Davis Mountains State Park We combined the Indian Lodge Loop with an out and back to the scenic overlook on the Skyline Trail. Overall, we hiked 6 miles with 1500′ of climbing. The Indian Lodge Loop started appropriately from Indian Lodge. This is a quaint full service lodge with stark white adobe walls. In 1930 …
Fort Davis National Monument Located in the Davis Mountains and surrounded by views of the Chihuahuan Desert lies the small town of Fort Davis, Texas. The town is named for the military post established there in 1854 along the San Antonio-El Paso Road. Derek and I spent an afternoon touring the historic fort and hiking …
Marfa, Texas On our way to Big Bend State Park we stopped off in Marfa, Texas. After a day mountain biking in Davis Mountain State Park, we took the next couple days to check out the towns of Marfa and nearby Alpine, Texas. Marfa was founded as a railroad water stop in the 1880’s. It’s …
Davis Mountains State Park is about half an hour from Marfa, Texas where we are this week. A little background. The park lies within the Chihuahuan Desert, the largest desert in North America. Volcanic activity formed the mountains 25 to 30 million years ago and evidence of this is visible in the exposed rock along …
The Guadalupe Mountains are are one of the best examples of a marine fossil reef. The mountain range is built from the ancient Capitán Reef, formed during the Permian Period 260-270 million years ago. A tropical ocean covered parts of the area and over millions of years, calcareous sponges, algae, and other organisms built up …
After a couple days of big hikes we took an easy day and hiked Devil’s Hall in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. It was 5 miles with somewhere over 700′ of climbing. This trail climbs gradually from the lot then drops down into Pine Springs Camyon wash where the hike stays the rest of the time. …
The highest point in Texas is Guadalupe Peak at 8751′ and we stood atop it with pride. During last summer we hiked the highest mountain in Colorado, Mt Elbert. It seemed fitting that we should do the same here in Texas. Our hike was an out and back of 8.4 miles with 3000′ of climbing. …
UNREAL! Carlsbad Caverns National Park exceeded my expectations. At 16 years old, Jim White discovered Carlsbad Caverns. Well, actually over 1,000 years ago, American Indians ventured into the entrance but left no evidence of entering the cave. One day in the late 1800’s White thought he saw smoke coming from the area and when he …
Our hike up McKittrick Canyon to “The Notch” and back was around 10 miles with all our exploring and add ons. The sky was cloudy and the wind was gusting when we started but after the first mile or so it died down and by mile 3 the sun was out and it was warm. …
Mornings outside when the sun has just popped up over the mountains and creeps across the foothills is a favorite time for me. That or evenings when the sun casts a long orange tinted glow over everything. I can sit outside in my comfy chair just looking and admiring. But then, there are trails to …