Panther
Junction
The
site of the park Visitor Center, a gas station, and
convenience store, Panther Junction is at the
intersection of the three major paved roads in the park.
To the east is Rio Grande Village. To the west are the
Chisos Basin, and backroads leading to Santa Eléna
Canyon. The main park road running west exits near
Maverick Junction. To the north of the junction is the
road leading to Persimmon Pass, and on to the town of
Marathon. Panther Junction is the place to orient
yourself to the park features, and to obtain trail maps
and several useful booklets, including a guide to park
trails and two handy books on paved and backroad drives
in the park..
In
front of park headquarters is Panther Path, a short
nature trail that provides a view of some of the
wildflowers that grow in the park, including the Big Bend
bluebonnet (lupine), desert marigold, mustard,
paperflower, and desert marigold. The gas station and
store beside the main park road offers basic car and tire
repairs.
Chisos
Basin
Lying
at about 5,400 feet, the bottom of this spectacular bowl
offers striking views of the surrounding peaks, as well
as comfortable accommodations. Located at the end of the
seven-mile Basin Road, the basin provides a strong
contrast to the rest of the park, with its pinion pine
and juniper woodland, interspersed with oaks. Higher up
in the Chisos mountains, where the climate is much
cooler, you'll see ponderosa pines, Douglas-fir, Arizona
cypress, and bigtooth maple. This green ecosystem can be
reached by hiking trails leading from the basin.
Back
in the bottom of the mountain valley, the park
concessionaire offers overnight accommodation in the
Chisos Mountain Lodge, plus camping for tents and
trailers. The lodge includes a restaurant and gift
shop.
A
sign along Basin Road reads "Bear and Mountain Lion
Country." The mountains harbor wildlife quite different
from that found in the dryer, hotter desert. Thus, the
need to be forewarned about lions and bears. Campers
should use the food lockers provided in the basin
campground, to secure their food from bears. Fifteen to
twenty black bears live in the Chisos Mountains, and
mountain lions have been sighted during the past decade,
with a very few physical encounters. Visitors to this
area are advised not to be on trails at dawn or dusk, and
not to hike alone. Most trails can be walked on easy
one-day hikes, and backcountry trails offer camp sites
along the way.
Rio
Grande Village
At
the southeastern side of the park, Rio Grande Village
sits just north of Boquillas Canyon, and across the river
from the Mexican village of Boquillas. Picnic sites, a
large developed campground, and RV park are available
here, in addition to a campers' store with hot showers
and a service station. A nature trail leads from the
campground, past a beaver pond, to a high point with good
views up and down the river. Evening talks and nature
walks are scheduled from late fall through early
summer.
Boquillas
As
you come along the park road toward Rio Grande Village,
you'll see a turnoff to the left, just below the tunnel.
This road runs four miles to the Boquillas Canyon parking
area. The road cuts through huge limestone cliffs. This
is the same geological formation as found in the Sierra
del Carmen, the range to the east. A short trail is found
at the end of the road, off the parking lot. The trail
takes you over a ridge, and descends to the river, where
you'll find Indian grinding holes along the river, at the
water's edge. These holes were used to grind mesquite
beans and other food. Then the trail enters the canyon,
beside a large sand slide, formed by winds blowing
riverside sand up the slope.
A
dirt road leads down to the river. It is found off the
canyon road, beyond the junction with Rio Grande Village
Road. Here, you'll find the international crossing to the
village of Boquillas, reached by taking a short trail
upstream until rowboats are seen on the Mexican side. One
of the villagers will row over and ferry you to the other
side. The village is three quarters of a mile from the
ferry crossing. You may choose to ride a burro, or walk
to the primitive town.
Hot
Springs
Located
near Rio Grande Village, this is the remains of an early
pioneer homestead and a small resort community. The
current attraction is what enticed J.O. Langford to
settle along the river in 1906. A spring pours hot water
from the rocks beside the river, into a bathtub-style
depression carved out of the rock by Indians in the past,
enlarging a crack in the rock face. Langford built a
house and hired a stonemason to construct a bathhouse of
limestone blocks over the hot springs. In 19133, with
news of the Mexican Revolution reaching the Langfords,
and with fear of border raids, the family left their home
to re-settle in Marathon and finally in El Paso. They
returned in 1927 to find ranching had come to the area,
and set about to create a modest resort, including a
limestone motel and post office.
The
desert tranquillity of the resort was short-lived, with
devastating floods in 1932 and 1938 engulfing and
partially destroying the bathhouse. The property was sold
to the state for donation to the national park, and the
hot springs and post office were operated as a
concession, until 1952. The remains of the motel and post
office may be seen near the hot springs parking lot. A
short trail leads along the river to the springs. The
bathhouse has disappeared -- a victim to more recent
floods. Visitors soak in the open rock tub, just as the
native Indians did before Langford arrived. The water
temperature is 105û F, year round. Even though the
volume of water pouring out of the spring has decreased
since the 1930s, at least 200,000 gallons a day of hot
water flows from the spring to the river.
High
water in the Rio Grande, during short periods of the
year, makes bathing at the springs impossible, with the
river height above that of the tub. It is advisable for
fall and winter visitors to check with park rangers about
the river level.
Castolon
and Santa Elena Canyon
Ross
Maxwell Scenic Drive (see below) leads to the historic
Castelon townsite, and ends at Santa Elena Canyon. This
trip is a must for park visitors staying for more than a
day or two. This little village has been here since the
early settlement of the region, serving as a crossing
point to and from Mexico. Today, the park operates a
campground, with the country store and trading post
reflecting the earlier era. Mexicans still cross the
river to shop here, from their homes in Santa Elena,
Chihuahua. The settlement was founded in 1901 to take
advantage of the fertile floodplain between the river and
Castelon. Settlers cleared small fields, and in 1914,
irrigation made substantial cotton farming possible. A
1974 flood destroyed what remained of the original cotton
gin. A quarter-mile walk takes you though the historic
Castelon Compound. Most buildings here were built as part
of a cavalry camp during the days when the U.S. had to be
protected against Pancho Villa's border raids.
Santa
Elena Canyon Trail begins at the end of Ross Maxwell
Drive, beyond Castelon. The 1.7-mile round-trip walk
leads across Terlingua Creek, and climbs a series of
concrete steps before descending into the canyon. The
trail continues into the canyon, ending where the wall
meets the river, at one of the narrowest parts of the
seven-mile canyon. A canyon overlook is located along
Ross Maxwell Drive. A popular put-in point for rafts and
canoes is found beside the road, before reaching the
canyon overlook.
Nature
in the Park
Wildflowers
Big
Bend is not only a paradise for those who appreciate the
open desert -- with a multitude of desert plants and
animals -- but the park also offers wildflowers at
unusual times of the year. Late summer and early fall is
a fairly rainy season in the Chihuahuan Desert, and
visitors see many plants in bloom, including goldeneye,
creosote bush, ceniza (covered with pink and purple
blooms), sage, scarlet bouvardia, and ocotillo in the
southeastern part of the park. Even in dryer seasons,
you'll spot flowering plants in lower areas, along
drainages, and in canyons leading into the Chisos range.
The higher elevations in the mountains offer wildflower
viewing throughout the year.
Wildlife
Viewing
Migration
seasons are prime times for birding, but some birds do
live in the park year-round, including gray hawks, Colima
warblers, and varied buntings. Birds which are seen more
frequently in Mexico often stray over the border,
particularly in late summer after the nesting period.
While the spring migration brings many more species, the
fall season is not without migrants, as late as into
December. An updated checklist of Big Bend birds is
available in the visitor centers.
While
the open desert is the place to see jackrabbits,
roadrunners, and dessert amphibians, the Chisos Mountains
offer many opportunities to view other kinds of wildlife.
Here, especially if your camping in the basin, you'll
have a good chance to see javelinas (collared peccaries),
raccoons, the unique Carmen Mountains white-tailed deer,
and coyotes, as well as many varieties of birds including
the golden eagle.
River
Trips
The
park borders the Rio Grande River for 118 miles. The Rio
Grande Wild and Scenic River extends downstream, east of
the park boundary, for another 127 miles. Both sections
of the river provide thrilling rafting experiences. Three
local companies offer float trips and guide services, but
visitor are permitted to use their own equipment with
free permits available from the park visitor centers. A
self-permitting center for the Wild and Scenic River is
located at Stillwell Store, five miles south of Persimmon
Gap, on Farm Road 2627, on the way to La Linda, Mexico.
Another self-permitting located is the Barton Warnock
Environmental Education Center, at Lajitas. Only permits
for Santa Elena Canyon are available here. It pays to
obtain river permits at park visitor centers, because of
the rangers' knowledge of current river conditions, and
the availability of river guide booklets. These booklets
may also be purchased in advance, by calling the Big Bend
Natural History Association at (915) 477-2236.
Companies
offering guided float trips:
- Big
Bend River Tours, Lajitas, (915) 424-3219 or
800-545-4240
- Far
Flung Adventures, Terlingua, (915) 371-2489 or
800-359-4138
- Texas
River Expeditions, Terlingua, (915) 371-2633 or
800-839-7238
Equipment
rentals:
- Ivey
Enterprises (rafts), Terlingua, (915)
371-2424
- Scott
Shuttle Service (canoes), Marathon (915)
386-4574
