Cinco Tinajas after a Rain

Click on the photos for a closer view!
Photos by Monte Riggs

Just a short drive from Sauceda Ranch in the center of Big Bend Ranch State Park, along the main road is the Cinco Tinajas trail.  Lately the park has had some good rain, and yesterday, the tinajas had water! 

What's a tinaja?  Here's the Wikipedia definition:

"Tinaja is a term used in the American Southwest for water pockets formed in bedrock depressions that occur below waterfalls or are carved out by spring flow or seepage. Tinajas are important sources of surface water storage in these arid environments. These relatively rare landforms are important ecologically because they support unique plant communities and provide important services to terrestrial wildlife."

Want to find the trail yourself?  Here's a link to a map of the park, and the trailhead is noted just to the left of Sauceda Ranch.

The park's interpretive guide also talks about the importance of water to wildlife.  Download the two page guide here.

 Thanks to Monte Riggs for sharing his photographs!  Looks like it was a perfect day for a hike yesterday!