussed for many years. Wonderful stuff, just wonderful.
Excellent article. I will be experiencing many of these issues as well..
An interesting discussion is definitely worth comment. I believe that you should write more about this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but usually people don’t discuss these issues. To the next! Kind regards!
Can I just say what a relief to find a person that really understands what they’re discussing on the web. You definitely realize how to bring a problem to light and make it important. A lot more people really need to check this out and understand this side of your story. I can’t believe you aren’t more popular because you surely possess the gift.
May I simply just say what a comfort to discover someone that truly knows what they are talking about on the net. You definitely know how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More and more people should look at this and understand this side of your story. I can’t believe you are not more popular since you most certainly possess the gift.
Can I just say what a comfort to discover an individual who truly knows what they’re discussing on the web. You certainly realize how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More and more people need to look at this and understand this side of your story. I can’t believe you are not more popular given that you surely have the gift.
It’s hard to find knowledgeable people for this topic, but you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
Incredible! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a completely different subject but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Great choice of colors!
I blog often and I seriously appreciate your information. The article has really peaked my interest. I’m going to take a note of your website and keep checking for new information about once per week. I opted in for your RSS feed too.
This web site really has all of the info I wanted concerning this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
Very good information. Lucky me I discovered your site by chance (stumbleupon). I’ve bookmarked it for later!
Everything is very open with a really clear clarification of the challenges. It was really informative. Your site is useful. Many thanks for sharing!
Howdy! I know this is kinda off topic nevertheless I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest writing a blog post or vice-versa? My website goes over a lot of the same topics as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other. If you’re interested feel free to send me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you! Superb blog by the way!
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve visited your blog before but after going through a few of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely happy I came across it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back frequently.
It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d without a doubt donate to this fantastic blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to brand new updates and will share this blog with my Facebook group. Talk soon!
bookmarked!!, I like your blog.
There is certainly a lot to know about this subject. I love all the points you have made.
I have seen lots of useful factors on your site about personal computers. However, I’ve the view that notebook computers are still more or less not powerful enough to be a sensible choice if you typically do things that require lots of power, including video enhancing. But for website surfing, statement processing, and the majority of other prevalent computer functions they are okay, provided you can’t mind your little friend screen size. Thank you sharing your thinking.
Your house is valueble for me. Thanks!?
Thank you, I’ve been hunting for info about this topic for ages and yours is the best I’ve discovered so far.
Excellent web site you have here.. It’s hard to find high-quality writing like yours nowadays. I truly appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
Everything is very open with a clear explanation of the challenges. It was truly informative. Your site is useful. Thanks for sharing!
Hello! I could have sworn I’ve visited your blog before but after looking at a few of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely pleased I came across it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back often.
Greetings! Very useful advice within this article! It’s the little changes which will make the most important changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Your style is really unique compared to other people I have read stuff from. Thanks for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I’ll just book mark this web site.
Aw, this was an exceptionally nice post. Taking the time and actual effort to produce a superb article… but what can I say… I procrastinate a whole lot and never manage to get anything done.
An interesting discussion is definitely worth comment. I do think that you should write more about this subject matter, it may not be a taboo subject but generally folks don’t speak about such issues. To the next! Kind regards!
May I simply say what a comfort to find a person that actually knows what they are discussing online. You actually realize how to bring a problem to light and make it important. A lot more people really need to look at this and understand this side of your story. I was surprised that you aren’t more popular since you most certainly possess the gift.
I truly love your site.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you develop this site yourself? Please reply back as I’m hoping to create my own website and want to know where you got this from or exactly what the theme is named. Kudos!
I blog often and I seriously thank you for your information. Your article has truly peaked my interest. I will bookmark your site and keep checking for new information about once per week. I subscribed to your RSS feed as well.