Big Bend National Park is expansive and remote. We decided to stay in Lajitas, Texas as a base to explore Terlingua, Big Bend National Park, and Big Bend Ranch State Park. From Edinburg, Texas, we drove to San Antonio, then Fort Stockton, then to Lajitas.
Big Bend Ranch State Park
Its the largest State Park in Texas consisting of over 300,000 acres of Chihuahuan Desert wilderness in a rugged, remote and unpopulated setting. The drive from Lajitas is along the Rio Grande River.
It encompasses a number of open range cattle ranches. A herd of longhorn cattle are based here. There are 2 dog friendly hiking trails, Closed Canyon and Hoodoos.
Hoodoos Trail
We took a short hike amongst the hoodoos monuments. The word hoodoo originated in Africa and referred to rock structures with strange animal shapes and embodied evil spirits. Hoodoos are also referred to as “fairy towers” because of their fanciful shapes. In other parts of the southwest they are called “goblins.”
Closed Canyon Trail
A stunning dog friendly slot canyon. It eventually connects with the Rio Grande but, you need a ladder or climbing equipment to get back out if trying to hike the entire trail.
Lajitas, Texas
It is located between between Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park and the southern extreme of the Rocky Mountains.
The mayor of Lajitas is an elected beer drinking goat named Clay Henry. Lajitas is Spanish for “little flat rocks” and refers to the Boquillas flagstone of the area.
Lajitas Golf Resort
Its a beautiful property on 27,000 acres. Their golf course is ranked number one in Texas. They have an airstrip, pool, saloon, shops, sporting clay shooting, theatre, horseback riding, zip line, and a restaurant.
Candelillia wax is derived from the Candelilla plant which grows in the Chihuahuan desert. It was a highly sought after wax, but demand diminished after World War II. The Rio Grande was easy to cross at Lajitas because of the flat rock bottom. Supposedly, Candelilla wax was smuggled from Mexico into the USA at Lajitas.
The Bartender likes to joke that the painting is of his mistress. Her name is India and she is in her 70’s. She sells jewelry at the Saturday flea market in Terlingua. She had a coffee shop, makes jewerly, paints, and writes poetry. The rumor is India was the resort owners mistress and he had a painting made of her many years ago. When he sold the resort, part of the arrangement was that the painting had to stay over the bar.
Maverick Ranch RV Park
Stunning views of the mountains out the front window. 50 amp service, 60 psi water pressure, very poor wifi, limited Verizon signal, sewer, cold pool, and a nice dog park. We were at the end of the local power grid. Our surge protector tripped numerous times because the voltage frequently spiked to 126-128. A cold front hit the area while we stayed here. The lowest temperature was 23 degrees. We really appreciated the heated floors in the RV.
The area was picturesque.
Terlingua, Texas
It was the discovery of cinnabar, from which mercury is extracted, that put Terlingua on the map in the 1880’s. By 1947, the mines closed and Terlingua was considered a ghost town.
Now its popular among the tourists visiting Big Bend National Park. The first Saturday of every November, Terlinqua hosts the annual chili cookout and over 10,000 people attend. The Starlight has daily live music and delicious food.
We enjoyed eating at the Starlight. The food and live music were very good. We had quail and wild boar.
The building was originally constructed in the 1930’s as the Chisos Movie Theater. When the mines went bust in the late 1940’s, the theater was abandoned. For awhile, it was a venue for open air parties, music and theater productions. Since there was no roof, it was called the “Starlight Theatre”. In the 1990’s it got a facelift and reopened as the “Starlight Theatre Restaurant and Bar”. It changed management in 2010 and underwent another facelift. !Viva Terlingua!
Big Bend National Park
Big Bend National Park covers over 800,000 acres and opened to visitors in 1944. Its one of the least visited National Parks. The Rio Grande River, along 118 miles of the Big Bend National Park, forms the southern border with Mexico. The park was named after a large bend in the Rio Grande. Big Bend National Park is the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert in the USA. The scenery is stunning.
Santa Elena Canyon
A hike along the Santa Elena Canyon was cold and beautiful.
We drove from the Chisos Basin to the Mountain Lodge for lunch. It was 27 degrees and the mountains were covered by a cloud. When the sun broke, there was frost covering the trees. Within an hour, the frost had melted.
Balanced Rock
The hike to Balanced Rock was incredible. It was 30 degrees and windy, so a little chilly, but the views were worth it.
Hot Springs
The area was developed in the early 1900’s as a seven room resort. The water can be as hot as 105 degrees and only about a foot deep. It didn’t seem hot enough to get in the day we went. When the Rio Grande River water levels are high, the springs are submerged.
There were Petroglyphs and Pictographs on the rock walls along the trail to the hot springs.
Wolf Moon
January 1, 2018 was a supermoon, which is a full moon at the closest orbital point to Earth. They appear about 14% larger and 30% brighter than moons occurring at the farthest orbital point. A Wolf moon is a January full moon.
