Big Bend Trip Report: Home Page

Sunrise at Dugout Wells
Panther Junction to get Backcountry Permit
Ernst Tinaja
Lost Mine Trail
Interactive Map

Dugout Wells
Dugout Wells is a short circular drive just east of Panther Junction on the main park road. We wanted to catch the sunrise, but not too far from Panther Junction. We needed to be at Panther Junction when they opened to get in line for a backcountry permit for the South Rim hike the following day. The Dugout Wells area is noted as an attraction for wildlife since there is water available there most of the year. We hoped for both a nice sunrise and to see what was stirring around the well. The sunrise was really nice, but there weren't any clouds around to mix up the sky. It was nice to be able to see the sun rise over the Sierra del Carmen to the east and then shine on the Chisos Mountains to the west. This vantage point gave us two options on the sunrise. A strategy that we employed several times throughout the week. We saw several types of birds including wood peckers, road runners, and a pair of young jack rabbits that I chased around a sticker bush trying to get a photo. It was evident that we were too early for the cactus blooms. Although, the buds would tease us for the next seven days. Our only blooms came from the yuccas and blue bonnets.

Panther Junction
Every trip to Big Bend has to include a stop to Panther Junction, which is the park headquarters. They have a great 3-D model of the park, which allows you to truly get a big picture of the 800,000+ acres available to explore. However, we were mainly there to secure a backcountry permit for the hike to the South Rim of the Chisos Mountains. Permits are given out no earlier than 24 hours in advance. When we arrived there were approximately 20 people in line to get permits. At this time of year all the traditional campgrounds fill up quickly; therefore, many of the people in line were simply getting permits for primitive camping, which is available throughout the park and accessible by most vehicles. There was a bit of confusion on the "pick a number" sign since the numbers were all out of order, but everyone was civil and things worked out fine. I was able to have my pick at the campsites along the South Rim and the park ranger was more than happy to answer our questions. The better sites on the Southeast Rim were not available due to the mating of the Peregrine Falcon (more on those guys later) so I settled for SW3 along the Southwest Rim. The park ranger recommended it because it had a nice view from the campsite and was not settled back in the woods like the other sites along the rim. I later discovered the best possible campsite, which will be covered on Day Three.

Ernst Tinaja (Hike:1 mile round trip)
A rough five mile road trip (high vehicle clearance recommended) into the desert takes you to a short one mile round trip hike to the beautiful and unusual Ernst Tinaja. Along the drive you will encounter a grave of a long ago Mexican traveler / rancher? The grave is adorned with attractive rocks and various coins that have been placed in a form of homage or out of respect for those that once struggled to make a living in this harsh climate. Once you past the grave you are only a mile or so from the trail head. Tinaja is Spanish for earthen jar or jar of earth. The tinaja is crafted in the bottom of a shallow canyon. I have been to this site on all four trips to Big Bend and each time the tinaja has been filled with water. The are a lot of photographic possibilities here. The walls around the tinaja are lined with layers of sediment, which have created an array of swirls and patterns in the stone.You can take detail shots, refections of the side canyons in the tinajas, or overall pictures of the canyon.

Lost Mine Trail (Hike: 5 miles round trip)
This is one of the most beautiful and accessible trails in the park. Actually, I had always passed over this trail after planning to hike either Emory Peak or the South Rim, but after reading a few trip reports we knew that we needed to include this hike on this trip. If you are in a hurry or are hampered by the distance you can simply set your goal to the one mile overlook and you'll have a spectacular view (although not as good as the end of the trail) of the East Rim and Casa Grande. This one mile overlook could also be a great location for a sunrise photograph. We arrived at the trail head around 3:15 p.m. and purchased the self guided tour brochure for $0.50. The brochure mainly identified plant life along the way and didn't contain a trail map. My suggestion - save your coins. The hike from the one mile overlook to the end of the trail was rather steep with several areas of switchbacks and eventually turning to open trail at the top. The end of the trail presents a grand view of the eastern Chisos Mountains and a panoramic view over to Sierra del Carmen. We reached the end of the trail around 5:00 p.m. after stopping for photographs, water, and a snack at the one mile overlook. The lighting in the late afternoon was great for photographing the eastern end of the park; although, an actual sunset is not visible from this location. We enjoyed the view and explored various compositions and then began our trek back down. We were hoping on a sunset possibility at the one mile overlook and then hike down by flash light, but the sun was blocked by Casa Grande so we continued down the trail. We arrived at the trail head just in time to jog down to the bend in the road to catch the sunset through the Window. By the time we got back to the inn it was well after 8 p.m. - time to get cleaned up and have dinner. We decided to expand out from the limited menu of the restaurant next to the inn. We ended up going to an eclectic eatery for called La Kiva. It is located between Study Butte and Terlinqua. The interesting thing about this place is that you walk down in to it like a cave. La Kiva must be Spanish for cave? The decor is dino-like complete with fosils and bones in the rock walls. Another interestig thing is that you order your drinks at the bar (water for me, Dr. Pepper for Joey) and your food at the table. The food and prices were good; although, we both agreed that we prefer to see the food that we are eating (it's a little too dark in the kiva). We headed back to the motel and reviewed the next days events. A full day indeed.

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Day Two