I cannot leave without giving equal time to the mountain section of the park. The Chisos Mountains are located roughly in the middle of the park and rise to a height of over 7800 feet. The highest concentration of foot trails are in the mountains rather than the desert. Our hike to the window was from the Chisos Basin, a “bowl” in the middle of the mountains. There is only one 6-mile road that goes into this mountain area. Most of these photos were taken from that road. The others were made from the main road through the park or from the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.
The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive ends at the Santa Elena Canyon. From here, canoeists and rafters put in for a float down the Rio Grande River to Rio Grande Village on the eastern side of the park. There are camps along this nearly 100 mile stretch. You could actually take out at almost any of the camps since they can be reached by 4-wheel drive vehicles. In Terlinqua and Study Butte there are several river outfitters who are happy to rent canoes, rafts, guides, supplies, and transportation services.
We have really enjoyed our visit to Big Bend. However, it is time to leave now. We are anxious to get out of the heat and wind of south Texas. Today, we have spent preparing to move tomorrow and resting a bit. We have been on the go since we got here.
Tomorrow, we start our run for New Mexico and Carlsbad Caverns. We will stop for the night tomorrow at the small town of Alpine so that we can visit Fort Davis National Historic Site. Hopefully, internet access will be better there.
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