What To Do In Big Bend During Chisos Basin Closures

Construction on the Chisos Mountains Lodge, which is expected to begin this fall, will last for two years, during which the Chisos Basin campground, road, store, visitor center and the Chisos Mountains Lodge and restaurant will be closed to visitors.

Trails that begin in the Chisos Basin, including the Lost Mine Trail and Window Trail, will be unavailable for at least some of this time, and access to high Chisos destinations — Emory Peak, South Rim, East Rim — will be limited to access from trails that originate outside the Chisos Basin.

To get to the upper-elevation Chisos areas, visitors will have a challenging hike in store. Experienced and prepared hikers will be able to access the area via the 6-mile Blue Creek Trail or the 7-mile Juniper Canyon Trail. “That’s going to be open, but that’s not necessarily something that a lot of people are going to be able to do,” says Thomas VandenBerg, who served as chief of interpretation and visitor services until his retirement earlier this summer. Each of these trails have between 2,500 and 3,000 feet of vertical ascent. Likewise, visitors will still be able to summit Emory Peak, but the length of that trek will double from 10 miles round-trip to 10 miles each way.

In the meantime, VandenBerg says, there’s plenty to see on more accessible trails that will be fully open to visitors. He recommends any of the hikes off Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, especially the Mule Ears Spring Trail and the Upper Burro Mesa Pouroff Trail. The Pine Canyon Trail and trails along the Rio Grande are also some of his favorites. During the closures, park staff can help visitors pick out what to see on the 150 miles of open trails within the park. The park has also printed a new issue of its newspaper focused on other things to see and do in the park.

Big Bend Ranch State Park also has an abundance of trails, views and campsites within its 300,000 acres of property.

“Big Bend Ranch State Park encompasses the totality of the Bofecillos Range, which is pretty special,” says Cody Edwards, superintendent of the Big Bend Ranch Complex. “While we don’t have quite the elevation of the Chisos, what we do have makes for a broad array of plant life that is typical to the mountainous areas of the Chihuahuan Desert.”

One of Edwards’ favorite areas of the park is the Fresno Cascades, also known as The Flatirons. To experience these spots, Edwards recommends heading to the Puerta Chilicote Trailhead, which provides access to a system of trails in the wild and rugged areas of the Bofecillos Highlands and Fresno Canyon.

“It certainly is beautiful,” he says, “and we have views that, in my opinion, rival, if not in some way surpass, the national park.”