West Texas Tour

[Heights2Bastrop]

We are planning a trip to Big Bend, Fort Davis, Guadalupe and Carlsbad in the near future. Aside from the obvious, are there any hidden gems we should stop and see between, say, San Antonio and there?

The last vacation we took was to Florida, and we simply made reservations a day or two in advance because we didn

[John Rich]

We are planning a trip to Big Bend, Fort Davis, Guadalupe and Carlsbad in the near future. Aside from the obvious, are there any hidden gems we should stop and see...

Those places ARE the hidden gems.

[TheNiche]

We are planning a trip to Big Bend, Fort Davis, Guadalupe and Carlsbad in the near future. Aside from the obvious, are there any hidden gems we should stop and see between, say, San Antonio and there?

The last vacation we took was to Florida, and we simply made reservations a day or two in advance because we didn

[Heights2Bastrop]

My plan is to stay 3 nights near Big Bend, 2 nights in Fort Davis, and one night in Carlsbad. The trip getting there and coming back we will play by ear. We

[frheard]

I highly recommend Marfa if you are into art. I find it so odd that this is an international art mecca in the freakin' West Texas desert/plains/tundra. From Prada, Marfa to the huge art installations at the Donald Judd Foundation, it is very well worth the trip. We stayed at the Hotel Paisano for about $129 a night in the Rock Hudson room. Very quaint and comfortable. It's about an hour drive to Ft. Davis and an about another 30-40 min. drive to Balmorhea where you can swim with those little guppies or whatever they are. We also were lucky enough to see the Marfa Lights on our visit. I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for these lights, but I like the mystery.

[kylejack]

I highly recommend Marfa if you are into art. I find it so odd that this is an international art mecca in the freakin' West Texas desert/plains/tundra. From Prada, Marfa to the huge art installations at the Donald Judd Foundation, it is very well worth the trip. We stayed at the Hotel Paisano for about $129 a night in the Rock Hudson room. Very quaint and comfortable. It's about an hour drive to Ft. Davis and an about another 30-40 min. drive to Balmorhea where you can swim with those little guppies or whatever they are. We also were lucky enough to see the Marfa Lights on our visit. I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for these lights, but I like the mystery.

It seems to me that the explanation is the freeway, having seen it just once and having checked out a map. I am open to other terrestrial explanations.

[Heights2Bastrop]

I often wonder if there is a connection with Marfa Lights to Miller Lites?

The Marfa art sounds interesting. Michelle is a painter, and is in the Bastrop Art Guild, so that's right up her alley. Thanks!

[Original Timmy Chan's]

As far as Big Bend goes, there is a motel in the Chisos Basin, but I've always heard that rooms go quick, so reserve far in advance.

Not too far outside of Big Bend is Study Butte/Terlingua. I've never stayed in a motel there, but I know there are a good number of rooms around, making it a nice base for exploration of the area. There are also a handful of restaurants and bars. I'm partial to La Kiva...one reason being that they let you camp for free on the banks of Terlingua Creek. It's a pretty cool bar too. There's also the Starlight Theater for food in Terlingua Ghost Town, but it's a bit high for my wallet. Miss Kathy's Kozmic Kowgirl Kafe is a good place to sit and have some coffee and breakfast and meet some interesting folks.

There are also plenty of rooms in Alpine...I don't find much reason to stop there anymore since all of my friends there have left for cheaper pastures. Anytime I pass through there I stop at Alicia's Burrito Place on 118 just south of the tracks. I'm something like 10-for-10 there in randomly running into people I know there...not that it helps you, but it's been a good way to catch up on what's been going on out there, and their burritos are fantastic.

I highly recommend a drive up the River Road from Terlingua to Presidio. There were signs around New Years Eve warning that the River Road was open to local traffic only, but a guy I talked to in Terlingua said the road's open, you just have to drive on the shoulder in a few places where the pavement has been damaged.

Another Big Bend recommendation is to take the paved Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive down to Castolon and Santa Elena Canyon. The Santa Elena Canyon trail was wiped out by the floods last year, but it's still a great view. There are also plenty of things to stop and look at along the way if you're doing a car trip.

A soak in the Hot Springs on the Rio Grande (in BB Nat'l Park) is a very nice way to enjoy a few hours.

If you have a vehicle with good clearance and 4x4, I'd recommend getting off the pavement and onto the miles of "primitive" roads. Many don't actually require 4x4, just good clearance, but it doesn't hurt to be safe.

It's tough to go wrong out in the Big Bend area in my mind. To really enjoy it though, you're going to have to get out of the car every once in a while, walk to the middle of nowhere and just enjoy the solitude and silence. That's my opinion, at least.

[cottonmather0]

I would second the recommendation for Balmorhea.

And I am envious of your trip, because I LOVE hiking around up in Guadalupe and McKittrick Canyon.

Have fun.

[Heights2Bastrop]

A soak in the Hot Springs on the Rio Grande (in BB Nat'l Park) is a very nice way to enjoy a few hours.

When I was in Big Bend in

[John Rich]

My plan is to stay 3 nights near Big Bend, 2 nights in Fort Davis, and one night in Carlsbad. The trip getting there and coming back we will play by ear. We'll have a laptop, and with Internet access, we should be able to make last minute reservations somewhere along the way.

You're talking about some very remote places. I wouldn't count on wireless internet access. Cell phones won't work in most of Big Bend, for example. I would check in advance and see if they have it there near the park HQ or something.

I was just planning to drive through Guadalupe on the way to Carlsbad. I don't know how much there is to see from a car without taking some of the hiking trails. I may give more thought into spending more time there if there is a lot to see. Then we could hit the caverns the next day on our way out.

By car, there are only a few places to see at Guadalupe. And you're at the bottom looking up at the magnificent mountains. To do the trails, you need to allow many hours for hiking. McKittrick Canyon is beautiful, and fairly easy, if you don't have the legs for the hike to the top of Guadalupe Mtn. If you have 4WD, you can get the keys to a gate for a rough drive to a remote old ranch house at the base of Guadalupe Peak.

Also near Carlsbad is a place called Sitting Bull Falls, which is a beautiful desert waterfall, with some water holes topside that you can take a dip in.

[John Rich]

If you have a vehicle with good clearance and 4x4, I'd recommend getting off the pavement and onto the miles of "primitive" roads. Many don't actually require 4x4, just good clearance, but it doesn't hurt to be safe.

The dirt river road running along the south side of Big Bend (not the paved river road to Presidio) was improved last year by the National Guard to assist the Border Patrol. That's the east half, and it's in good shape, and can be driven without 4WD. The west end is supposed to still be pretty rough.

There are numerous ruins of old Mexican villages and other homesteads along the Rio Grande that are quite interesting to explore. The park bulldozed most of the buildings in the 40's when the land was bought for the park, to return it to its natural state.

There are also a number of short hikes that can be done, without any gear, like Burro Mesa pouroff (the bottom end).

[Heights2Bastrop]

You're talking about some very remote places. I wouldn't count on wireless internet access. Cell phones won't work in most of Big Bend, for example. I would check in advance and see if they have it there near the park HQ or something.

The last reservation in a preplanned motel in is Carlsbad, and they have Internet access. So we will be able to make some plans from there. Big Ben and Fort Davis are set, so no communication is needed

[John Rich]

I kinda figured that, so we will just see what we can passing through. And if we feel the need, we can take a hike (or two) as a part of the return trip.

There's a museum in White City that has lots of fascinating stuff, from neat rock specimens, Indian arrowheads and pottery, and early pioneer goods.

BTW, I noticed that if you continue past Sitting Bull Falls on 137, the road dead ends at the State line at what looks to be above Guadalupe. I noticed that road before, and I wondered if there was anything to see from there? It's not that far past the falls, so we will probably check it out.

I seem to recall that there is a campground there at the dead end for Guadalupe Mtn Park. There is a backpacking trail from the south end of the park through the mountains to that north end. They run a shuttle that will pick you up at one end when you finish a multi-day hike, to return you back to your starting point on the other end.

If you do the McKittrick Canyon hike, go up to at least the Pratt cabin before you turn around. Gorgeous place. And the deer are very abundant and don't run away from you. Look for fish in the intermittent stream pools.

One quick and easy place to visit and hike is the Frijole Ranch museum, and behind it is the Smith Spring trail. Very pretty place, with water gushing out from under a rock in a wooded hillside.

Continue up the hillside behind Smith Spring, off trail, about 100', and you'll find a mountain lion "trap". The rangers hang something shiny like a pie plate from a tree limb to attract a lion's attention, and then they put a piece of carpet on the bottom of the tree trunk, with hooked barbs sticking out of the carpet. The idea is that the lion rubs up against the barbs, leaving tufts of hair behind. The rangers then collect the hair and have it analyzed for DNA. With this data, they can keep track of how many different lions there are in the area, and their movements.

I'm off myself tomorrow morning for two weeks in Big Bend. Four days of hiking, a week by canoe on the Rio Grande (St. Elena to Boquillos), then another two days of hiking. Spring camping season is here! Woohoo!

I'm sure you'll enjoy your trip - it sounds like a good one.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

I'm off myself tomorrow morning for two weeks in Big Bend. Four days of hiking, a week by canoe on the Rio Grande (St. Elena to Boquillos), then another two days of hiking. Spring camping season is here! Woohoo!

Lucky dog...my wife and I spent 3 days in Big Bend after Christmas on the way out to Silver City, NM. I've been ready to go back for the last month...already trying to plan my next trip.

I've never floated the Rio Grande. A friend's dad went a couple months back and said that all his usual camping spots were washed out. I hope you find plenty of room to sleep out there.

My wife and I took the East River Road from Rio Grande Village to the Glenn Springs Road, and camped out at Glenn Springs. The River Road was mainly good, we were able to make at least 30 miles an hour much of the way. That being said, there were a couple of rough gullies to cross. I don't think it could be done in a car.

Our Element finally met its match trying to get up to the top of the hill at the Black Gap Road turnoff. I think we could have made it if we were going downhill, but to get enough speed going up I was going to tear my transmission off getting through the last 3' deep washout. I had to let the dream go about 10' from the Black Gap turnoff. Some Park Rangers earlier that day showed me the nice crease they got in the side of their pickup trying to get through there. I had a blast driving out there...Glenn Springs was a very cool place.

John Rich, whereabouts are you hiking?

Bastrop - I'm trying to imagine just what it must have been like to get out to Big Bend in 1973. Was there such a thing as a 24-hour gas station in those days or was it just impossible to travel at night? I know the area seems to have changed in the 15 years I've been going out there...I imagine it almost felt like the wild west back in the 70's.

[Bombero451]

When I used to go out to West Texas for business in the mid 90's I like staying at the The Gage in Marathon and the Holland in Alpine. Alpine is a nice town, pretty good arts scene and a few good steak joints.

[Heights2Bastrop]

Bombero, I just looked at the Website for the Holland. It looks like if you ask them for a room, you have to tell them which room you want. I have never seen a hotel where every room had a different price. I

[57Tbird]

Heights..., There's a good write-up on that area in the March issue of National Geographic Traveler mag. Places to see. Things to do. Where to eat.

[John Rich]

John Rich, whereabouts are you hiking?

I'm back...

We spent 6 days on the Rio Grande by canoe, from St. Elena canyon to Rio Grande Village - about 75 miles. It was a perfect trip, until the last day, when we paddled into 40 mph headwinds, gusting to 60, along with a dust storm that made your eyes irritate so bad you could barely see. Ugh!

For land hiking, I did the following:

- Apache Canyon

- Cattail Falls

- The old Valenzuela ranch and cemetery

- East out of Castolon looking for an old ruins site - couldn't get there.

- The Comptons

- San Vicente Crossing

Nights were a bit cold, as low as in the 20's. Brrrr. Days were perfect, from 60's to 80's. Good time of year for Big Bend. Got it done before the Spring Break mob arrives.

Photo: Rio Grande River through Mariscal Canyon

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b108/Joh...h/P2260911s.jpg

[Heights2Bastrop]

[luciaphile]

If you do the McKittrick Canyon hike, go up to at least the Pratt cabin before you turn around. Gorgeous place.

 

 

A little Houston connection: I walked up the canyon to the Pratt cabin a couple weeks ago and discovered that it's a John Staub house --  the most remote, I expect.

[luciaphile]

Here is a picture I took, with a little camera whose few features I don't even really know how to operate (for instance my attempted close-ups of hummingbirds were terrible, as I was on panorama setting; nor did they capture at all the way their feathers iridesce when they turn; but maybe that was asking too much of the camera, which I got for free; and also I don't understand pixel settings one bit). Usually the cabin's photographed from the other side, with the mountain as the backdrop, but I took this to be the front porch:

 

 

Mr.Pratt eventually retired to Tucson, which was our farthest west destination. I found out that Greater Tucson deals with something most urban areas do not: enormous copper pit mines. I never saw the pit, just the huge mounds of earth moved in the process. Here is one of them:

 

http://clui.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/ludb-image/ludb/az/6144/2012-02-20-11-19-14adj.jpg

 

That doesn't convey how close the housing subdivisions are to the mines. Freeport, or somebody, is applying for a permit for a new one in the Santa Rita Mountains (Coronado NF), where we stayed, and where I saw an elegant trogon and had an upsetting encounter with a nectar bat.

I am used to seeing the strip mines of East Texas, when the coal's all been gotten out, remediated. But these mines will never wind down, seems like. They just cease or restart operations based on the price of copper.

This doesn't seem to dampen the growth of Tucson one bit, though. Wikipedia probably won't back me up, but standing on Mt. Lemmon in the Catalinas looking over Tucson, I was sure it was the biggest city I've ever seen.

And made up mostly of small houses on little lots ("All these houses. But where do they work?"). There being no turfgrass, there's not much point in having a big yard. There are envelopes of natural vegetation most everywhere, as well as the 2 units of Saguaro NP (and a new third unit, which you're discouraged from visiting, as it's not very safe). I saw not a single swimming pool. There are few or no billboards - at least, I never saw one. That was nice. In case you're not sure, or -- think that would be "boring": no, it makes a noticeably positive difference.