At some point over the last couple of years it occurred to me that I should try to visit as many National Parks as possible before I get too old to travel. I wanted to start with a road trip to the Rockies in August of 2018. After creating a detailed itinerary, I had to drop the idea as my work schedule did not allow me. I was bummed because the next opportunity to take a break would not come until Thanksgiving!
After a bit of research and talking to one of my co-workers, I decided to check off The Big Bend National Park from my bucket list during the Thanksgiving holidays. I had estimated that the roughly 600 mile drive would take us a little over 12 hours accommodating a lunch break and another short break. It seemed like a long, long drive but because we were mostly driving through sparsely populated West Texas with very little traffic, we covered the distance in about 10 hours.
As we got closer, we were surprised to discover that one of the least known National Parks in the US is such a scenic wonder!
The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive
If you are traveling with family or if you are not a big hiker, the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive gives you the biggest bang for the buck. It is a 30 mile drive from the Panther Junction to the Santa Elena Canyon.
En route, you can view the Chisos Mountains to the east, the Burro Mesa Pouroffs to the west, in addition to various vista points and scenic locations such as the Castolon (which was an old Army post), the Mule Ears Peaks, etc.
There are trails at most of the vista points which give you a chance to experience the desert flora, canyons and desert vistas up close. The peaks formed by volcanic lava and the limestone cliffs across the scenic drive will remain in my memory for a long time.
The Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive ends at the Santa Elena Canyon where a short and easy trail (and wet if you decide to get across the Terlingua Creek) leads to the spot where Rio Grande flows out of the Santa Elena Canyon.
Grapevine Hills Desert Trails and Hanging Rocks
The trail leading to the Hanging Rocks is about 6 miles from Maverick Road but the road leading to the trail is sandy and laid with huge granite rocks which takes a while to get to the trail parking lot, which, again, cannot take more than 20 cars.
But the hike and the hanging rocks are worth the trip as the view from the window at the Hanging Rocks is really breath-taking. The trail is about 2.2 miles with the last quarter mile being a little difficult to ascend.
The bloke here not only did the hike but I found him spend some quiet moments at the hanging rocks.
Chisos Mountains
As we drove up to the Chisos Basin, we noticed that the landscape started changing from being dry and arid to grasslands. We found it particularly amusing that there were signs for Deer and Bears. As it was already late afternoon and the kids were tired, we did not get a chance to stop by the vista points and headed straight to the Chisos Lodge area where we grabbed early dinner and had the chance to enjoy the sunset view through the ‘Window’.
Wait, there is more...
You will again see the landscape change as you head towards the Rio Grande Village. The Rio Grande Village Nature trail, the Boquillas Canyon Trail and the Hot Springs Canyon trail, parts of which are one way, are other notable sites which are equally exciting compared to those I mentioned earlier. You can find more pictures in my portfolio from this amazing trip. Be sure to check them out.
So, what do you think? I need to now start planning for my next trip. Do you have any suggestions for another road trip I could make during the spring break? I would love to hear your comments and suggestions.
Cheers!
Comments