# Big Bend National Park Over Christmas And New Year



## livetofish (Sep 5, 2008)

This trip was planned back in Jan-Feb of 2009. We made the reservations in November and still had problems with their computer system. Door to door it is 675 miles. It was I-10 W to Fort Stockton and 150 miles south to the border. I have been to many national parks but this one just blew me away in terms of distances and size. The north entrance at Persimmon Gap to the campground at Rio Grande Village is 46 miles. The driving speed is 45 MPH. It is VERY strictly enforced. We saw multiple tickets being handed out. So it was one hour from entrance to camp ground.

We were there for 11 days total and two days on the road. So as I clean up each day's pictures, I will add more details and more pictures.










*Day 1*
The RV village is full hook up and is in an excellent spot. About 200 yards from the river, the flowing water keeps the area warm on cold nights and tall cottonwoods give protection from the desert winds. Even with this protection, we got the desert sand everywhere.

Path through cottonwoods back to the RV from the river.









Through the cottonwoods looking east toward Sierra Del Carmen









This little vermilion flycatcher declared his territory around the RV and was there everyday at day break. He was endless entertainment as he swooped and dipped to catch the bugs. It was fun to watch him go at his alter ego in the truck or motor home mirrors.









Chisos - Rio Grande Sunset









Moon rise on Sierra Del Carmen









More to come.


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## GO WEST (May 25, 2009)

An awesome park indeed. I taught school for three years at Terlingua School outside the west entrance in the early 90's. I have roamed all over the park since I was in high school. What a great trip you made, when was it? I am going to enjoy the photos and captions, keep it coming. All those miles and neither Houston nor Big Bend are even at the extremities of Texas, what a huge state.


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

Beautiful pictures! Sounds like an awesome trip. Thanks for sharing.


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Beautiful. Cant wait to see more. Its been many years since I was at Big Bend.

Carey


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## BritsOnTour (Sep 15, 2006)

We are planning to go to Big Bend in a few weeks and I am just looking at campgrounds, I guess you would recommend this one! We are hoping to drive from San Antonio to BB in a day (with 4 kids), hopefully do-able.

Any chance you could give me cg website info? We are on the road for a year and the research for cg's and moving every week is a huge headache, love recommendations, makes my life so much easier!

We're in Cape Canaveral this week, then TopSail, New Orleans, Texarkana, San An, then BB - so in 5 weeks I guess, best start getting organized....

Will keep an eye on the thread and any advice you would care to share with us.

Thanks, Ali


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## livetofish (Sep 5, 2008)

Days 2-3 were just getting to know the lay of the land. Turns out that hot springs were just an easy drive away so that was our "hot" spot visit #1. Most people just jump out of the car and head straight for the springs. That is fine but if you are a curious sort, you would park the car and just follow the little stream bed to the right where the entrance sign is. You will come out to a pretty large stream bed which was a little stream when I was there. The place is full of animal tracks and bird calls so it is a good place to hang out for wildlife.

Stream near Hot springs parking lot. Few hundred yards downstream it joins the Rio Grande.









Sun going down as we came out of the Hot Springs. The next set shows the progression in a period of less than 10 minutes. Also, a photo hint, most people slam their brakes, jump out of the car/truck and start taking pictures of sunset. Don't. If you can, get into the bed of your truck. You have a higher viewpoint thus better sunset shots.

The tall spindly cactus-like plant is called "Ocotillo". It does a very interesting trick when it rains in the desert. It will put on leaves within 24 hours of rain and the fun part is that you can provoke this behavior by pouring few gallons of water around the base.










Also 99% of people we saw taking sunset pictures are so engrossed in the sunset that they forget about the color of the mountains/hills behind them.









Sun finally down behind the mountains. I made the mistake of putting away my camera too soon and I was scrambling. The sun and sky put on a brilliant display of colors AFTER the sun goes down behind the mountains.


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

BritsOnTour said:


> We are planning to go to Big Bend in a few weeks and I am just looking at campgrounds, I guess you would recommend this one! We are hoping to drive from San Antonio to BB in a day (with 4 kids), hopefully do-able.
> 
> Any chance you could give me cg website info? We are on the road for a year and the research for cg's and moving every week is a huge headache, love recommendations, makes my life so much easier!
> 
> ...


Ali,

I highly recommend you take US 90 from San antonio to Del Rio, then out to Big bend. The drive is so much more scenic with interesting places to stop. You can make the drive in one day.

Regards, Glenn


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## GO WEST (May 25, 2009)

x2 on Highway 90 West route out of San Antonio. Places to stop enroute from San Antone are the Pecos River high bridge and Langtry (Texas Travel Center); these are west of Del Rio. Brits, you want to come into Big Bend National Park at the north entrance (turn south at Marathon). Just before the entrance a road turns to your left toward Black Gap and you will find the Stillwell Store RV Park with full hook-ups. http://stillwellstore.com/

Inside the park the only full hookups (actually the only ones with even electricity) are at Rio Grande Village RV camp near the store there. 432-477-2293 http://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/rgv_hookups.htm Sites should be available at this time of year, but I'd call ahead, because it's a long drive to the next place. One can also dry camp at Rio Grande Village Camp (go left at store) or at Cottonwood Camp on the SW side of the park near Castolon (see map and info at www.nps.gov/bibe). Rio, Basin, and Cottonwood are all first come first served no reservations. You can reserve the Rio RV Camp sites. This is a link to the weather, road conditions, and river levels = http://www.nps.gov/bibe/upload/DAILYREPORT-318.pdf

I see you have a 30 footer so don't try to go into the Basin with your camper (steep and very windy through Green Gulch...they say a 20 ft limit in that campground for that reason). Don't miss a visit to the High Chisos (the Basin) though. Lots there. Hikes everywhere, I'd recommend the Lost Mine Trail and the Window Trail (closed last couple of times I was there due to "increased" bear activity). A short hike up the Pinnacles Trail in the Basin will take you to Boulder Meadow. If you are really spry go all the way up to Emory Peak (7835 ft the highest mountain in the Chisos) or/and on the the South Rim, great views.

After you exit the Basin go toward Santa Elena Canyon. Just off to your right after the Basin Junction you will see a road to the Grapevine Hills (it can be rough) there's a pretty neat hike out through a valley in the Hills to a spot called "the window." There's sort of a primitive camp there on the back side of the Hills but you will have to get a permit at HQ (Panther Junction) and I don't know if they allow RV's...possibly...it's more for tents.

Other must sees are Santa Elena Canyon down at the end of Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. About halfway down the Scenic Drive you can hike toward your left to the Window Pouroff (the Window Trail inside the Basin goes right to the precipice of this pouroff hundreds of feet above); there's usually water there.

Going west out of the park you will come to Study Butte then go north to Alpine or down south through Terlingua "ghost" town and Lajitas on toward Presidio...another designated scenic drive along which you will find Big Bend State Park, a quarter-million acres lightly used and more remote. At Study Butte you will find the Big Bend Motor Inn and campground with hook-ups. http://www.historic-terlingua.com/historic_terlingua_ghostown_004.htm RV parks are available in Alpine, a handful in fact. Marfa probably has some too.

Going north from either Marfa or Alpine will take you to Fort Davis (hook ups in town), home of Fort Davis National Historic Site, Davis Mountains State Park (water/elec sites), and the McDonald Observatory. For eats in Fort Davis try La Cueva de Leon.

Further north is Balmorhea State Park with a 1.75 acre natural bottom 25 ft deep constant temp 72 degree swimming pool built by the CCC. Water/elec hookups with dump station. www.tpwd.state.tx.us Most Texas State Park have dump stations.

Some people can't stand Big Bend, it's dry and remote in the Chihuahuan Desert, but many find it enchanting. Keep bringin' the pictures, livetofish!


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## dunn4 (Feb 16, 2008)

Thanks for sharing the pictures. One of our favorite places to camp. I did a tent camping trip there in March 2009 with my daughter's Girl Scout troop. Absolutely wonderful trip. Javelina visited our campsite every night and I saw a bobcat on one of my jaunts out for sunrise pictures. I had put the camera away and the bobcat just would not wait around for me to get it out of the bag again









The South Rim trail was closed at that time due to nesting of the peregine falcons and bear activity. The trail opened the last day we were there. A guy I work with just came back from a November trip and encountered a bear on the Window Trail.









If you are not up for the full rim hike, I highly recommend hiking to Laguna Meadow and I really like the Burro Mesa Pouroff trail too. So many things to see from the river, to the Chisos Mountains (and other mountains), the desert. You take something in every trip. A trip to the Chiso's basin is a must. Many trail heads from there and a great, friendly park staff to help you out. If you have all-terrain tires, check out Maverick Road. Rough but worth it for the views of Santa Elena Canyon and a little home built into the side of hill that was home to Gilberto Luna for most of his life. The interior height is about four feet! That is where I ran across the bobcat.

I find that everytime I leave, I start planning the next trip there. A beautiful National Park and well worth the drive. Thanks for stirring up some very fond memories.


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## livetofish (Sep 5, 2008)

*Next set were all taken by my nine year old with her Canon Point-Shoot. *

Today is the plant and parental pride issue.

The parental pride part is with my nine year old. Put a camera in a nine year old's hands and turn her loose. You get miracles and amazing pictures. She has the eye and she braved freezing cold, rain, mist and 40mph winds with me for some of these pictures.

First the plants. The park is truly an oasis of life. It is a day and night difference between the ranches around the park and inside the park. We saw, maybe 10-20 species of plants outside. We saw and identified at least SIX species of cactus, four species of Yucca, different species of oak, multiple evergreens (firs, pines, etc), multiple oak species, and of course, my personal current favorite the big tooth maple.

Next time you go into the area pay close attention to the ranches and vegetation. Most common is the creosote plant which is EXTREMELY invasive. Once inside the park boundaries, you will notice creosote plant along with LOTS of prickly pear, other cactus, cactus-like plants. It is like day and night.

Purple cactus. I actually heard some tourists ask the ranger if the cactus were suffering an infectious disease that is turning them purple. The look of confusion and surprise on ranger's face was something else but I did not want to push my luck and take his picture with that expression.









Found these little guys all over the place. Next trip is going to be with a cactus field guide.


















The worst of them all, hiker's nightmare. The "lechugilla" or the "shin daggers" drew blood whenever I was not watching. I bear two nice scars on each leg as mementos of the trip. The back pointing spines/thorns will rip your skin apart and each one of the little b$#%^ds will make a separate scar.









Though the spiny stems look dead, the plant is very much alive. You can pour a few gallons of water around the base of an ocotillo and it will trigger a leafing and with enough water you can trigger a bloom.









The candelilla plant has an interesting scientific name "Euphorbia antisyphilitica". As name indicates, indigenous people of Chihuahua desert used the extract as a herbal cure for the disease of the same name. However, the plant became famous of the wax it produces. The wax is produced as a mechanism to prevent water loss. You can still the remains of the pits and work areas where people used to extract wax from these plants at various locations around the park.









Famous exotics still hang on in the park









Creosote bush is everywhere - wanted or not.









Up in the mountains, we got some beautiful fall colors. The oaks were just changing color when we were there.









Personally one of the best indicators of change in altitude other than popping ears is the appearance of sotol plant. Locals make and sell walking sticks from the flower stalk. It is quite frail but makes a cool souvenir.
Sotol plant is actually from the day lily family though human interaction is very cactus like with very nasty scars on your legs.









Cont. in next post...


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## livetofish (Sep 5, 2008)

Some of the sotol has just finished flowering at the base of the Chisos.









Clump of Sotol plant









Can't ignore the reeds along Rio Grande. The taller spiky ones with pointy flower stems are the non-native invaders from SE Asia and Africa. The shorter ones with droopy flower heads are the native reeds and are usually found where park has tried to beat back the invader.









Cliff Swallows - don't know the species but there were thousands them around hunting mosquitoes.









Well how many mosquitoes









Sierra Del Carmen



























Chisos @ Sunset


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## BritsOnTour (Sep 15, 2006)

Awesome photos, great info from everyone - crazy week this week, will try and call soon!

Thank you, we are incredibly excited to get to Texas. Thanks for the good road info as well, sometimes we are taken on roads we should NOT be on towing the 34ft-er!

Ali


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