Big Bend Winter Hike

The Plan

A Big Bend Winter Hike can be a great way to start the New Year. With this in mind, I headed out of Houston with my youngest daughter in early January 2016. The plan was to drive as far as Seminole Canyon, spend the night and visit the Fate Bell Shelter Rock Art site. Added to that we planned a few canyon rim day hikes and another overnight in the campground. The following morning we would make the final push to the National Park.

The drive to thru to Del Rio and on to Seminole was uneventful and we set up camp in the mid afternoon. Seminole campground, while not the most scenic place, has good facilities, wi-fi, and plenty of hot water in the showers.

Seminole Canyon

Day hiking along the Canon Rim offered some great views of the Presa Canyon/Seminole Canyon confluence. The weather was cool and overcast with occasional hints of sun.

On to Big Bend

On the following morning, we awoke to a thick fog. This seems to be common in the area near the Pecos River. We rigged down our wet tent and packed up for the 3 hour journey further west. If you’re not pressed for time, breaking up the 10 hour drive from Houston with the Seminole stop is desirable. It’s also a good way to check out some of the many additional Lower Pecos Rock Art sites in the area. I have posted before about some of those sites and they can be viewed from this link.

Under lifting fog and after a quick fuel stop in Sanderson, we arrived to a fairly quiet Chisos Basin Campground. We selected site #59 at the very end of the “no generator zone”. It’s a great site with plenty of room and great views.

Cattail Falls

After getting camp in order we took advantage of the clearing skies and pleasant afternoon to squeeze in a quick hike. We decided on Cattail Falls, and headed down the mountain. It seems like the road going in has been graded a bit as the section crossing the wash was smoother than the last time I visited. Arriving to an empty parking area was a good sign. It appears we would be alone for the hike. The skies had cleared and the sun was bright as we headed to the falls.

As many times as I have been to Cattail Falls, I never tire of the place. It is very special and needs to be respected. We spent about an hour in the quiet, interrupted only by the tinkling of the falls into the plunge pool. The flow was minimal, about typical barring any recent rains. The late afternoon sun made it difficult to take photos of the actual falls themselves. Some of the view was in full sunlight and some in deep shadow.

After some picture taking time, and a few snacks we headed back to the parking area and back up to the Chisos Basin Campground. Once the sun dropped we fired up the grill, cooked some dinner and prepared for the cold night ahead.

A Secret Canyon

I always sleep well in Big Bend. I don’t know if it’s the altitude or the quiet. It may be that a Big Bend Winter Hike just makes me tired! We awoke refreshed the next morning and put together our day packs for a hike to a “secret canyon” off of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Road. We headed out and a short time later, parked at an inconspicuous wash that leads to the canyon. The canyon has a few narrow spots and standing pools of water. As a result these need to be crossed by climbing the canyon wall above and dropping back down to the floor to avoid wading. Eventually we came to a place where the sheer character of the walls prevented any further progress.

We searched for evidence of small spotted frogs that inhabit the canyon, but it was pretty cool that day and I suspect that they were not moving. After some pictures and some snacks we headed back out to the truck.

Castolon and Santa Elena

While we were in the west end of the park, we swung by Castolon store (for ice cream), the Cottonwood campground (for birds) and moved on to Santa Elena Canyon. The coconut cream bar was great, Cottonwood was deserted and the crowd at Santa Elena was irritating. We didn’t want to hike up in the canyon, so we just waked out to the Terlingua Creek Confluence and took a few pictures. Too many people! We took the long slow drive back to the Chisos for dinner and a cold night. A trip to the lodge bar for hot coffee and blackberry cobbler after dinner and returned to our camp.

Muskhog Spring

The next morning was bright clear and cold and promised to be a nice day. We planned a day hike to Muskhog Spring. My daughter had never been there before and I really like that hike. We headed out with replenished food and water in our packs and hit the Dagger Flat Road. Turning south on the Old Ore road we parked in a wash after about 2 miles. It was a beautiful day and a great hike. In addition the spring was flowing and the view of the Chisos was clear and bright. Did I say, I really like that hike?

We headed back to the Basin later that day and grilled dinner and hit the lodge bar again for coffee and Wi-Fi. It was a cold night. However we were snug in our bags and I slept well again.

Mariscal Mine

The following morning we gassed up and hit the River Road East for the long drive to Mariscal Mine. My daughter had never been there either and we spent the whole day exploring along the road there and back as well as poking around the mine for a couple of hours. It was a cool day but sunny and clear and the views from the hill above the mine are great.

The drive out to the mine and back is a long day and we were tired when we arrived back at the campsite.

South Rim Day Hike

A Big Bend Winter Hike would not be complete without a visit to the South Rim. No matter how many times I’ve been there, it never gets old. Besides those switchbacks on the way up! We packed enough food and water for the long day. The hike was about 13.5 miles. Therefore we got an early start. We ascended on the Laguna Meadow Trail and returned through Boot Canyon and descended via the Pinnacles Trail.

When we arrived at the Rim, the sun was shining and the weather cool, but good. It was a little hazy. However the haze didn’t take away from the moment.

We lounged in the sun along the Rim for awhile, and snacked. The weather was pleasant with temps in the 40’s and we were comfortable as long as we stayed out of the wind. But as we headed toward the Boot Canyon trail and began our descent into the canyon, the clouds moved in and the wind picked up. In the upper canyon bottom, we found pools of water that were frozen over and the sky got darker by the minute. In addition after about a 1/2 mile, it began to snow. By the time we got close to Boot Spring there was a steady snow shower. Really quite beautiful for the short time it lasted.

After a brief rest at the cabin near Boot Spring, we started the climb out of the canyon toward Pinnacle Pass. By the time we reached the pass, the sun had returned and we had warmer, brighter conditions for the descent to the Basin. As a result we made pretty good time and headed back to camp.

Dinner in Terlingua

The two of us gathered up clean clothes and towels and headed to Study Butte for a shower and a meal at the Starlight. We both had the axis deer burgers. After that we sat out on the porch for a little bit. In this case the sunset over the Chisos was sweet.

After a good nights sleep, we headed back to Houston. After 10 hours, weary but happy, we arrived home. In conclusion we were ready to do it again!