Big Bend Trip Report: Home Page

Sunrise @ Desert Mountain Overlook
Castolon Area
Burro Mesa Pouroff
Hot Springs Canyon
Boquillos Canyon
Sunset @ Rio Grande Village Nature Trail
Interactive Map

We had originally planned to explore the northern end of the park covering Dagger Flats and the Persimmon Gap Trail. Joey asked around the day before and found out that the yuccas at Dagger Flats were not blooming. Dagger Flats has the most concentrated number of large yucca plants in the park; however, it is located in the northern section, making it an out of the way drive (unless the yuccas are blooming). I have never seen them in true full bloom - maybe next trip? So, we decided to cover part of the west side of the park in the morning and then drive over to the east side for the afternoon. This would mean missing the Persimmon Gap Hike - another item for the next trip.

Desert Mountain Overlook
We were at the overlook setup with tripods around 6:30 a.m.. This is a nice spot for sunrises because you have the Chisos Mountains to the east and a widened view of Santa Elena Canyon to the west. The overlook is elevated, which offers a good vantage point either way. There are also a lot of ocotillo cactus around that can be used for composition. The temperatures were in the mid-40s and it was a nice sunrise. We were still looking for some really spectacular cloud formations to complement the silhouette of the Chisos Mountains and to add some color, but it wasn't meant to be on this day.

Castolon Area (west side of road)
Joey and I were both intrigued by the rock formations across from Castolon. We pulled over and photographed this area for about an hour. The contrast between the light grayish ash and the volcanic rock made for some good photography. There is a wide variety of rocks in this small area. Joey found and photographed a raised rock that looks like petrified wood, but it's not. There are also some rounded rocks that have the texture and shape of the human brain. I would like to go back and hike around the west side of this area and see what is on the other side. We both enjoyed photographing this area. It was great to get out and just take pictures without having to worry about a time frame.

Burro Mesa Pouroff (Hike: 1 mile)
This was another new hike for me. It would be great in the morning or afternoon. The trail goes along the wash that ends at the pouroff. The canyon narrows the closer you get to the pouroff. If you enjoy rock climbing this is a great place to explore. There is a small cave carved in the back wall of the pouroff that you can access by climbing a 10-12 ft. rock wall. There are many photographic possibilities along the short trail to the pouroff. We met an older couple from Europe (I assumed either Germany or Sweden.) and Joey used their camera and took their picture in front of the pouroff and they returned the favor. We had realized that we didn't have a single picture of the two of us from our 93' trip so it was nice to have one.

Rio Grande Village / Hot Springs Canyon (Hike: 1 mile)
We made the drive across the park and visited the Rio Grande Village store then parked in the picnic area for a sack lunch. The sun was still pretty high for photography so we decided to go over to the Rio Grande Visitor Center and ask a few questions about the Hot Springs Canyon Hike. While we were there we decided to watch the 30 minute video over Big Bend. The videography was great; although, some parts were outdated. Joey took the opportunity to examine the back of his eyelids, but after all the driving and early mornings I know he needed it. I made note of the BBNP Daily Report and they were predicting a 20% chance of rain/snow in the mountains with highs the next day in the mid-30s (I'm glad I did the South Rim hike when I did). I was fortunate enough to experience two inches of snow in the Basin during my 1989 trip and was hoping we might luck in to it on this trip. As we walked out of the visitor center we ran in to some friends, Rich and Sarah, from Lufkin. We were able to show each other what all we had seen by using the play mode on our digital cameras. What a great feature! We showed them our photos of Burro Mesa and they showed us a must see back at Croton Springs. After a short visit we all drove to the Hot Springs Canyon trail head and hiked the trail together. This trip was proving to be a lot about places that Joey and I hadn't been to before. Hot Springs Canyon was another one of those places. This is a short pleasant hike to the rim of Hot Springs Canyon that has a great overlook of the Rio Grande with the Sierra del Carmen in the background. It was a lot of fun photographing with Rich and Sarah and we four basically talked the entire time about what all there was to see and do. There is a higher point along the rim of the canyon to the west that I wanted to try and reach; however, the trail veered away from it. I do believe the higher point can be accessed by going around the small ravine and making your own trail. From that point you should be able to get more of the Hot Springs Canyon and the river in the foreground with the Sierra del Carmens in the background. Definitely a must do for the next trip to Big Bend.

Boquillos Canyon (1.5 miles)
This is a popular hike for all the campers at the Rio Grande Village. There must have been fifteen cars in the parking lot and twice that many people at the end of the trail. Along the Rio Grande River about half way down the trail is a large assortment of American Indian mortar holes. Evidently, the Indians ground corn from their crops along the river. There were well over a dozen of these mortars - some were filled with silt from high waters. The trail winds through a patch of thick switch cane that has grown over the trail to create a tunnel. Boquillos Canyon Trail Further down the trail there is a large cave carved in the north side of the Boquillos Canyon wall that is accessible by climbing a sandy incline. The climb was scattered with kids and adults alike - everyone having a great time with their voices echoing down the canyon. There was an interesting couple along the banks who were photographing a trio of stuffed bears in some sort of a pouch. The man first photographed the women holding them and then they asked us to photograph them as a couple and finally the women placed the pouch on the bank of the river and took the bears picture with Boquillos Canyon in the background? While we were hiking in to the canyon I noticed one of the young college students that I had ran in to while coming down the South Rim of the Chisos - he was reading a book along the river and had a gallon jug of water sitting next to him. Just before we left I noticed his hiking partner from a distance and I could easily see the lobster red skin with the white outline from where he was wearing his backpack - he was not carrying any water. As we were hiking out of the canyon I noticed a wall of dark clouds coming from the north. I figured it was the cold front that was bringing that chance of snow that I had seen earlier on the daily report. I was hoping we could mix those clouds in with our sunset.

Rio Grande Village Nature Trail (1/2 mile)
Wow, another place that we had never been to and what a sunrise and/or sunset spot this is! The trail leads to a high overlook that faces the Chisos Mountains to the west with the Rio Grande snaking towards it and the Sierra del Carmen to the east. You can't go wrong with this location unless of course a cold front is blowing in, which is exactly what happened to us. The Chisos were socked in with clouds and the best thing to photograph were the twenty or so buzzards flying high above in the currents. We still enjoyed the view of both the Chisos and the Sierra del Carmen and we made note of this site for future trips. After sunset we drove back west to Study Butte and got the first and only drops of rain of the entire trip. The wind was howling and the temperature was steadily dropping. When we arrived at the restaurant next to the inn, all the talk was about the cold front. I asked about the forecast and the checker simply handed me a printout from the internet. She said that everyone was asking and she got tired of reciting it. She also mentioned that the high winds had blown over a biker in route to Presidio and that he had several broken bones.

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Day Five