Dark Desert Highway

As a prelude to the long awaited trip to Big Bend I am posting the proposed roads and trails that the group will be traveling.

• December 31-Leave Birmingham around 9 am to travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Spend the night at Mother's
• January 1-Leave Baton Rouge no later than 6 am to head to Big Bend National Park
• Arrive Fort Stockton, Texas early in the evening
• Eat dinner and stay at a cheap motel in Fort Stockton
• January 2-Leave Ft. Stockton no later than 6 am
• Arrive Panther Junction Park Headquarters by 8:30 am
• Get back-country permit
• Make water cache at Homer Wilson Ranch House on Ross Maxwell Scenic Highway
• Drive to the Chisos Basin, have lunch and prepare to begin the trip
• Hike up Pinnacles Trail into the Chisos. This will be a 5 mile hike gaining 1700 feet in elevation
• Take Boot Canyon Trail to the Southeast Rim Trail and find designated campsite
• January 3-Break camp and hike up to Emory Peak the last part being a rock scramble and great photo op of the desert looking over the Rio Grande into Mexico
• Explore the Chisos before working our way over to Boot Canyon campsite for the evening
• January 4-Head down Juniper Canyon Trail to the Dodson Trailhead. This will be about a 6.2 mile hike downhill.
• Eat lunch at the trailhead and then hike over to the Dodson Ranch House to set up camp
• January 5-Break camp and hike to Fresno Creek to find water. Hike over to Homer Wilson Ranch House and get water cache for the next day. Make camp in the Red Rock area of Blue Creek Canyon Trail.
• January 6-Hike up Blue Creek Canyon Trail to the high Chisos. Elevation change on this trail will be about 2000+ feet. Find our campsite in Laguna Meadow and make camp.
• January 7-Break camp and hike back down to the Basin and the truck. Easy downhill 3.5 mile hike.
• Pack up the truck and head out of the park.
• Spend the night somewhere on I-10 to shower and rest up.
• January 8-Arrive in Baton Rouge with time tba
• January 9 or late January 8 head to Birmingham.

This will be a good trip for the guys and give them a great taste of the park. I have found in time past that you will either hate Big Bend or love it. There never seems to be a middle ground. Since Wes has been there twice already I know how much he loves it. My guess is that Clay and Bradley will love it also.