I took a nice vacation out in Big Bend and came up with some interesting pictures. Please forgive the cell phone quality. Enjoy: Looking down the The Window Trail Deer on The Window Trail Looking over the edge of The Window Sunset through The Window View from The Lost Mine Trail Santa Elena Canyon Looking out from under Balanced Rock Black Tailed Rattlesnake I almost stepped on coming down from Balanced Rock Overlooking the Rio Grande Looking out across the Chisos Basin from The Pinnacles Trail Black bear on The Pinnacles Trail
Did you guys camp or just drive through the area for a day? Looks awesome. I hope I can get back to the ability to do that.
We stayed at the Chisos Mountain Lodge. It's the only lodging in the park. Nothing fancy, but it gives you an A/C to retreat to in the middle of the day. Most of the Chisos Mountains trail heads are accessible from the lodge. To get to desert or river trails you have to drive. The park is over 800,000 square acres. You can camp in designated areas or get a permit for back country camping. I wouldn't recommend that. Water is a constant issue. The hiking is excellent and you can really break yourself off if you get too ambitious. Down on the desert floor and by the river, heat is a serious factor (especially in May). In the Basin, temperatures are much better. At night it can be downright chilly. The higher you climb, the cooler it gets (5 degrees per 1,000 feet), but the desert air and sun will still dehydrate you quickly. The wildlife is incredible, especially in the Basin. Deer, bear, javelina, coyotes, bobcats, snakes, lizards, and 450 species of bird are common sights. It's also lion country, but I didn't see any. In February, a young lion attacked a 10 year old boy right in the parking lot of the lodge. If you have young children, you have to be careful. Bottom line: If you wanna do some awesome hiking in a true No Man's Land, Big Bend is your destination.
If you're into running, as well as some of that environment, pick up Born To Run by Christopher McDougal. A good portion of the book takes place just south of the Big Bend area.
