[Editor’s note: This post was composed on Thursday, March 25, but posted on March 26 because of internet connectivity issues.]
TERLINGUA, Texas – Before sunrise this morning, I left the RV park to hike the South Rim Loop in Big Bend National Park. The trail covers 12.4 miles in the Chisos Mountains in the heart of the park and leads to a 2,000-foot cliff with views of the desert below.
It was just the right time of day and perfect weather for one of the most spectacular hikes I’ve been on. The skies were clear and the air cool when I set out from the Chisos Basin trailhead near the visitors center at 5,400 feet above sea level. The sunlight was just reaching the peaks as I made my way up the Pinnacles Trail. I then went through Boot Canyon, on to the South Rim, and back through the Laguna Meadows Trail.
A view through “The Window” at sunrise along the Pinnacles Trail in Big Bend National Park.
The trail climbed about 2,000 feet to the rim, past beautiful vistas looking back to the basin or out to the desert. When I reached the rim, all I could say was wow. The trail leads along a cliff that looks down on the desert thousands of feet below and a thin strip of green following the Rio Grande River to the south. If you look at one of the photos, you can see the cut out for Santa Elena Canyon where the river emerges to continue its course through the park. (Our plan is to hike into the canyon tomorrow.)
The hike back along the Laguna Meadow Trail was not as scenic, but that’s OK, since I’m usually half brain dead towards the end of a long hike. It was more gradual downhill than the steeper climb up to the rim on the Pinnacles and Boot Canyon trails.
The trail grew more popular by mid-day although it was never crowded. I was content to hike on my own for long stretches at a time. I did have some Mexican Jays flit about me at one spot on the trail. On the way down, I followed a white tail deer with two small antlers for what must’ve been a quarter of a mile before the deer headed off into the junipers.
Dashboard:
Miles towing the RV: 2,542; RV parks stayed at: 16; States travelled through: 6; National parks visited: 3.
The road ahead (Lord willing): Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns national parks.
Daniel Griswold's Blog 