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| Rio Grande River from Santa Elena Canyon |
We explored a lot of Big Bend National Park, although it would take awhile to fully explore all that is there. We did one overnight hike in the Chisos Mountains and it was a beautiful hike! The hike was only 16 miles round trip but we added a few miles by hiking up Emery Peak on the first day. Once we got past Emery Peak, there were fewer hikers. A note on Emery Peak: it is a nice hike to the top but there isn't a super clear view once you are up there unless you want to scramble onto rocks.
The Chisos Mountains is very much like Arizona's Sky Island's. The elevation is 7000 feet or more and you are off the desert floor. The air is cool and moist. The hike is wooded and lush. Hiking down Boot Canyon Trail was a treat as it was full of water. The biggest treat though, is when you get to the South Rim. Wow! What a view. You need to reserve a campsite on this hike and we had the premier campsite closest to the rim. So we set up camp, ate supper and then headed for the rim to watch the sunset. This sunset viewing ranks at one of my all time best sunset experiences. My husband had packed a small bottle of wine and while drinking that we texted pictures of our view to family and friends. It was so beautiful - I wished that everyone could see the beauty! (Because of our elevation, we had a strong cell signal - best we had on the whole trip!)
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| Sunset on South Rim looking back at Emery Peak |
We had a cold night up on the South Rim. It was also very damp. I was very very cold because I didn't have the down sleeping bag. The hubby and I had been swapping the down bag every other night and this night it was his turn to have it. After that cold night - I think we need to invest in another down sleeping bag!
After a cold night like that, coffee tastes terrific! And then we were off and hiking out. The hike out on the Laguna Meadow Trail was a much easier hike than the day before. There was a lot of down hill hiking.
We didn't see any bears or mountain lions or peregrine falcons on the hike. We did see a black squirrel, a deer, a Mexican Jay and lots of other birds. Later in the week, we saw a coyote running on the paved park road. We also saw a lot of road runners and a blue heron on the Rio Grande.
Later that day we were down and out of the mountains soaking in the natural Hot Springs.
Map used: National Geographic Big Bend National Park Trails Illustrated Topographic Map
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Notes on Big Bend National Park
There is a lot to do here if you like being outdoors. You can get a week of car camping sites for $10 - so you can camp cheaply here. The car camping sites have no amenities (no electric, no bathrooms). Our favorite car camp spot was by Gravel Pit. You could walk to the Rio Grande River from there. Also, a 5 minute drive would bring you to Rio Grande Village, which is just a campground, a Ranger Station and a Store with showers, laundry and free wifi. The Hot Springs are also close by. There is an interpretive center by Panther Junction which is worth checking out. A raft or canoe trip on the Rio Grande is another fun adventure to try. If you want to go out for dinner there is a restaurant at the Lodge in the Chisos Mountains or else you can drive to Terlingua.
Notes on weather: We experienced all sorts of weather conditions in February. In the desert during the day it could get up to 80 degrees or higher. At night it got cold and we'd wake up to 30-40 degree temperatures. One morning it was raining so we packed up and went to the Lodge in the Chisos Mountains. On the drive up we saw ice on the trees and scrubs. So it is good to have a heavy sweatshirt or light weight jacket and even a winter hat - especially for hiking in the Chisos Mountains.
