Sorry this is long. I really like this place.MouthBQ98 said:
For the first time in over 30 years. Just decided why not? Taking the wife along, as she likes hiking and photography. I've never been out that way in the winter. I was thinking of staying in a cheap Terlingua hotel, or maybe a bit of tent camping given the weather is supposed to be dry and low 40's to mid 60's.
Been so long since I've been there, what do I have to see? I will have the Nissan, so I can get down any 4x4 trails in the park or on the ranch.
Check out Stillwell Ranch. Private primitive camping, but access to the store, restrooms, and hot shower across the street. A little extra driving to get into the park each day, but your campsite will have a fire ring which I think makes it very worth it. I always camp here so I can cook over coals and enjoy a fire each night. Camping in the basin would be handy for access to hiking, but more crowded. Stillwell always feels like a forgotten place and like I have it to myself. There is just a little extra driving each day.
If you are up for backpacking, I highly suggest the South Rim via Laguna Meadows. You can hit Emory on the way down on day 2. Great landscape shots off the rim, can use cool rock formations or brush in foreground. Fantastic stars and astrophotography up there. Long story, but we actually watched the ISS flash us one night up there. South Rim can be done in one day if you are in shape and don't pause for photography a lot. Bring enough water. Watch for giant mule deer in the brush on the rim.
I personally think Santa Elena is much prettier and nicer than Boquillas. However, the hot spring is worth the trip over there after a day of hiking. Don't know the current condition of the spring. You might have to share it with hairy french women or watch a random dude strip neked in the brush to change into his bathing suit. Take a dip in the cold river, then hop back in the spring and feel the burn.
The Window is always cool. Lower Burro Mesa Pouroff is cool. Look for big tarantulas trying to warm up in the morning. Haven't done Ernst Tinaja, but heard it's great.
If you are confident in your route finding ability and are in shape, you can cut off Lost Mine trail and get to the top of Casa Grande. Great views of the basin and you are higher than Emory. It's quite a scramble up a scree/talus (i'm not a geologist) slope at one point. There is pretty limited information available online about this hike, but there is a route. Once you find it, just go slow and don't lose it.
Of course, you are obligated to spend at least one afternoon drinking beer on the porch in Terlingua watching the sunset paint the Chisos. Enjoy the weird Texas desert culture, all the dusty dudes on enduro bikes, eat at the Starlight, and return to camp.
Honestly, my next trip there will be without an itinerary. I will go with an open mind and go wherever the guy at the Stillwell Store tells me. He's a photographer, and knows about all the best hikes and weird stuff you don't find online.
