Big Bend National Park

[TripLeader]

Part 22 [Oklahoma City]
We stopped at the memorial on the way home.

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[TripLeader]

Part 23 [The End]
Thanks for reading.

 

[TripLeader]

Looks like you had a good trip.

I had a great trip.

 

[huachuca]

Thanks for posting and especially for the South Rim section; that is truly a special place in the Park. On our last overnighter a few years back, we were in SW4 when a front moved through dropping 1-2 inches of ice and snow and creating an awesome landscape. We're both a few years short of seventy but I'd like to think we have a least one more trip there left in us.

From your photos, it looks like the river may have reclaimed some of the movie set. There was a church and a few other buildings when we were last there.

 

[mjmcdowell]

big bend nat park......

Great trip report! Where can I get information on drivable trails and hiking, fee's, camping spots, etc. in the park.Also entrance points, this has my interest, may want to do a solo trip in the park this summer. Thanks

 

[Ovrlnd Rd]

Great trip report! Where can I get information on drivable trails and hiking, fee's, camping spots, etc. in the park.Also entrance points, this has my interest, may want to do a solo trip in the park this summer. Thanks

https://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm

 

[WeeJeep2]

Great trip report! Where can I get information on drivable trails and hiking, fee's, camping spots, etc. in the park.Also entrance points, this has my interest, may want to do a solo trip in the park this summer. Thanks

Think hard about the summer visit. It gets hot, like Death Valley hot and a lot of the services are closed for the summer. It can be done, just prepare for HOT. Better times would be Oct. - April.

 

[TripLeader]

Great trip report! Where can I get information on drivable trails and hiking, fee's, camping spots, etc. in the park.Also entrance points, this has my interest, may want to do a solo trip in the park this summer. Thanks

Get the Trails Illustrated map. It shows all the roads and whether they are 4wd or high clearance. It also shows most of the hiking trails. It also shows the primitive campsites.
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Get the hiking guidebook by Laurence Parent. It covers the hiking trails in detail.
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As someone else posted, check the NPS website. It shows the built-up campgrounds, fees, permit info, fuel availability, any construction or closures, etc.
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There's a lot of trip reports on here and other websites. They'll show plenty of highlights and tips. Feel free to ask what you want to know.
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I would not recommend a summer trip. It will be too hot and dangerous for strenuous activity.

 

[TripLeader]

Thanks for posting and especially for the South Rim section; that is truly a special place in the Park. On our last overnighter a few years back, we were in SW4 when a front moved through dropping 1-2 inches of ice and snow and creating an awesome landscape. We're both a few years short of seventy but I'd like to think we have a least one more trip there left in us.

From your photos, it looks like the river may have reclaimed some of the movie set. There was a church and a few other buildings when we were last there.

The only other structure around it was a two-stall outhouse.

 

[Ovrlnd Rd]

Excellent advice, especially the last. If you do go in a warmer period, I highly suggest bringing a pop-up canopy or a large tarp to use for shade if you aren't using a campground provided canopy. Sitting around camp is fun; sweating around camp in a broiling sun isn't.

Totally agree. We found Oct to be perfect weather and the crowds were minimal. Just check the schedule for other local events. We squeezed in between the Terilinqua Chili Cookoff and a big motocross event last year.

 

[TheGetLostTaco]

Amazing photos, sounds like an awesome trip!!

 

[TripLeader]

Amazing photos, sounds like an awesome trip!!

Thanks.

 

[TripLeader]

ONE MORE BIG BEND TRIP

Part A [What Took So Long?]

I was looking at some old photos the other day, as I always do. These were of my first time to Big Bend. It was back in 2009. The photos aren't that great. But I thought, "Why not add them?"

So here they are. This was a backpacking trip to hike the Outer Mountain Loop. I think it turned out to be a 35-40 mile hike. Three friends and I joined up to do it. One was in Texas at the time. He met us in the park. So without further ado...

The obligatory sign photo. Wow. Such camping. Very overland.

 

[TripLeader]

Part B [The Cache]

We drove through the night to make the most of our time off from work. We met our Texas partner, Dale, at a pre-arranged place: Panther Junction. We were a few minutes late. I had tried to call him but cell reception wasn't so great. But it worked out. How did anyone ever locate anyone in the days before cell phones?

We started out with what we had planned--to camp at The Basin, get our backcountry permit, and to cache water.

Two of us stayed in my truck and went to cache gallon water jugs at the area around Homer Wilson Ranch. The other two jumped in Dale's truck and went to cache water at the junction of Juniper Canyon Trail and Dodson Trail.

My old truck with my plywood tonneau cover and the hitch carrier. The carrier was borrowed from a friend. It later was lost in a storage unit fire. The plywood cover lasted for a few years until I was able to replace it with a proper Craigslist topper.

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Overlooking Homer Wilson Ranch from the road. There was a bear box downhill from the road for hikers. We put our water there. It's scary to leave it there, walk away, and then have your life depend on it.

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It turned out we had the easy cache. The other site was down a high-clearance road. We got back to camp at The Basin and waited for a couple of hours for the other two to get back. We went through our gear for a final shakedown. We made a final determination of what we were going to carry when we backpacked out the next morning.

The Basin.

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Looking out over a neighboring campsite that night.

 

[TripLeader]

Part C [Backpacking Day 1]

We hiked out from Chisos Basin.

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An early trail junction. We went left toward Emory Peak.

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The first section of 4 or so miles just gains elevation and takes you into the Chisos Mountains.

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The leaves were changing. It was November.

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Here we are at the junction to the trail up Emory Peak, the highest place in the park. This signed warned hikers not to drop their packs without placing them in the nearby provided bear box.

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We camped that night at the Emory Peak campsite. It was no longer there during my most recent visit to the park. I'm not sure why the National Park Service took it out. Anyone know?
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Here's my old trusty Big Agnes tent, back when it was new and shiny.

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One of my friends opted for a less modern existence that night.