The Unknown National Park

For serious hikers, the cross-country trek to Bruja Canyon, the Dog Canyon-Devil's Den circuit, or the scramble to the base of Window Falls, one of Texas' highest waterfalls.

For average hikers, the desert stroll to Cattail Falls (not listed on any park brochure or map!) Tuff Canyon, with its high walls of volcanic ash. Santa Elena Canyon, with eye-popping cliffs that rival the Grand Canyon. Boquillas Canyon with its 200-foot-high sand dune to roll down.

For non-hikers, soak up the thermal waters at the Hot Springs ghost town. Drive the spectacularly remote River Road (high clearance) to abandoned mines and ghost towns. White-water raft the Rio Grande through any of three major canyons. Drive to the Basin, a scenic mountain meadow high above the desert floor.

Quick Tips:

AVOID Thanksgiving weekend, and the first three weeks in March. This is the only time the park is crowded. And it is CROWDED. Avoid June-September if you plan on hiking in the desert. The temperature is often above 110, some desert springs dry up, and most rescues in the park happen during these months. October through April are the best months for desert hiking. Late September through late November, and late February through early May are best for hiking the high Chisos Mountains trails. BRING WATER. Sometimes park water has a high level of sulfates. Bring sunscreen. The sun here is brutal.

Best Way To Get Around:

You can't get to Big Bend without a car. And you can't enjoy it without one, either. This is big country, and a big park. 1200 square miles, to be precise! Several scenic roads are accessible to all passenger cars. Having a high clearance will open up vast tracts of the park seen only by 2-3% of park visitors. 4WD will open up roads that are driven perhaps once or twice per year by anyone. Of course, you should be prepared for genuine 4WD trail travel, with spare tires, gas, water, etc.

Most national parks have a hotel in them, unfortunately. Big Bend is not a hotel place. To experience Big Bend, you have to be an explorer, an adventurer, and that means you sleep on the ground.

However, for those of you looking for a "filtered" desert experience, or for those who just can't sleep in a tent for one reason or other, a 70s retro motor inn pollutes the pristine mountain environment of the Chisos Mountains Basin.

For $78, you'll get a room reminiscent of those Route 66 family-owned hotels. Air conditioned (nice in summer!), heated (great in winter!).

The lodge has garnered lots of criticism for the strain it puts on the ecosystem of the Basin. I tend to agree with the critics. But at least it provides a way for armchair tourists to glimpse Big Bend that would ordinarily never see such grand desert wilderness.

Check out the website.

If you've stayed too late at La Kiva's bar and had one too many of their killer margaritas and you just can't make the 50-mile drive to your camp in the park, this is where you can rest your head.

The Chisos Mining Company offers VERY basic rooms for $50/double. They also offer nicer, well-appointed rooms, small cabins, and even a nice secluded house for rent. Check their website for more details.

It's a clean, friendly, family-run place. Hot water is NOT in abundance, so take quick showers. Do as much to conserve water as possible here, as you are in the middle of one of the driest desert areas in North America.

It's a big step above camping, but don't expect four-star here!

I frequently patronize the Basin restaurant because of their lovely breakfast buffet. There's nothing like filling your stomach with biscuits and gravy, sausage, and eggs before a long desert hike, or a multi-day mountain backpack. I can rave about the buffet, which costs about $7 with coffee, and is always delicious and filling. I've never eaten any other meal at the restaurant, so I can't attest to the quality of their menu.

The service is usually pretty slow, even when there's no crowd. It's just slow country. Be patient.

The views from the restaurant are SUPERB! The funky ‘70s architecture thankfully included floor-to-ceiling windows with views across the Basin, its peaks, and the Window. I imagine that a romantic dinner here while watching the sunset through The Window would be charming, if a little out-of-character for the region.

La Kiva is just about the most bizarre place I've ever encountered. It's a funky bar and restaurant built into a cave-like void in Terlingua Creek, just north of the ghost town of Terlingua. On a typical night, more folks arrive on horseback than in cars.

The massive cartoon-like door set off-kilter and at a downward angle into the ground is propped open to reveal stairs down into the ground.

Old-fashioned swinging bar doors admit one into the main bar and dining room area, where you will be cheerily greeted by a host.

Live music is played almost every night except for Thursday, usually local artists, but some potently famous folks have graced the stage here. The place is dark, funky, and dungeon-like, with bones cemented to the walls to form fantastical skeletons of animals that never existed.

The tables and chairs are of massive hewn logs from some forest way up north.

In spring and summer, outside seating is possible on the patio overlooking the desert creek canyon, surrounding a big stage where larger events are held.

There is a kooky special room that looks more cave-like than anything in the place, then entrance to which is only 5 feet high. I still haven't figured out what they use it for.

The drinks are stiff and cheap, with toe-curling margaritas for $3.50 and beers for $2. They've got a few things on tap.

The chef for La Kiva is an "expat" from up north somewhere, and puts on a great Southwestern menu with some funky twists like "Chicken Fried Ribeye." The barbeque is great here, too.

Want to spend a Christmas you'll never forget? Christmas Eve dinner is lavish and gourmet, for only $15.

You'll share the bar with ranchers whose families have lived in the region for generations. Stock brokers and CEOs who grew weary of corporate life and moved to Terlingua to escape. Hippies, young and old, drawn to the region's character.

Go to La Kiva. It has been named one of the top 20 most unique bars in America by some big magazine. It's hanging on their wall. You'll understand why when you get there.

The Hungry Javalina (pronounced "HAVE-uh-LEEN-uh" which is a small feral pig endemic to the Big Bend region) is a glorified snack wagon whose location changes from year to year. Sometimes it's between the park entrance and Study Butte. Currently (as of Feb 2004) it's located next to the Chisos Mining Company Motel between Study Butte and Terlingua.

It consists of two funkily-painted trailers, an awning, a few tables, and some chairs encircling a fire pit.

You walk up to the window, order and pay, the food is prepared (from scratch), you walk up to the window when your name is called, then you eat at the tables or join the locals around the fire.

Breakfast consists of generously stuffed burritos for $3, pancakes, French toast, biscuits and gravy, etc. Lunch and dinner are usually burgers, tacos, or barbeque, unless they've got something special going on.

The food is great, the company is eclectic, and the views are stunning. You're surrounded by desert.

Local dogs usually hang around for handouts, which would be revolting anywhere but Terlingua.

The Hungry Javalina is a must-eat for anyone in the area.

This hike is what Big Bend is all about. It's not published on any park brochure or detailed in ANY publication on the Big Bend region.

The hike begins at Terlingua Abaja off the Old Maverick Road near Santa Elena Canyon. Park near the adobe ruins, and follow a trail behind the ruins and down into Terlingua Creek wash. Cross the creek and climb up into the hills on the other side. Descend into a valley to the right of the highest peak on the hills. A faint trail runs along the left side of the valley past some strange colorful dirt formations.

Exiting the valley, you'll be in quintessential desert . . . flat, sandy, with little vegetation. Head across the desert towards the gash in the massive face of the Mesa de Anguila. Cairns sometimes help you in the right direction.

After the desert expanse, you approach two sets of hills. After the first set, try staying to the right as much as possible and you'll find yourself in a small cactus-filled canyon that ends at a cliff of yellow dirt where you descend into Bruja wash. If you don't find the canyon, descend into the wash from any point and pick your way upstream through thorny trees and cactus.

Eventually the wash will change from gravel to boulders and you'll approach Bruja Canyon's entrance. Find your own way carefully up car- and house-sized boulders into the canyon. You can spend hours in here, looking at shelters caves once inhabited by Indians, and clambering around under boulders the size of city blocks. There is even a spring-fed pool up-canyon, but it is difficult to find.

Return the way you came.

This hike is brutal in summer months. Take lots of water for each person, and wear sunscreen. This hike is ONLY recommended for ADVANCED HIKERS, as route-finding is challenging, the desert plants are vicious (wear pants), and scrambling inside the canyon can approach technical-climbing difficulty. A flashlight is helpful inside the canyon, as sunlight rarely reaches the bottom, and many times you'll be beneath boulders for 10-40 feet in near darkness.

According to park personnel, this circuit is hiked by only one or two parties a year. That's a shame. It's SPECTACULAR!

Begin by driving the rough dirt road to Nine Points Draw campsite, off Hwy 385 several miles south of the park entrance at Persimmon Gap. This road is usually accessible to all vehicles, with careful driving.

From the campsite, note both canyons; Dog Canyon is somewhat hidden but the top is clearly visible to your left. Devil's Den is a jagged dark line snaking down the mountain to your right.

Begin the hike by striking out cross-country toward Dog Canyon. You will eventually hit a wash and can follow it upstream, heading in the direction of Dog Canyon. When you enter the short but beautiful canyon, hike up-canyon and out the other side.

Climb out of the wash to the right, and head south across the open desert hills. Following your progress on the topographic map you procured at park headquarters, aim for the pass above Devil's Den. Sometimes a faint trail exists on the right hand side of the drainage leading to the pass. From the pass, good views out across the Chihuahuan desert are inspiring and an old fence reminds you that this country was once inhabited by ranchers.

Descend the pass into the valley below, filled with giant dagger plants. Once in the wash, head downstream to the entrance of Devil's Den. There is usually a large pool of water here, and it can be swarming with bees and wasps. Both times I've hiked this route, the bees were present, and I was never stung. Just put on long sleeves and wade or climb right through.

The route down Devil's Den is very challenging. It involves climbing over slick rock pour-offs from 3 to 8ft high, sometimes down into icy pools of water up to 5ft deep! Sometimes the potholes are completely dry. Sometimes people have piled rocks or impromptu ladders to assist in the descent. Other times you're on your own. Unless you're a competent scrambler, don't try this route. Continue down canyon to the mouth.

If you get in over your head, backtrack to the entrance and turn right, ascending the ridge to the canyon rim. Follow a faint trail along the canyon rim with spectacular views into the canyon to the mouth.

Once outside the canyon, locate your car, a tiny shining speck out near the Nine Points Draw campsite, to the right of a small hill. Hike cross-country to complete your circuit.

This is a challenging hike that should only be undertaken by expert hikers/scramblers equipped with maps, compass, lots of water, and a rope.

This is a gem of a trail that's not listed in any National Park literature. That's because it's perhaps the loveliest short hike in the park, and it goes to a delicate area so sensitive that it would be destroyed with overuse. I feel justified in describing it here, as 99.999% of you will never visit the park, and those that make the effort to will respect this beauty spot.

Drive south on the Ross Maxwell Scenic Highway toward Castolon for about four miles. You'll see a sign indicating Sam Nail Ranch and a paved pull-out on the right. On the left is an unmarked dirt road heading toward the mountains. Take this dirt road, which is very rough and barely passable for passenger cars, across the desert, down into a rough wash, and up to a large parking area near a vehicle gate. Walk past the gate and continue down the road to Oak Spring, where a beautiful "tie down" tree spans a stream of clear water.

There is usually a sign indicating the Cattail Falls trail. If not, face the "tie down" tree (you'll know it when you see it) and walk to the right of it to a clear trail that climbs steps out of the canyon.

After you reach the top of the steps (the only steep part of the hike) the trail meanders across open desert past lots of unique cacti, then comes abreast of a deep wash.

Follow the trail carefully into the wash as you enter the canyon at the edge of the high cliffs of the Chisos Mountains. The canyon becomes lush and you'll encounter a clear stream.

The last 50 feet of the trail are the hardest, and require a little bit of climbing over rocks and across the stream to a pebbly beach at the base of lovely Cattail Falls. I've never seen the falls dry, even in the worst of droughts. However, the amount of water can vary from a trickle to a roar, depending on recent rainfall. Please don't get into the deep pool below the falls. The park pulls drinking water from the stream and it is heavily used by wildlife.

The visible section of Cattail Falls is about 40 feet high, however, it continues in segments up around the canyon to a total height of around 200 feet. This makes it ONE of the highest falls in Texas, but it is segmented.

A higher, unsegmented fall is Window Falls, accessible from the same trailhead, but much more difficult to reach. See that section for a trail description. It is easy to see both falls in a day.

This hike should only be done if a park ranger says that a good amount of water is flowing through the Window pour-off! When conditions are right, this challenging hike leads through barren desert to the base of a 220-foot waterfall (the second highest in Texas) surrounded by thousand-foot cliffs of the Chisos Mountains. It is spectacular in the most potent sense of the word.

Drive south on the Ross Maxwell Scenic Highway toward Castolon for about four miles. You'll see a sign indicating Sam Nail Ranch and a paved pullout on the right. On the left is an unmarked dirt road heading toward the mountains. Take this dirt road, which is very rough and barely passable for passenger cars, across the desert, down into a rough wash, and up to a large parking area near a vehicle gate. Walk past the gate and continue down the road to Oak Spring, where a beautiful "tie down" tree spans a stream of clear water.

Cross the stream and continue hiking up the road to the sign that points to Oak Spring Trail on the left. Take the trail as it climbs STEEPLY up the lower flanks of the Chisos Mountains. After 3/4 of a mile or so, the trail gets closer to the sheer cliffs of the Chisos, and you can see the canyon below to your right where the falls is located. Leave the trail and walk to the edge of the canyon.

You will see the high waterfall at the head of the canyon where it pours through The Window and into the desert below. Descend the loose rock (scree) very carefully to the bottom. BE CAREFUL!!! You could easily start a rockslide that will bury you alive! Usually there are some tracks in the scree, which you can follow to the bottom.

At the bottom, head upstream to the base of the falls. There is no pool of water here, as there is at Cattail Falls, and the canyon is NOT narrow and lush. It is open to the high cliffs that surround it, and you can look up and see the water fanning out over the massive column of mineral deposits it has built up over millennia. The column is draped with moss and is quite spectacular.

Return the way you came.

This is a challenging hike and should not be attempted by novice hikers or anyone in poor physical condition. Take water, as the hike will be hot and steep. There is usually water flowing at Oak Spring, but not always. And, again, this is a disappointing hike if there is not a good flow of water through the Window, so be sure to ask a ranger!

This is a very rewarding, easy hike and is justly popular among park visitors. From the Boquillas Canyon parking lot at the end of the park road 26 miles from Panther Junction, make sure your car is locked and valuables are taken with you or hidden in the trunk. You are less than 100 feet from the village of Boquillas in Mexico, and recent border crossing restrictions have impoverished the village by cutting off tourist dollars. Don't tempt someone.

Follow the trail as it climbs up steps to a lovely view of the Rio Grande valley and the entrance to massive Boquillas Canyon. The trail then descends steps to the floodplain. This is the only steep part of the hike.

The trail cuts through a bamboo forest, then emerges at it enters the canyon beneath 2,000 foot walls. It winds along the river to a 200-foot-high sand dune beneath a shelter cave.

For the in-shape and adventurous, climb the sand dune to the top for great views! Then roll, jump, or backstroke down the cool, nearly-vertical dune face to the bottom. You'll have sand in your ears for weeks, but this is a unique Big Bend experience that everyone treasures.

The trail ends at where the river approaches a cliff, just beyond the dune. Enjoy the spectacular views of the massive limestone walls and the river, then return to the car the way you came.

Tinaja (pronounced "tin-AH-hah") is Spanish for "earthen jar" and in the Big Bend country it refers to potholes in slick-rock canyons that hold water.

Ernst Tinaja is the largest one in the park, and is almost always filled to a depth of 20-25 feet. It is reached by an easy hike from the Ernst Tinaja trailhead, which is reached by a VERY rough road.

Headed south on the road to Rio Grande Village, turn left onto the Old Ore Road just beyond Hot Springs. The road is accessible to most passenger cars under normal dry conditions, for several miles. If the road gets too rough for your car, either park and walk, or turn around.

About half a mile before the trailhead, the road goes STEEPLY down a horribly rutted section that is suitable for high-clearance or 4WD all the time. From a pullout above this descent, you can look down into the valley to a white, fluted cliff, which stands above the parking lot.

From the parking lot, drop into the wash and stroll upstream to the big tinaja. The walls of the canyon are remarkably twisted and convoluted! This is a very scenic area.

For the adventurous, the canyon continues upstream from the tinaja, becoming a challenging scramble. Most people fall into a deep tinaja about half a mile upstream from Ernst Tinaja as they try to traverse a narrow ledge without falling in.

You can continue all the way to the Ernst Basin trail complex, accessible from the Marufo Vega Trailhead.

Another option is to walk the old road from ET1 campsite on the Old Ore Road (well before the Ernst Tinaja trailhead) up into the mountains above Ernst Canyon. At the head of the canyon, you can drop down into it and climb down over the pour-offs, similar to Devil's Den, all the way to the Ernst Tinaja trailhead, then walk the road back up to your car. This is a hike ONLY for the adventurous, expert hiker, and is NOT a beginner's hike.

However, the pleasant stroll up the canyon from the Ernst Tinaja parking lot is easy for anyone, provided you can get all the way to the trailhead in your vehicle.

This trail is hiked by nearly every visitor in the park, so it can get crowded. However, the scenery is superfluous, spectacular, and severe.

From the Santa Elena Canyon parking lot at the end of the Ross Maxwell Scenic Highway, follow the trail to Terlingua Creek. Occasionally the park erects a bridge across the creek, but it is usually not there. Wade the creek (it is usually only ankle-deep and clear). If the creek is deep, muddy, and swift, do not cross it.

After the crossing, continue on the trail to concrete steps which take you up to a viewpoint into the canyon. This canyon is just HUGE. It's not nearly as wide as the Grand Canyon, and only half as deep, but the narrow walls and unbroken cliff faces make it EVERY bit as overwhelming.

The steps descend to a beach on the river inside the canyon's mouth, and ends shortly afterward.

Despite the crowds (and "crowd" is relative...on its busiest day, there are a FRACTION of the people here that you'd find on the Bright Angel trail in Grand Canyon, or Half Dome trail in Yosemite) this trail is a MUST for any Big Bend visitor. Enjoy!

Floating the Rio Grande has become an increasingly popular activity in the park. Three canyons exist within the park: Santa Elena (the most popular canyon with a class IV-V rapid called The Rockslide), Mariscal (the most remote and deepest canyon), and Boquillas (the longest at 26 miles). North of the park, Colorado Canyon in the Big Bend Ranch State Park provides easy access and floating. South of the park, the "Lower Canyons" of the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River offer challenging white water in stark wilderness.

Trips cater to everyone from the armchair tourist to the expert. They range from 1/2 day to three weeks in length. They range from barebones guide service to gourmet luxury.

A list of outfitters recommended by the park is below, followed by a sample price from one of the many trips they offer:

Big Bend River Tours 800-545-4240
www.bigbendrivertours.com
$130 per person, one day in Santa Elena

Desert Sports 888-989-6900
www.desertsportstx.com
$125 per person, one day in Santa Elena
Offers a spectacular 12-day Lower Canyons run for $1400 per person

Far Flung Adventures 800-359-4138
www.farflung.com/tx

$120 per person, one day in Santa Elena
Offers an amazing gourmet rRafting tour of Santa Elena canyon, two nights, $700 per person, with chef Francois Maeder of San Antonio's Crumpets featured in 2003

Rio Grande Adventures 800-343-1640
www.riograndeadventures.com
$125 per person, one day in Santa Elena
Most versatile rental for those not wanting guided trips. Rentals for $20 per person/per day, shuttles and car shuttles.

Texas River Expeditions 800-839-7238
www.texasriver.com/texas.html
$125 per person, one day in Santa Elena

Though it's not for those on a shoestring budget, canoeing, rafting, or kayaking the Rio Grande's many canyons is considered by many to be the ultimate way to experience Big Bend Country.

The South Rim is a classic Texas hike, perhaps the most frequently hiked backpacking trail in the state. It ascends from The Basin in the Chisos Mountains to a high, cool, forested ridge that sticks out southward from the Chisos massif. Views of the desert nearly 3,000 vertical feet below are heady and spectacular, stretching deep into Mexico.

The hike can be done roundtrip in one VERY long, tiring day, but most spend at least one night along the trail. Backcountry camping is strictly regulated in the High Chisos to protect the dozen bear and two-dozen mountain lion that reside there. During the March spring break rush, the campsites are ALWAYS booked, and it will be impossible to hike the South Rim, so just don't try.

The best way to see the South Rim is to leave The Basin on the Laguna Meadows trail, which climbs steeply to the South Rim over 6.3 miles, with 1,875 feet of elevation gain. Then follow the 3.3-mile route along the South, Southeast, and Northeast Rim of the Chisos Mountains, with eye-popping views all the way. Return to The Basin via the Pinnacles Trail, 5.3 miles down.

This loop takes in every spectacular mile of the entire "South Rim" complex. It is 15 miles in length. At least one night should be spent at one of the many backcountry sites along the South Rim. Sunsets up here are spectacular.

Free permits must be acquired in person at Panther Junction. None are given over the phone, internet, or mail.

Day hiking to the South Rim and back is possible without a permit, and is easiest via the Laguna Meadows trail, 12.5 miles roundtrip.

In the past, water has been available at Boot Spring, on the Pinnacles Trail. However, the spring has been dry in recent summers due to drought. Carry all the water you'll need. The park recommends one gallon per person per day.

Hot Springs is a very unique spot that most park visitor’s experience. In the early 1900s, a man named J.O. Langford noticed hot springs on a map of the Rio Grande country of Big Bend. He purchased the land from the state without ever having seen it. Then he packed up his family and moved to the area to open a health spa.

Needless to say, he was shocked at how rough and remote the country was. But he was determined to make a living, and he built a hotel, bathhouse, and a post office, and a small resort village sprang up. After years of raids by bandits and Indians, drought, and pestilence, the resort closed.

But the foundations of the bath house, right beside the rushing Rio Grande, still exist, and still collect 105 degree water from hot rocks deep beneath the earth's surface. It makes a fine place to relax after a long drive or hike.

The only problem with Hot Springs is its accessibility. It's only 1/4 mile from the parking lot along an easy trail. So you can bet, if you're there on a weekend during the day, that you won't have it to yourself.

The trick is to visit late at night, or early EARLY in the morning before sunrise. I usually drive to Big Bend overnight, arriving around 3 or 4am, and lounge naked in the hot spring water, waiting for the sun to rise over Mexico. It always does, and it's always spectacular.

Weekend nights, though, can be crowded with local kids from nearby towns. And rangers REGULARLY patrol the springs late at night on weekends, especially in spring and summer. At these times, DON'T go naked and DON'T have alcohol or any illegal substances because a ticket here is a FEDERAL offense.

However, in mid-week, dead of winter, when it's below freezing outside, you can enjoy the toasty-warm water all to yourself in your altogether with an illegal cocktail to keep you company.

Overnight parking is illegal at Hot Springs. According to the park, as long as you're not ASLEEP anywhere in the vicinity of the springs, your car can be there overnight. Meaning, as long as you're soaking, you're cool. Don't try to sleep in your car or camp there. You'll get busted.

The three-mile road to Hot Springs is rough dirt, and scary, but passable to all cars unless it's extremely wet. At one point the road narrows to one lane on a narrow ledge 30 feet above the canyon floor, and it's scary for big cars or SUVs. But it makes a great waker-upper for those in your car if you've driven there overnight!

The Big Bend country has been a country without borders for centuries. Families lived and worked on both sides of the border. Remote Mexican villages, virtually cut off from mainland Mexico, depended on stores and schools in the park for food, gas, electricity, medical care, and education. Likewise, the merchants in the US depended largely on this trade with Mexican villagers to stay afloat.

Before September 11, there were three "informal" border crossings within the park, and another just outside at Lajitas. It was a VERY popular to cross the river and visit one of these small Mexican villages to eat tacos, drink beer, mill with locals (and interesting American expats who relocated there for various reasons...some to escape the IRS or the FBI), and buy trinkets. The cultural experience was priceless, and the towns benefited from tourist dollars.

These informal crossings were developed, supported, and though they were technically illegal, the government allowed the park service to promote them.

This was only natural, for the country has been borderless since BEFORE the Spanish even colonized Mexico. Families of Mexicans, Native Americans, and American ranchers and traders moved back and forth across the shallow river like crossing a street.

After September 11, the INS ordered the park service to close the informal crossings. Families were split apart. Children (US citizens!) who reside in small Mexican towns cannot cross the river to attend school. Boquillas depended on gas from the Rio Grande Village store to run their generators. Now the town is completely without electricity. These towns are isolated from mainland Mexico by hundreds of miles of impassable dirt roads through high mountains, and without gas from the US side, they cannot reach medical assistance or critical supplies.

It is, in one word, a crisis.

Not only do we no longer have the pleasure of making visits to these small border towns, where life has remained unchanged for a century, the towns no longer get our tourist dollars or supplies, medical treatment, and education they formerly depended on.

Currently, it is not illegal to cross into Mexico from within the park.

However, to cross BACK into the U.S. anywhere within the park will land you a $5000 fine and possibly jail time. The Border Patrol is out in force, running stings in patrol cars and helicopters. The formerly peaceful skies above Boquillas Canyon and Rio Grande Village are torn by the sounds of airplane patrols.

Never mind that in order to REACH these informal crossings, a terrorist would have to orchestrate a transportation miracle far more complex and harder to disguise than his final intended operation. It is much easier to secretly cross the Mexico/US border at other places.

The situation is devastating to both Mexican and US citizens. If you have time, please write your congressman and tell him or her that you support reopening the informal border crossings in the Big Bend country. That way everyone prospers, and we get to eat tacos and cold beer in Old Mexico.

The ghost town at Terlingua has, for decades, hosted what is considered to be the world's ultimately deciding chili cook-off. How it began in a ghost town, I'll never know.

However, the festival brings together winners from other chili cook-offs across the nation (and abroad!), and attracts an eclectic crowd along with a few second-tier country and blues performers. It's always a treat for all the senses.

The festival is held the first weekend in November, Thursday through Sunday, with the cook-off on Saturday. Admission is $20 per person for the entire event, or $10 for only Saturday.

The ranch fills with RVs and tents. Join them, or book reservations EARLY at one of the Lajitas hotels (Chisos Mining Company is recommended.) Come armed with antacids and beer, as concessions at the festival are outrageously priced.

After the final judging of the chili, every competitor's chili is mixed into a communal vat, and the resulting mixture is like heaven on earth. Spectators are free to dig in.

If you'd like to participate in the cook-off, you must first win at a qualifying cook-off, and then be invited to attend Terlingua. More details available on their website.

The Grapevine Hills is yet another bizarre landscape that doesn't fit it with anything else around it.

Just a few miles from the volcanic cliffs at Panther Junction, Grapevine Hills is a wonderland of round granite boulders piled on top of each other. It looks like something from a Dr. Seuss book.

To get here requires driving the fairly rough road Grapevine Hills dirt road, about six miles west of park headquarters. Check there to see the condition of the road. Normally, most passenger cars can get at least three or four miles down the road unless it's wet.

From the trailhead, follow the easy level trail into the canyon through this bizarre landscape. At the end of the canyon, a metal sign indicates a "balanced rock" 1/4 mile farther. The trail to this unique arch is difficult to follow as it twists and climbs straight up through the boulders.

But anyone can do it.

Follow the metal signs and in 5-10 minutes you'll arrive at a much-photographed Big Bend spot, a large arch composed of three massive granite boulders perfectly framing the mountains in the distance. This is a great spot for a picnic and for photos.

Getting back down is trickier, as the signs are harder to see. Take it slow and always look below and around you for the next sign.

If Big Bend is the most forgotten National Park, then the Mesa de Anguila is the forgotten corner of it. This sprawling area of the park is the most remote and least-hiked area. Traditionally, a long hike from Lajitas, over 60 miles from Park Headquarters, from a trailhead that is not accessible by car, only by shuttle from the Lajitas Resort, is the customary access onto the Mesa.

For the EXTREMELY ADEPT scrambler equipped correctly, access onto the Mesa can be gained via Bruja Canyon, much closer to the park, and much closer to noteworthy sights on the mesa. This route is a TECHNICAL CLIMB and, while true rock climbers will find it exceeding simply, those not technically skilled should be belayed. The climb is IMPOSSIBLE with a backpack. Packs must be hauled up sharp limestone studded with cacti.

First, hike to Bruja Canyon using the instructions in the Bruja Canyon hike section. DO NOT enter the canyon. Instead, climb/scramble to the top of the cactus-studded white hill to the right of the canyon entrance. Follow the picture for the specific route.

The first section of the climb is the most challenging, forcing you to climb up through prickly sotol and over an overhanging rock. A bolt has been secured in the top of the rock to belay inexperienced climbers on this portion.

The next pitch is the longest, about 20 feet high, and is very simple, up to a crack, then traverse left to avoid cactus and up with plenty of handholds and footholds.

The last pitches are even shorter and easier, though vertigo may claim those not used to climbing.

The climb is not hard. But a panic or a slip can prove fatal. Therefore it is CRITICAL to belay anyone that is not an experienced technical climber.

Packs will have to be hauled, perhaps one pitch at a time. This will prove far more challenging than the climb itself.

Once you reach the top of the climb, no higher than 80 feet in total, a steep trough gives access to the ridgetop within 10 minutes. Then you will be on a ledge high above Bruja Canyon. Follow the ledge upcanyon and into Upper Bruja Canyon, which will dump you out onto the mesa at Tinaja Susan. The technical part is over, but vast wilderness is before you, presenting its own unique set of challenges.

I've posted this description because there is a TOTAL LACK of information about the Bruja Canyon climb. The Park Service website only states it is "extremely difficult and not recommended" and Park Rangers will be of even less help, even if they have made the climb.

Again, I must stress that this route only be taken by COMPETENT parties equipped with rope, harnesses, and biners. Only hike there in winter. Take a gallon of water per person per day, and let the park service know you'll be up there.

http://www.nps.gov/bibe/mesadeanguila.htm

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for the competent adventurer! NOT RECOMMENDED for the casual hiker.

It's the easiest thing in the world to journey to Big Bend and come home utterly astounded by the natural beauty of the wild Chihuahuan desert, the rushing river, the rugged mountains, the delicate hidden waterfalls, the bizarre wildlife . . .

But knowing a bit of the history of the area brings a dimension to the Big Bend that will make it HAUNT you for the rest of your life. That will continually call you back to it, again and again.

The area was truly the last great American frontier. When, in the rest of the US, Roosevelt was in office, Frank Lloyd Wright was building, and the Model T was all the rage, in Big Bend country Indians were making raids on local ranchers, bandits were robbing banks and kidnapping locals, shootouts in bars were commonplace, and treasure was being buried.

The place is rife with legends and ghosts, and it FEELS LIKE IT. Standing out in the pungent desert at night, gazing toward the rugged Chisos Mountains, one can almost feel the restless ghosts of the Apache, Commanche, and Chisos Indians who were slaughtered there. At Cattail Falls after sunset, one can almost hear the moaning of the young Mexican girl who drowned herself there rather than be raped by bandits. At San Vicente on the Rio Grande, one can almost see the devil-worshipping bank robber heading towards the Chisos Mountains to hide his gold in a cave and summon a demon to protect it forever.

The mid 1900s brought more ranchers, which meant more eclectic characters. Bobcat Carter lived at the Permisson Gap entrance to the Big Bend National Park, devoutly preaching to all that, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness. A true gentleman should bathe at least once every seven years. I do!" It is said that you could smell him a mile away. He ate skunk stew and poisoned prairie dog villages for a living. He would turn back flips along the road to stop visitors for a chat. It is said that when he was taken to the hospital in Alpine after 10 centuries of life on earth, it was the bath they gave him that killed him.

Hallie Stillwell, a Texas legend, lived to the age of 100 in these mountains. After the death of her husband, she operated a massive ranch, served as Justice of the Peace, as a newspaper journalist, and as a traveling lecturer. She came to the Big Bend country in a covered wagon and watched a century march before her.

There are numerous books dense with captivating folklore and history of this region. Most can be obtained at Texas libraries, or online through Amazon. Anything by Elton Miles (Tales of the Big Bend, More Tales of the Big Bend, and Stray Tales of the Big Bend) are all excellent. Hallie Stillwell's autobiography I'll Gather My Geese is superb. Hallie Stillwell and Virginia Madison's How Come It's Called That? is another gem. These books can also be purchased from virtually any local hotel or gift shop, and at the ranger stations in the park.

Please, don't limit your trip to Big Bend to merely spectacular. Elevate it to STELLAR by doing a bit of reading. It changes the mountains, deserts, waterfalls, rivers, and canyons from stark to bursting with life.