Seminole Canyon – Presa Canyon – In my previous post Road Trip – San Antonio Mission Trail, I described the need for a road trip. So this post contains photos from part 2 of the trip. I left Houston in the morning and made a stop in San Antonio for about 2 hours. A visit to the Mission Road Trail to photograph the four missions that follow the path of the San Antonio River.
After that I headed west on Hwy 90 toward Del Rio. Today’s ultimate destination – Seminole Canyon State Historical Park. Many times I had passed by this canyon on my Big Bend trips. I had never actually visited. Texas P&WD had scheduled a day hike to Seminole Canyon – Presa Canyon, which is a side canyon of Seminole. It was a rare opportunity to visit some of the shelter sites that are not frequently accessible for public viewing.
Seminole Canyon
I arrived in the afternoon to a virtually empty campground and got a nice site with water for $12.00. In addition electricity is available. The great thing that clearly separates this place from Big Bend, is the readily available shower with lots of hot water!
After I got set up, I took about a 2 mile hike along the canyon rim. I wanted to get a view of where I would be going the next morning. Also I saw one covey of Blue quail and a small group of javelinas on my way back to camp. After a quick meal, loaded my pack for the next day and some night sky photos and I was off to sleep.
First I had coffee and breakfast in the morning. After I met the group at the visitor center at 08:00. It was a small group of 5 + 2 interpretive guides. Next we headed down the steep trail to the canyon bottom before 08:30 and headed downstream toward our destination – Black Cave in Presa Canyon.
The trip was great. As a result of cool foggy weather the morning wasn’t the best for photos. However it made for a comfortable hike. By the time we had finished the hike around 16:15, we logged 10.7 miles and viewed many, many pictographs.
Above all our guides were great. Informative, pleasant and really made a great effort to make sure we all enjoyed the day. Certainly I can’t say enough good about them. Thanks again!
Finally I hope you enjoy the pictures. Don’t be afraid to leave a comment if you feel the need.
Update: If your appetite is for more info, try The Texas Rock Art Foundation. This organization has a lot of information and offers tours of sites in the Lower Pecos. Make a trip to Seminole Canyon – Presa Canyon and you won’t be disappointed.
Thanks Wayne. I’ll send you an e-mail.
Great shots BK! I got hooked on lower pecos rock art last year, seeing Fate Bell and the White Shaman sites. I joined the Rock Art Foundation and went on five or six fantastic tours this past year. It’s the only way to view some of these sites as they are on privately owned ranches. So far, the Halo Shelter is my favorite with Mystic a close second. Contact me via email for more info and a link if you would like to view some of my images/videos.
WayneR