As we all continue to deal with indoor confinement, we’re still finding ways to get outside for exercise, and in our case, primarily by bicycle. Spring here in Big Bend doesn’t know that it’s under a “shelter at home” order, and so it follows its normal pattern of the seasons. This year the wildflowers areContinue reading “Spring in Big Bend”
Author Archives: texasflashdude
The Big Bend 100
The April, 2020, issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine’s cover story spotlights The Big Bend 100, a new 100-mile-long through-hike across the largest national park and the largest state park in Texas…Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. The route description is available at http://www.bigbend100.com. This month my good friend andContinue reading “The Big Bend 100”
Madrid Falls
Little known to most, we have an aquatic wonder right here in the Big Bend, in the Chihuahuan Desert, the driest region in the state. At 100′, it is the highest waterfall in Texas accessible to the public (although not easily accessible). It lies deep in the heart of Big Bend Ranch State Park. IContinue reading “Madrid Falls”
Marufo Vega Trail, Big Bend National Park, Texas
It’s been several years since I backpacked one of my most favorite trails in all of the Big Bend region, the Marufo Vega Trail, located at the far eastern end of Big Bend National Park on the southern border of Texas with Mexico. This is a strenuous 14+ mile long trail that crosses the southernContinue reading “Marufo Vega Trail, Big Bend National Park, Texas”
Bikepacking Big Bend’s Fresno Canyon
Time to hit the trail…and what better trail than the Contrabando Trail in Big Bend Ranch State Park. This is a hike/bike trail, so I opted to “Bikepack” so I could cover the miles more quickly. You pick up this trail from the park headquarters at the Barton Warnock Center in Lajitas, Texas, and followContinue reading “Bikepacking Big Bend’s Fresno Canyon”
Fall Color in the Desert
It is generally assumed that the desert of the southwest has two colors: green and brown. The green would be the desert during the rainy season and brown would be the rest of the year. However, there are “islands” that rise above the desert floor that reach up into other climate zones by the natureContinue reading “Fall Color in the Desert”
The John Muir Trail
The gem of the High Sierras of California There are three hiking trails that transect our country from north to south, one in the east, the Appalachian Trail, one in the central Rockies, the Continental Divide Trail, and one in the west, the Pacific Crest Trail. In addition, there are a number of shorter “thru-hikes”Continue reading “The John Muir Trail”
Wildflowers
It’s still only mid-February here in the Big Bend, but you would never know it by the weather. So far, this is the second consecutive mild winter in a row, and I was fearing a lack of wildflowers again this year, after a total bust last spring. However, my wife and I took a backroadsContinue reading “Wildflowers”
BikePacking 101
Yes, you’re reading correctly…that’s BIKEpacking, not BACKpacking. A fairly recent phenomenon is emerging, and it’s called bikepacking…hitting the trails for overnight camping using a mountain bike. More and more trails systems are allowing mountain bikes on the trails, along with animals such as llamas and horses. One such system is found in my back yard,Continue reading “BikePacking 101”
Late Summer on the South Rim
As fall approaches, so have the rains arrived in the Big Bend. And so, it’s time again to backpack up into the High Chisos trails and camp on the South Rim. You certainly don’t hear “fall” and “flowers” spoken in the same sentence, but then again, it’s a different place, the Big Bend. It wasContinue reading “Late Summer on the South Rim”
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