Hiking Big Bend Advice

[el_tejas_gringo]

Looking at going to hike Big Bend National Park for a few days the beginning of June.
Can anyone who has hiked there give me some advice as to where they stayed, what to bring, best places to hike and enter the park from, and any other advice that you may have!

TIA!

-Jacob

[thegrouse]

Expect temps near 115 near the river. The chisos will be cooler. Bring more water than you think you need. I have camped at back country sites in the park and at private campgrounds just outside the park. I have backpacked the chisos and camped in the mountains. Water is the limiting factor

[hopedale]

Here is what we did on a school trip -

Day 1

Set up camp
Chisos Basin group camp ( 29.275408, -103.305083 )

Day 2 - two hikes

Window 4 miles
Santa Elena 1 mile

Day 3

Grapevine hills 1 mile. Climb rocks and take in scenery. Read book here and took nap
Boquilla canyon (sand dune) 2ish mile hike.
Hot spring - 1/4 mile soak your soreness in spring (Langford Hot Springs)

Day 4

South Rim Trail. 13 miles round trip

Day 5

Break camp head home

The year we went they were big water restrictions. I purchased 2 5 gallon jugs of water. Did a field bath twice. It was Heaven on Earth.

Give the weather pattern we're in now, I suspect they are once again in a water restriction mode.


Here are some posts from others on Big Bend

https://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=829635&highlight=chisos

[djohnson]

First off, June is NOT the time to hike in Big Behtnd. I've hiked in BB for probably 15 or so years minimum. Last time was in January of this year. Unless you are a masochist, expect temps topping 100 in June. My favorite time to visit BB is November or December. Start our hiking with a down vest and quickly convert to a tee. June is just downright awefull. Lost mine trail gets you pretty high and an easy hike. South Rim is more of a challenge especially if you want to do it in one day. Best hike INHO is hike to South Rim, spend the night, come back next day.

[Yak blue]

IÂ’ll give you a few ideas and suggestions

*Haul more water than you would expect to need. As mentioned earlier, itÂ’s a precious commodity. We brought fifteen or twenty gallon jugs with us when we went.

*IÂ’ve hiked the south rim twice. Both times in October. Was hot then. CouldnÂ’t imagine what June would feel like. I checked the bbnp website. They have some alerts and warnings about hiking and the brutal temps. May heed their advice and not bite off more than you can chew (or more than you can carry, water wise)
When I went We carried a gallon a man a day and it wasnÂ’t enough.

*Hike Emory peak. ItÂ’s the highest point in the chisos and a quick side hike off the main loop doing the south rim.

*ThereÂ’s certain campsites that arenÂ’t far off the rim and it makes for the most epic sunsets and sunrises youÂ’ll ever experience. Looking at the map I think itÂ’s SR-4Â… you have to reserve them at the ranger station.

*The first time I went, I hiked the south rim then cut down thru boot canyon to the basin and hiked the Dodson trail. Boot canyon is very neat with massive trees in the canyon and had water when I was there..DonÂ’t rely on finding water to filter and pack in what you need, though we did find in a few spots.

*Go to the hot springs and soak.

*Across the river from the rio grande village is boquillas. ItÂ’s been quite some time since I went, but itÂ’s an experience. The townspeople are friendly and rely on tourists for their livelihood. (Think of Robert keenÂ’s gringo honeymoon)
We bought some trinkets and ate some amazing home cooked food and drank a lot of cold Mexican beer. The “restaurant” was some ones casa.. It was great and we tipped almost 100% it was so good but cheap.
Nowadays you need to bring your passport to get back across to the states and you talk to a customs agent out of El Paso on a video board.

*Watch for rattlers. I came up on two on my treks. Luckily they didnÂ’t like the striking of the rocks in front of me with my walking sticks and rattled a warning.

*Santa Elena canyon. I went down the canyon in a rented raft but even the mouth of the canyon you can pretty much drive and hike to is special. ItÂ’s Texas country reporter bob phillips favorite spot in Texas, FYI

*Go to Terlingua. Nice folks there and great eats at the star light. Terlingua is also a great place to catch a cold shower for a nominal fee.

Both times I went, we never stayed in the chiso basin campsites. They were completely full. WeÂ’d stay in back country sites or primitive sites with no electric/water. One night in the rattlesnake mountain campsite we had a herd of javies in our camp only feet from us.

Enjoy it. ItÂ’s a special place. Post a report or some pics when you return (no service in the park when I went, only in terlingua).

[easeup]

it is gonna be real hot

[RifleBowPistol]

Well it's west Texas, you really don't know what the weather will be like. The first time we went out there was in early July, it was in the lower 60s in the mornings and got up to the mid 70s by mid day. It was very dry, it was pretty much perfect weather. At that time, back in the San Antonio area, the weather was horrible, very hot and very humid. When we would call back home telling us how bad the weather was. We had a very nice week out there, that first trip.

The second trip, we went some time in early to mid June, it was pretty hot, very dry air. I was not uncomfortable, but after being in the sun for many hours hiking, the sun did get to me. I was not wearing a hat and was only drinking water. Turns out the water was not doing me any good. I was told by a park ranger, that some people have to consume salt for their body to absorb water. I got over heated, hiking down to the window, then up some trail, up a mountain, we found on the way back. We did this in the middle of the day. I was carrying the backpack with all the gear and water. Then having basically no hair on my head, and no hat, caused me to over heat much more so than I would have, had I had a hat. As I over heated, I started drinking more and more water, the water did not do me any good at all. Later, I was told about needing to consume salt. So I found some ham in the ice chest, ate a couple slices, within about 15 minutes I was fine. But before eating the ham, I was messed up and no amount of water or Gatorade was helping me, any at all.

The only time my over weight, handycapped *** had any problems is when we hiked up that goat trail, up the side of that mountain, while the sun was baking my brain. That trail was nothing but loose, flat rocks, it was a good way to fall down or take a long sliding, tumbling trip down the side of the mountain and get to visit the hospital in Alpine, type of trail. We did this after hiking to the window and a few other places. We started this little adventure at noon. Had I been better prepared or, had we made that trip early in the morning or later in the day, I only would have had to worry about all the loose rocks. If I remember correctly, I think it said that trail went to Cattail Falls. It was pretty cool once you got to the top. On one side of the mountain, you had a desert, on the other side of the mountain, you had the green, much more lush, valley of Chisos Basin.

I was told to carry packs of mustard to eat, that would allow my body to absorb water. Trail mix might be a good idea, ham definitely works, mustard works. I was later reminded that drinking pickle juice helps a lot. A large brim hat is a good idea, hair or no hair. Having dark colored hair, a hat is also a good idea.

If you are prepared, with a decent amount of water, something to eat, something salty to eat. Then a good hat. It really is not a big deal, probably don't push yourself too hard in the middle of the day, up to around 5:00 or so.

We do most everything spur of the moment. The first day we were there, on the second trip, I saw a sign that said Lost Mine Trail. Seemed like a trail that would probably not be more than a mile or two long. Well it was a good bit longer than that. We found people who gave up, all the way up the trail. Only a few made it all the way to the end. We just jumped out of the truck and took off, with some trail mix and a few bottles of water, not having any idea what we were getting into. It's just a long up hill walk, no rock climbing or anything drastic. That trip, we had no problems with.

The view from the top of the mountain is amazing. I want to go back. I keep hearing about the South Rim, but not sure how to get there. But when we got back, we will take that trail. When we took the Lost Mine Trail, typical of west Texas that time of year. There were some rain clouds that pasted over, when we got to the top. Commonly the rain clouds out there that time of year are small and scattered. The clouds that pasted over those mountains that day, were charged up pretty good. We were in the clouds, some were below us. There were a bunch of lighting strikes, while we were up on top of the mountain. That was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. The sound of the thunder, when the clouds were the same elevation as us, as they passed over the mountain we were on, was the coolest sound. Made you feel like you were god or something.

Wear good comfortable hiking boots, definitely. Boots you have previously worn for multiple days in a row and not had any problems with. White or light colored shirt, would be a good idea.

If you think about the situation in a bit more depth before you take off. Then wear the right clothing, foot wear, then carry more than just water, take some food, that is a good protein source, something to put minerals back in your body, something with salt in it. Not everybody needs salt for their body to absorb water. Better to have a source of salt and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Just take some minor precautions and you should be good.

Taking The Old Maverick Trail, back to Terlingua, is an interesting trip, from the Rio Grande and Santa Elena Canyon. If you have the time to take a rafting trip or canoe trip through Santa Elena Canyon, that is supposed to be a great trip. Hopefully on our next trip, we will have time for that trip.

Also there are rattle snakes up on those mountains, multiple people said that saw rattle snakes while we were hiking trails, in the Chisos Basin area. We never saw any. I am sure they are much smaller out there, than I am used to and probably get back under a rock pretty quickly. The only snake we saw on both trips, was around a 6' to 7' long red racer/coach whip. It was very pink. Never seen a pink snake before. We found that along The Old Maverick Trail. Two trips out there, saw all kinds of critters, coyotes, foxes, quail, mule deer, javelina, road runners, and quite a few bears. I think we saw one bobcat on the second trip. On the first trip, we saw a mother fox and some kits along the Window Trail. We talked to people who said they saw mountain lions, while on they were there, but we never saw any. Typically you won't see them they see you and stay out of sight. The bears seem to hang out in Chisos Basin, mountains, during the day. Then come down out of the mountains, and out into the desert, as the sun goes down. Most of the bears out there are thin, but not all of them. We saw one huge boar out there, it was following a dried creek bed across the desert. It had just left the Chisos Mountains.

Hopefully in the next few years, we will be able to take another trip out there and spend at least two weeks out there. One week out there is pretty much the minimum, anything less and you don't see much of anything of the place. After two week long trips, I would say, we have seen about 7 to 10% of the place, maybe not even that much.

As much as we love the Chisos Basin, we probably have only seen maybe 15% to 20% of that area. On our next trips I want to try and stay away from Chisos Basin, we have never been to the other side of Big Bend. Once we found Chisos Basin by accident, we had no idea what it or anything else out there was. We have spent most of our time around that area of the park.

Good luck, keep your eyes open, you never know what you will see out there.

[sailor]

You can't carry enough water..
And unless, your in pretty good shape.
I'd reconsider your time frame.....
When I was 27, Palo Dura Canyon, nearly kilt me..
And, I was a Tennis player back then...

[BarBBar]

I ordered a paperback titled "Death In Big Bend" from Amazon. It is an easy read.

[savin yours]

I would never plan on hiking BB in June. We went in March, and it was perfect weather.


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[Bryan11]

Stay up in the Chisos Basin and plan your hikes early morning. I've been in June before and we minimized our time on the desert floor. Up in the basin we had some nasty stormed blow through in the evening while tent camping.

[bugbee]

camp in the mountains. It's gonna be hot. May / june are the hottest months there. Stay away from desert hikes unless going early morning. Even in the mountains avoid midday hikes. take more water than you think you will need. I have run out out there and it's not a good time. and that was in october. lost mine trail is a good hike tho. Not too long and some pretty awesome views. south rim is awesome if there isn't much haze. can see way down into old mexico. Boot canyon and emory peak come to mind also.

[S-3 Ranch]

Go hike to boqillas and drink beer then hike back to car and drive to a hotel it’s hot as heck in June , no fires or water alert for chisoes

https://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/visiting-boquillas.htm

[kingranch]

You like to do some good 4x4? I know some abandoned mines there that the kids loved but its a haul thru the back country

look up mariscal mine

[Bullseye07]

Skip the park and go play golf at Lajitas


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