Spectacular Big Bend: Mother Nature’s Bonanza

FM-2810 south of Marfa is one of those well-maintained Texas farm-to-market roads. It crosses the foothills of the beautiful Cuesto del Burro Mountains, rolling, chocolate mounds that fold softly into themselves along this little-traveled route to Big Bend National Park.

You can fly into the gateway city via Midland-Odessa airport to the north, rent a car and take the easy five-hour drive south on U.S. 385 to the park headquarters.

But the more adventurous can pick up Texas 17 south from the Interstate and skirt the beautiful Davis Mountain region on the way to Big Bend.

The tiny town of Marfa is the last gas-water-food stop before you pick up FM-2810. The only lunch between Marfa and Ruidosa, Tex., is a vulture’s road kill--and he’s not sharing.

Ranchers live around here, but mostly you’ll see only cactus and tumbleweeds in this open range that stretches as far as your imagination.

Spectacular Scenery

Eventually you’ll run out of paved highway and hit gravel. If you have good tires and brakes, extra water and a Texas county map, you’ll be rewarded by spectacular scenery.

You’ll pass rambling vistas covered with wildflowers amid the awesome moonscape of Pinto Canyon. Test your brakes before proceeding from the entrance of the canyon. There are no guard rails, no safety barriers or cables; one mistake and you’ll be tumblin’ with the tumbleweeds.

At Ruidosa take a left (east) on T-170, the river road to Lajitas, a new resort area on the western edge of Big Bend National Park. T-170 snakes across the vast landscape of the Chihuahuan Desert, home to diamondback rattlers, lizards, roadrunners and kangaroo rats, along with myriad varieties of cactus and the lechuguilla, a mean-looking bladed plant that grows only in this desert.

Outside Lajitas the shrub desert that makes up half the park takes in 10 inches of annual rainfall if it’s lucky. Another 49% of the park is desert grassland that extends about 5,500 feet up.

Climbing skyward are mountain canyons filled with woodlands of pinyon, junipers and oak along with forests of Rocky Mountain trees.

Paradise for Birders

The wide choice of habitats makes Big Bend a birder’s paradise, offering more resident and migrant birds than any other U.S. national park. Some plants and animals found here occur nowhere else in the world.

An oasis in the Texas badlands, Lajitas got its name from the little flat rocks of the Boquillas Formation that are abundant in the area. In 1902 the town had a store, saloon and schoolhouse and was the best river crossing between Del Rio and El Paso.

The old cavalry post has been transformed into a comfortable motor inn. Amenities such as a swimming pool, golf course, tennis courts, shops and full-service restaurant have been added to make Lajitas attractive to visitors.

Lajitas is also the home of the beer-drinking goat, Clay Henry, who the town claims is running for mayor. Clay Henry quaffs about 15 cans of beer a day! He’s penned at the Old Trading Post around the corner from the Badlands Hotel, one of several hotels and motels in town.

From Lajitas it’s an hour or so into the heart of the park and another hour to Boquillas Canyon. Lajitas can also be your starting point for a variety of bus, river raft and horseback tours.

Preview at the Museum

One of your first stops could be the Lajitas Museum and Desert Garden. Its exhibits give you a preview of the desert area you’ll experience. Pick up a copy of the Big Bend Official National Park Handbook, a great buy at under $5 that will acquaint you with the area.

Big Bend National Park stretches across 1,106 square miles inside the southernmost tip of the Rio Grande Bend. Human beings have lived in Big Bend for more than 12,000 years. Those early nomads probably came up short for adjectives to describe the breathtaking beauty of the natural architecture that once lay beneath an ancient sea.

In Big Bend the past is always present in carved, weathered monuments of ancient geological eras. The fossil remains of simple marine animals are embedded in the 300-million-year-old rocks that rise from the former sea floor of Santa Elena Canyon.

Three River Canyons

Santa Elena Canyon is one of the big three river canyons in this region. It’s eight miles of looming cliffs are home to the endangered peregrine falcon. At the tip of the Big Bend lies mysterious and remote Mariscal Canyon; Boquillas Canyon, on the eastern edge, makes an ideal float trip for beginners.

About half the float trippers go with one of the professional outfitters; the more adventurous do it themselves. The two fastest rapids in the park, Santa Elena Canyon’s Rockslide and Mariscal’s Tight Squeeze, are treacherous even for veterans--even the best pros scout the rapids every time before trying it.

If you want the high adventure of a river float without the headache of worrying whether or not you’ll arrive safely at the other end, it’s best to take a guided river trip. Three outfitters are based at the park’s edge. Trips range from a half-day float to a seven-day extravaganza complete with grilled Porterhouse steaks, steamed broccoli, potatoes and cake baked fresh from a Dutch oven.

One of the most popular trips in Big Bend is the one-day float through Santa Elena Canyon offered by Big Bend River Tours out of Lajitas. You leave at 8 a.m. and return at 7 p.m. In between, your life will change for the better.

It calls for considerable skill to navigate the wild and powerful Rio Bravo del Norte, as the Mexicans call the Rio Grande. Entering the canyon, one minute its open country, the next you’re confined by the jagged canyon.

Remember the Rockslide

While you ponder what the first humans to navigate Santa Elena must have thought when they hit the treacherous Rockslide, you should also remember that the canyon’s river god demands many hats; don’t let yours be one of them. The Rockslide is a sinister maze of boulders; you’ll definitely remember the Rockslide.

If you can’t explore Santa Elena Canyon by raft, you can go on foot or by car. Santa Elena is exceptionally scenic. From Lajitas take the old Maverick Road to Santa Elena Canyon Overlook. It’s unpaved gravel but well maintained. On the way you’ll pass Terlingua ghost town, a fragile relic of a once-prosperous mercury mining town.

Then it’s a short drive to reach the ramps and steps that climb the cliff face at the mouth of Santa Elena, where you can gaze up at the 1,500-foot-high canyon walls.

Astronauts’ Tuff Stuff

Castolon Historic Site and Tuff Canyon are next. Great walls of volcanic lava and ash, or tuff, compete for your attention. The Tuff Canyon area resembles the terrain of the moon, which is why it was a training ground for early astronauts.

Driving north, you’ll reach park headquarters just north of the Chisos Mountains Basin. Get your maps, guides or whatever you need and head for the basin. Time it so you arrive around 5 p.m., when the sun is past its peak and pouring golden rays into the shadows of the beautiful valley.

The basin has complete motel, dining and camping facilities and an amphitheater where park naturalists give evening programs. This is where you’ll find the famous “window,” one of the most photographed sites in the country. To a prejudiced eye, the shape of the window might resemble the state of Texas.

Leave another day for a visit to the Rio Grande Village-Boquillas area on the southeast side of the park and cross over to the nearby Mexican village of Boquillas for lunch or dinner.

More than 110 miles of paved park roads link major sites. Hiking, horse and nature trails provide access to other areas. For those who arrive equipped, there are primitive back-country roads and trails for wilderness adventure.

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Recommended dress is casual, with good hiking shoes, sunglasses and a good hat. Bring lotion and clothing that offers sun protection, and a light jacket.

Campgrounds are in the basin at Rio Grande Village and Castolon. For tents, it’s $4 a night. A trailer park has utility hookups at Rio Grande Village, $9 a night; no reservations.

Camping is on a first-come, first-served basis and spring and fall are particularly crowded. For information on camping, call (915) 477-2251 or write to National Park Concessions Inc., Big Bend National Park, Tex. 79834.

Chisos Mountains Lodge offers motel and lodge units and stone cottages and takes reservations. Rooms range from $48.62 for two persons per night in the motel and lodge to $53.82 in the stone cottages. The lodge has a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner at moderate prices; call (915) 477-2291.

Lajitas hotels include the Cavalry Post, La Questa, Badlands Hotel and Officers Quarters; from $52 to $57 a night for two persons. Condominiums rent from $106 to $111 and can sleep up to six.

The Bunkhouse across from the Badlands Hotel sleeps 16. It’s a large building that has two bedrooms, each with seven single beds and four bathrooms, from $215 to $234. Write Star Route 70, Box 400, Terlingua, Tex. 79852 or phone (915) 424-3471.

Big Bend River Tours float trips start at $40 per person for a half-day float through scenic Colorado Canyon. A 12-hour float through the more spectacular Santa Elena Canyon runs $110 for one or two persons. Floats also include an overnight trip through Santa Elena Canyon for $95 for one or two people; a three- to four-day float through Boquillas Canyon for $95 per person, and several other trips. For more information, write to Big Bend River Tours, P.O. Box 317, Lajitas, Tex. 79852; phone (915) 424-3219.

A free permit to float the Rio Grande is available from park headquarters and ranger stations. A permit is not required to fish in the river--but no hunting allowed.

Park entrance is free; open daily, 24 hours a day.