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.
1,965 responses to “Exploring Big Bend”
It?s actually a cool and helpful piece of info. I?m glad that you shared this useful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
Hi there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I really enjoy reading your posts. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same topics? Thank you!
I have been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this blog. Thank you, I?ll try and check back more frequently. How frequently you update your website?
I was very happy to find this page. I want to to thank you for your time for this particularly wonderful read!! I definitely enjoyed every bit of it and i also have you book-marked to see new information on your web site.
Hi! I could have sworn I’ve been to this web site before but after going through a few of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m certainly pleased I found it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back often!
Great site you have got here.. It’s difficult to find good quality writing like yours nowadays. I honestly appreciate people like you! Take care!!
Good site you have got here.. It’s hard to find excellent writing like yours nowadays. I truly appreciate people like you! Take care!!
I was just looking for this info for some time. After six hours of continuous Googleing, at last I got it in your web site. I wonder what is the lack of Google strategy that don’t rank this type of informative web sites in top of the list. Generally the top websites are full of garbage.
After exploring a few of the blog posts on your blog, I seriously like your technique of writing a blog. I book-marked it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back in the near future. Please visit my website too and tell me how you feel.
After exploring a few of the blog posts on your web site, I seriously like your way of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back soon. Please check out my website too and tell me what you think.
Oh my goodness! I’m in awe of the author’s writing skills and ability to convey intricate concepts in a concise and clear manner. This article is a real treasure that earns all the applause it can get. Thank you so much, author, for sharing your knowledge and offering us with such a priceless resource. I’m truly thankful!
I was able to find good info from your content.
It?s exhausting to search out knowledgeable folks on this matter, however you sound like you recognize what you?re talking about! Thanks
Wonderful post! We will be linking to this particularly great article on our website. Keep up the good writing.
Oh my goodness! Incredible article dude! Thank you so much, However I am going through difficulties with your RSS. I don’t understand the reason why I can’t subscribe to it. Is there anybody having identical RSS problems? Anyone who knows the solution can you kindly respond? Thanks!
You ought to be a part of a contest for one of the greatest websites online. I’m going to recommend this site!
Thanks a bunch for sharing this with all of us you really know what you’re talking about! Bookmarked. Please also visit my site =). We could have a link exchange arrangement between us!
I’m very happy to uncover this great site. I wanted to thank you for your time for this particularly wonderful read!! I definitely liked every little bit of it and i also have you saved as a favorite to check out new things on your blog.
Hey, you used to write excellent, but the last several posts have been kinda boring? I miss your tremendous writings. Past several posts are just a bit out of track! come on!
I love it when individuals get together and share views. Great site, stick with it!
What i don’t understood is actually how you are not actually much more well-liked than you may be right now. You are very intelligent. You realize therefore significantly relating to this subject, produced me personally consider it from a lot of varied angles. Its like women and men aren’t fascinated unless it is one thing to do with Lady gaga! Your own stuffs nice. Always maintain it up!
I do agree with all of the ideas you’ve presented in your post. They are very convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are too short for newbies. Could you please extend them a little from next time? Thanks for the post.
It’s best to take part in a contest for among the finest blogs on the web. I’ll suggest this web site!
Appreciate you for sharing these kinds of wonderful discussions. In addition, the ideal travel in addition to medical insurance program can often eliminate those issues that come with vacationing abroad. The medical emergency can rapidly become very expensive and that’s absolute to quickly slam a financial load on the family finances. Having in place the excellent travel insurance program prior to setting off is well worth the time and effort. Thanks
Hello there! I know this is kinda off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could get a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having trouble finding one? Thanks a lot!
Thanks for the thoughts you have discussed here. Moreover, I believe there are many factors which keep your car insurance policy premium all the way down. One is, to take into consideration buying motors that are inside good report on car insurance organizations. Cars which can be expensive will be more at risk of being lost. Aside from that insurance is also in accordance with the value of your truck, so the higher priced it is, then the higher this premium you have to pay.
I do enjoy the manner in which you have framed this concern plus it does indeed give me personally a lot of fodder for consideration. On the other hand, because of what I have observed, I really wish as the feed-back pack on that people keep on issue and not embark on a soap box involving some other news du jour. Yet, thank you for this superb piece and even though I do not go along with the idea in totality, I value your standpoint.
Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Many thanks, However I am having issues with your RSS. I don’t know the reason why I am unable to join it. Is there anyone else getting similar RSS issues? Anybody who knows the solution can you kindly respond? Thanks!!
This is a topic which is close to my heart… Take care! Exactly where are your contact details though?
Wow! This could be one particular of the most beneficial blogs We’ve ever arrive across on this subject. Basically Magnificent. I am also an expert in this topic therefore I can understand your hard work.
An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a friend who had been doing a little homework on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast because I found it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending some time to discuss this subject here on your web site.
After I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I recieve 4 emails with the same comment. Perhaps there is a way you can remove me from that service? Thank you.
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post! It is the little changes that make the largest changes. Thanks for sharing!
Good web site you have got here.. It’s difficult to find high quality writing like yours these days. I truly appreciate people like you! Take care!!
Your home is valueble for me. Thanks!?
I think other web-site proprietors should take this site as an model, very clean and magnificent user genial style and design, let alone the content. You’re an expert in this topic!
Next time I read a blog, I hope that it won’t disappoint me as much as this one. I mean, Yes, it was my choice to read through, however I actually believed you would have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something that you could fix if you weren’t too busy looking for attention.
You made some really good points there. I looked on the net for more information about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this site.
I discovered your blog website on google and test a few of your early posts. Continue to maintain up the superb operate. I just extra up your RSS feed to my MSN Information Reader. In search of ahead to studying more from you afterward!?
you’ve got an excellent weblog here! would you prefer to make some invite posts on my blog?
I have observed that in unwanted cameras, extraordinary sensors help to {focus|concentrate|maintain focus|target|a**** automatically. Those kind of sensors involving some cams change in in the area of contrast, while others work with a beam with infra-red (IR) light, specially in low lumination. Higher specs cameras sometimes use a blend of both techniques and likely have Face Priority AF where the photographic camera can ‘See’ some sort of face while keeping your focus only in that. Thank you for sharing your notions on this weblog.
The crux of your writing whilst sounding agreeable in the beginning, did not settle well with me personally after some time. Someplace throughout the sentences you were able to make me a believer unfortunately only for a very short while. I however have got a problem with your leaps in assumptions and you might do well to help fill in all those gaps. When you can accomplish that, I will definitely end up being fascinated.
I?d should check with you here. Which isn’t something I normally do! I enjoy studying a put up that will make people think. Additionally, thanks for allowing me to comment!
This really answered my problem, thank you!
Greetings! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a team of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us beneficial information to work on. You have done a outstanding job!
Good ? I should definitely pronounce, impressed with your website. I had no trouble navigating through all the tabs as well as related information ended up being truly simple to do to access. I recently found what I hoped for before you know it in the least. Reasonably unusual. Is likely to appreciate it for those who add forums or something, site theme . a tones way for your client to communicate. Excellent task..
Together with everything which seems to be developing inside this subject material, many of your opinions are generally relatively radical. However, I beg your pardon, but I do not subscribe to your whole strategy, all be it exciting none the less. It appears to everybody that your opinions are generally not totally rationalized and in actuality you are generally yourself not totally certain of the point. In any event I did take pleasure in examining it.
I just could not go away your web site before suggesting that I actually enjoyed the standard info an individual provide for your visitors? Is gonna be back ceaselessly to investigate cross-check new posts
What i don’t realize is in fact how you’re no longer actually a lot more well-favored than you might be now. You’re very intelligent. You realize thus considerably in terms of this subject, produced me individually imagine it from a lot of numerous angles. Its like women and men aren’t fascinated unless it?s something to do with Lady gaga! Your own stuffs great. At all times take care of it up!
I have noticed that car insurance businesses know the cars and trucks which are liable to accidents and other risks. In addition they know what type of cars are prone to higher risk and also the higher risk they have the higher your premium amount. Understanding the simple basics involving car insurance will help you choose the right types of insurance policy that can take care of the needs you have in case you happen to be involved in an accident. Many thanks sharing your ideas with your blog.