Pagosa Gravel Ride What better way to see the mountains and forest surrounding Pagosa Springs then by bike? Our gravel loop was 49.3 miles with 3677’ of climbing. We started out from a park in town and road pavement up into the neighborhood hills a bit before heading out into the forest. First observations? There …
Before leaving Mancos we snuck in a quick hike. We hiked a little 4 mile loop of Rim Trail/Transfer Trail/Box Canyon. We rode Rim Trail last fall when we were here so it was weird to hike it now, but it made the loop complete. Transfer Trail switchbacks down to the river and then zigs …
Marathon, Texas After 5 weeks in the Big Bend area of Texas, we finally moved on. Marathon, Texas is the first town we passed through and stopped to stretch our legs. It’s named after Greece because Albion Shepard, a former sea captain who bought land there in 1882 said the terrain reminded him of the …
Emory Peak Trail Hike Back when we were at Guadalupe Mountains National Park we hiked to the highest peak in Texas, Guadalupe Peak. Today we hiked Emory Peak which is the highest point in Big Bend National park at 7832’. Our hike was around 11 miles with 2529’ of climbing. This trail starts right from …
Lost Mine Trail Hike Lost Mine Trail is one of the jewels of the park and has been listed as a top 10 hike in the country. I’m not sure exactly what the criteria was for that ranking, but this was a pretty neat hike. The trailhead parking lot is tiny and the rangers recommend …
Wow, what a tough hike. Marufo Vega is a less popular hike probably because it’s long and challenging. It can be done as an out and back to shorten it a couple miles, but we wanted to do a loop and see both forks of the canyon. We read reviews that made it sound like …
Having lived in San Diego, both Derek and I have been to Mexico before so this wasn’t a first, but it was our first time visiting Boquillas. This port of entry is for foot traffic only; you can’t drive across at all. The crossing is about 5 minutes from where we are camped and pretty …
We really wanted to stay at a primitive back-country site in the park but they were all reserved by the time we were in cell reception range to try to get one. So, we are spending a couple weeks in a campground on the eastern side of Big Bend National Park now. Our spot is …
Exploring Big Bend National Park takes time as it’s huge! We took one day and drove out the gravel Old Maverick Road to Santa Elena Canyon Trail, and then around on Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. Santa Elena Road is rough, but no match for the truck. Once at Santa Elena Canyon, we did the short …
Cattail Falls This hike isn’t on the Big Bend National Park map, partly to protect the fragile environment. It starts uneventfully on a gravel road that is closed to vehicles, and then after a mile or so the trail branches up to the right. Stairs climb up before leveling out and then descending into the …