PDA

View Full Version : Big Bend NP



Hollis
27-Apr-2008, 16:22
I am heading west (then North and then East, but more on that later) and will be making my way to Big Bend NP and I wanted to get some opinions on the place. It looks beautiful and I love the desert, just never made it out there. I will be shooting 4x5 and smaller so not too worried about weight issues. Are there any remote camp sites? Any issues with crowds or people hassling you for shooting images? Seems like a great place.

Hollis Bennett

Brian Vuillemenot
27-Apr-2008, 19:17
Big Bend is my favorite national park. It's one of those relatively undiscovered gems, but has been getting more and more crowded over the last decade. My favorite place to camp is in the Chisos Basin campground. There's awesome views up there, and lots of trail heads leading into the Chisos. You could camp there and have quite a bit to explore and photograph on day hikes from the trailhead. During the summer, it's also much cooler up there than in the desert. Another cool thing to do would be to float the Rio Grande in a raft and photograph the canyon scenery, such as Santa Elena canyon. There's also a couple ghost towns nearby if you're into shooting ruins. I've never been hastled by anyone while photographing there, although a number of curious strangers did ask politely about my big camera (similar to what you'd expect anywhere). Here's a few pics from my last trip to BBNP.

Monty McCutchen
27-Apr-2008, 19:50
The hike down to 'The Window' is my favorite in the park. I also enjoy the view into Santa Elena Canyon at sunrise and it is relatively easy to get to. I wouldn't discount Big Bend State Park as there are many desert scenes to come away with --with a fraction of the people around. Outside of the park there used to be (its been a while since I have been down that way) two giant water tanks painted into Wolf Brand Chili cans that I always enjoyed photographing if you like man made in the environment type work.

Don't forget to stop in and say hello to James Evans in Marathon, the gateway town to Big Bend. He is a phenomenal photographer and a true gentleman who will graciously share info, time, and hospitality if he is around. One of the really nice men in the world.

http://www.jameshevans.com/Welcome%20.html


Have a great trip and post some pictures here when you get back!

best,

Monty

Hollis
27-Apr-2008, 23:02
Sounds very good. A good friend of mine (another photographer) has also recommended meeting James Evans and I will have to do that. I was looking into floating the canyon and will probably do that. Thanks again and I will be posting photos on my website at www.hollisbennett.com once i make some that I like.

David Vickery
28-Apr-2008, 00:07
Hello Hollis, It has been several years since I have been to Big Bend, And I miss it!
There are plenty of back country, primitive campsites. The only time that I have ever seen it crowded was during spring break--and then it is only crowded at the campsites. But the Basin does see plenty of traffic, even in the off season, as it is the only part of Big Bend that is high enough up to get some relief from the heat of the desert.
Big Bend has so much to be discovered if you look. The Avifauna is surprising in quantity and diversity, the flora are an amazement, the landscape diverse and challenging, just remember that everything is further away than it seems and you will need more water with you than you think.
Judging from your nice website, you will enjoy the Big Bend. And as Monty said, Big Bend State Park has a lot to offer as well.
Every time I have been there I have driven through Marathon and have tried to meet James Evans but his gallery was always closed.

Scott Schroeder
28-Apr-2008, 05:51
Hollis,
It's a BIG area to cover so you won't be able to see it all in one trip.
As Monty said, Big Bend Ranch State Park (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/big_bend_ranch/) should NOT be overlooked.
I have always gone to the NP but in early March decided to go to the SP.
I was taking my son for a week long camping trip and it was spring break.
I'm not much for crowds...
Although Big Bend can't really be crowded :) Spring Break is when it has the most visitors. The state park is more rugged and remote and so you won't be bumping into people...
However, you'll need a 4wd high clearance vehicle to get to the fun spots. If you go I'd highly recommend the Guale2 campsite. BUT it's a rough road to get there.....
A really good resource is BigBendChat (http://www.bigbendchat.com/portal/forum/index.php).
My trip out there wasn't for photography but just for my son, so I didn't even bring a big camera. To get an idea you can see some snaps (http://www.schroederworks.com/BBRSP/myalbum.html) of our trip. There are some comments at the top of most photos in that annoying header that shaves off some of the picture.
Also, if you find yourself in town, head over to the Starlight porch in the evening for a beer and to meet some locals.
If you don't make it to the state park, there is a beautiful short hike called Closed Canyon you might wanna check out.
BTW, it's probably getting pretty hot out there by now....
So you might want to run for the chisos. If the camera isn't too heavy, you wouldn't regret an overnight to the south rim.

Darryl Baird
28-Apr-2008, 06:19
I love Big Bend, been going since I was young, but now I live 1800 miles away ;-(

The ghost town of Terlingua (outside the park to the west and currently making a comeback - check out the Starlight Theater restaurant) is interesting, plus the re-developed town of Lajitas (weird place with a golf course and a fake western town) are good, but the drive to the west through Colorado Canyon is one of Americs'a best drives, imho.

Further west in the added recreation area is a slot canyon, Closed Canyon, narrow and descending to the Rio Grande river below... wonderful, spooky, spiritual place shaped by wind and water, similar to those Antelope Canyons in Utah (?), it's a bit hard to find, but look for a parking lot where rafters set into the river up the road towards Presidio

Chisos Basin can be explored for days and still not have done it all.. if it rains there are waterfalls in unexpected places and the rock formations are awesome. Santa Elena Canyon is majestic. Grapevine Hill is remote and very scenic, if you have the vehicle and the camping gear there are many primitive campsites available. On the eastern edge, Sierra del Carmen Mountains are great... nearby to the Rio Grande Village (camping and RVs). My favorite (easy to get in and out for lazy campers like me), is Cottonwood Camp near the river.

I could go on, but it makes me a little sad. Say hi to James, eat at the Gage Hotel, and don't speed around Alpine at night. (not because of cops, but the javelina and deer are all over the roads !!!)

haha, I noticed before I could complete this message, Scott beat me to the punch on a couple of suggestions... that means they're a "must see and do"

links:
http://www.big.bend.national-park.com/camping.htm

http://www.adventuresports.com/bike/worldoutside/trips/bigbendhiker.html

Hollis
28-Apr-2008, 07:52
Thanks all, the comments are really helpful. Ill definitely check out the SP while I am out there. As for time, I have as much as I need. This is the first major stop of a year-long road trip cross-continent. I am involved in desert racing (trucks) so my vehicle will be perfectly fine out there. Great, I can not wait. This will be good.

H.

Darren H
29-Apr-2008, 10:34
Hollis-

Big Bend is one of my favorite parks and as others have a said a hidden gem of the park system. It is a very specatcular park that is a landscape photographers dream. I would go as far to say that if Big Bend were in California people would talk of Yosemite, Big Bend and Death Valley in the same breath . But since it is truly the end of the road in southwest Texas, it is overlooked by most. It is a place you can spend a lifetime exploring. If you like big open places, you will love it here.

When are you thinking of planning a trip?

It is getting hot there now and the desert floor will be over 100 every day. The Chisos Basin will be cooler and the mountains nicer yet. The summer rains will hopefully begin in June or so and run into September. The park has been bone dry all year so they need the rain. Typically by late summer there is a second spring during the peak of the "monsoon season" and wildflowers will be in the Chisos and the foothills. Fall -winter-and spring are cooler nice times there. Early summer is for those who can take the heat.

There are a great many photo locations, hikes, and drives. Really it depends what you like to photograph and what you like to do. You have mountains, desert, grasslands, canyons, ruins, rock art, hidden oasises, flowers, birds, bears, mountain lion, etc. Here are just a few suggestions:

Drives-

Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive-paved and ends at Santa Elena Canyon

River Road-55 miles of gravel, need high clearance and about 8 hours 1 way.

Old Ore Road, gravel- high clearance, stop and hike Ernst Tinaja

Glenn Springs Road, rough gravel, high clearance, hike in Pine Canyon, photograph the Mariscal Mines

Hikes-

South Rim- long all day hike in Chisos

Lost Mine- Nice Chisos hike

Window- Great sunset hike in Chisos

Balanced Rock in Grapevine Hills for sunrise

Santa Elena Canyon- a must do. Great sunrise location too.

Closed Canyon in Big Bend Ranch State Park about an hour west of BBNP. Narrow slot canyon that is alot like Utah.

Photography- Sunrise Locations I like:

Santa Elena Canyon
Rio Grande Village Nature trail hill
5 miles east of Panther Junction looking toward Chisos
Balanced Rock in Grapevine Hills

Sunset locations I like:

Window in Chisos
Sotol Vista Overlook
Hot Springs
Rio Grande Village nature trail hill

There are just a few, the park is full of them. Explore and find more.

When you get to the park, stop at any visitor center and buy the 3 volume book series. One on roads, gravel roads, and trails. They are maybe $2/each and give you pics and area descriptions. A fantastic source for info and cheap to boot.

In the summer you will want to camp in the Basin. It is cooler but the campsites are really close together. Cottonwood is better but really hot in the summer. The Chisos has a lodge you can get a room in. If you backpack, do an overnighter to the south rim. Gotta carry alot of water but it is a great view.

If you have a few days or a few weeks this could be a great park for you.

I was there last month and you can find some info and images about the trip at this thread-

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=32780

as well as posts on my blogs about the trip(see the link in my sig below).

Good luck with your trip and feel free to ask any questions, we can try and point you in the right direction.

claudiocambon
29-Apr-2008, 20:40
Wow, Darren, what a list! I am cutting and pasting it for future reference in the hopes that I go some day, and all these suggestions can only help! Thanks!

David Vickery
29-Apr-2008, 22:36
To Darren's list and all of the other contributions I would add the following depending on how much hiking you want to do--there could indeed be an unlimited amount of opportunities at Big Bend--but there is so much that the roads may not get you to:
Slick Rock Canyon, Alto Real, Dagger Flats, Dog Canyon, The Window from below, The drive to Pine Canyon is just as good as Pine Canyon, Boquillas Canyon and the Rio Grande near it, Burro Mesa Pouroff-both from below and especially from above,--stop anywhere and you can walk around a little bit and find something (but don't for get the water and watch out for the horse crippler and the Lechuguilla and the... well, never mind!).
Frank Armstrong has a beautiful book, "Rock, River & Thorn" produced by Waterous and Co. that depicts the diversity of the area in Black and White.

Darren H
30-Apr-2008, 03:46
One other thing that may be of interest that I did not mention is Big Bend has alot of backroad campsites you can get along their gravel road system. There are the three actual campgrounds (Rio Grande Village, Chisos Basin, Cottonwood) but the backroad sites are gravel pads at interesting locations in the desert. Take a high clearance vehicle for the roads. A 2WD pickup will make the roads in dry weather. If it rains though, the roads will goto 4WD required really fast. Plan accordingly.

There are a couple dozen sites spread throughout the park. For example there is one by the Mariscal Mine which would be perfect if you want to photograph the mine at dawn (best time of day) as it is at least two hours each way from the paved road. There are also several sites at points along the river road that would be great too.

Basically if you want to go remote and still have acess to a vehicle-this is a great way to do it.

If you are a backpacker there are even more remote places to hike and camp.

Now as David mentions above there are dozens of great remote hikes to little known places. He is so right. I have been actively photographing this park for the last 8 years making 1-2 trips per year and I am always finding new places to explore. I feel I have barely scratched the surface of what is here. It really is that big.

Hope you have a great trip!

jdavis
30-Apr-2008, 15:27
Good suggestions already - here's another. If you're driving across Texas to get there, don't take I-10 but go to to Del Rio and hang a right on State Highway 90. It's a lot more interesting, and will take you past Seminole Canyon State Park (petroglyphs, canyons) and Langtry, Texas (Judge Roy Bean - Law West of the Pecos.) You'll see some amazing canyons on the Pecos River and understand why the phrase "west of the Pecos" was a serious line of demarcation. It's a wonderful drive, with lots of interesting stops and history.

If you've seen the movie "No Country for Old Men" - that's what it's like.

Hollis
30-Apr-2008, 21:26
Darren, your info is golden, thank you, I will be referencing it soon when I am out there. I have spent a lot of time in West texas over the years, just never got around to going to big bend. I worked on a ranch for a bit out near bracketville and that is when I first really started to love the desert (when I wasn't cursing it). I hate the interstates and avoid them like the plague.

As for my vehicle, Ill be fine. I have driven up and down Baja with it on the worst roads known to man, by far, and it is no worse for wear.

Monty McCutchen
1-May-2008, 05:07
Hollis,

If you go the 90 route then you might want to consider The Devils River State Natural Area.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/parkguide/rgn_bb_014.phtml

When I went I had the entire park to myself. I didn't have time but if you do some research and arrange it ahead of time, Dolan Falls in one spectacular (albeit small) portion of the river. You have to gain access from the Nature Conservancy and I'm not sure if it is open all the time for access but if the planets align I hear it is worth the effort to get to.

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/texas/preserves/art6399.html

Once again have a great trip.

Monty

Darren H
1-May-2008, 06:27
Glad to be able to help with suggestions.

I would also second taking US 90, Langtry, Devils River, etc. as being worthy destinations in themselves. Not to mention Black Gap Wildlife Management Area (100,000 acres)east of BBNP and Big Bend Ranch State Park (250,000 acres) west of BBNP.

If you go in the summer you might consider the Davis Mountain area. Higher elevations and cooler temps. You have the state park, a Nature Conservancy area, and the McDonald observatory. McDonald Obsv is where you can take in a star party at night and actually look through some of their "smaller" telescopes. It is alot of fun and I highly recommend it too.