5 Adventure Treks to Historic Texas Mountain Homes

Williams Ranch, Guadalupe Mountains National Park

1.  Williams Ranch, Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Adventure Rating:  HIGH. 

Accessible only by rugged 4x4 high ground clearance vehicles (or mountain bike!) on a one lane dirt/rock road, the drive to the house is 7.3 miles and takes approximately an hour.  (how to get there).  Part of this road--the section clearly marked--was the historic Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach route in 1858-1859.

The rugged road to Williams Ranch
was part of the historic Butterfield
Overland Mail stagecoach route

While you can't go inside the 1908 home, the porch offers terrific views of the salt flat looking west and the Guadalupe Mountains behind.  Very satisfying hikes around the home can have you scampering over boulders, looking for wildlife.  Bring plenty of water.  (Both water and wildlife were more plentiful when the ranch was used by the Belcher, Williams and Hunter families.)  Read more about the ranch history, here.

Magoffin Home State Historic Site
El Paso

2.  Magoffin Home, El Paso.

Adventure Rating:  for EVERYONE.

Your "trek" is an easy walk from downtown, less than a mile from the Mexico border.  (The staff and volunteers are working on a walking tour of the neighborhood.)  The Magoffin Home State Historic Site an 1875 home operated by the Texas Historical Commission, is a wonderful example of Territorial style architecture, with period furnishings and a quiet center courtyard. The adobe home of Joseph and Octavia Magoffin is open to the public for tours, which typically last about an hour.  (Information on visiting the home is here.)  Sitting in an El Paso historic district, this part of town was once called "Magoffinsville."  The homestead was described this way by the 1887 El Paso Times, “The grounds surrounding it comprise twenty acres, embraced in lawns, flower gardens, fruit orchards, vegetable beds, grass plats and small grain divisions.” The couple was well known for their hospitality and entertained guests frequently in the home."  Read more about the history here.

View of Homer Wilson ranch from Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive
Big Bend Ranch State Park

3.  Homer Wilson Ranch, Big Bend National Park.

Adventure Rating:  CHALLENGING to EASY:  YOUR CHOICE!  (Can be a starting or ending point for the three day Outer Mountain Loop backpacking trip, a 0.25 mile hike (even though the hike is short...bring water!), or a view from the paved Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.

Homer Wilson was a geologist, who divided his time ranching and mining from 1929-1942.  By 1942, Wilson was thought to have controlled 40,000 to 50,000 acres in the Big Bend.  The ranch is also known as the Blue Creek Ranch, and was a center of  sheep and goat ranching.  The one story structure had two bedrooms, living room and kitchen.  It was abandoned when the family left in 1944.

4.  Sauceda Ranch, Big Bend Ranch State Park

Sauceda Ranch's The Big House in Big Bend Ranch
State Park

Adventure Rating:  Getting there requires a  rolicking drive at 25 mph over rough (but scenic!) roads, and while exploring Sauceda Ranch is for EVERYONE, the drive there is NOT for every vehicle.All the roads in the park are dirt, and while the main road to Sauceda is maintained, it is VERY rugged.  Download the park's 4x4 guide here.

Road to Sauceda Ranch in Big Bend Ranch State Park

The center of the Sauceda Historic District, the Big House is one of our favorite places to stay in all of the Texas Big Bend.  Operated by Texas Parks and Wildlife, the lovely home offers rooms with adobe fireplaces, and a common kitchen and living area for a relaxed stay in center of the wild Big Bend Ranch State Park. 

View from the road to Sauceda Ranch
in Big Bend Ranch State Park

The exact date of the home is not known, but the first recorded land owner, George A. Howard may have built a structure in this location between 1905 and 1908.  It was expanded and improved several times, in the 1930s, 1950s, 1970s, and 1980s, yet still has a gracious, but "old" feel.  Want to stay there yourself?  Lodging information is here.  A walking tour of the Sauceda Historic District is here.

Bring your mountain bike with you and from Sauceda Ranch, enjoy easy access to one of the few American trails rated an "Epic Ride," by the International Mountain Biking Association! 

Historic photo of Frijole Ranch, in what is now
Guadalupe Mountains National Park

5.  Frijole Ranch, Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Adventure Rating:  For EVERYONE!

Now a museum of early life in the Guadalupe Mountains, Frijole Ranch was the center of the frontier community.  The ranch was built around 1876 by the Rader brothers, but it is thought they left the area around 1880.  The Herring/Wolcott family is believed to have operated the  ranch between 1880s and 1895.  The Smith family operated the ranch starting in 1906 as a truck farm, sending their wares to Van Horn by wagon for sale. Read more about the history of the ranch, here.

Cool and shady portion of the Smith Spring trail
adjacent to a natural spring

Visitors can tour the home museum as well as the adjacent school house and teacher's room, the remnants of the orchard/garden, and the 2.6 mile loop Smith Spring trail to Manzanita Spring, through desert scenery and into the mountains. (The Smith Spring trail is rated MODERATE:  hikers should wear hats, sturdy shoes, clothing to protect from the sun and desert, and should carry water.)

View of the Guadalupe Mountains from
the Smith Spring trail by Frijole Ranch

Williams Ranch Road in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, on the historic Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Route

1908 Williams Ranch house, center of a cattle operation in what is now Guadalupe Mountains National Park

The road to the ranch is marked as the original route of the 1859 Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach route

The western section of Guadalupe Mountains National Park isn't visited as frequently as the eastern section, but it does not lack in charm nor adventure potential.  Williams Ranch road is restricted (you need to get a key from the rangers at Pine Springs Visitor Center) and limited to two vehicles at a time.  A rolicking 4x4 road, it also provides a good mountain biking adventure.

Sections of the road are part of the original route of the first transcontinental mail delivery by stagecoach, the coaches rumbled over wild terrain carrying cargo, people and mail.  The historic meeting of the first eastern-bound and western-bound stages met near this spot in 1859.  Read more about the Butterfield route in the park.

At the end of the road, is the 1908 wooden frame ranch house, built as the center of a ranching operation.  You can sit on the porch and ponder life in that era.  Click here to read the history of Williams Ranch.

Once you get to the house, there are several options for hiking...up the boulders towards the mountains via Bone Canyon, or on a trail a little north, to Shumard Canyon and connecting to the El Capitan Trail.

The View from Pinto Canyon Road

Head southwest from Marfa on FM2810, and you're in for a rugged treat....after 30 miles or so of smooth road and scenic beauty, the pavement abruptly stops and the road becomes a 4x4 adventure into spectacular scenery!  You'll drive through remote and rocky canyons of the Chinati Mountain range, pass the entrance for Chinati Hot Springs, and eventually make your way to Ruidosa.

Poke around in Ruidosa a bit and you'll soon see a stunning 1914 adobe Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, now a just a shell. The Texas Historical Commission and others have provided resources for the stabilization of the structure, but there's still need for restoration of this beautiful church.  You can read about it here.  The Texas Historical Commission also wrote a wonderful article about off-the-beaten-path locations in our region, and included Pinto Canyon Road and the Sacred Heart Church in their adventure..read it here.

Texas Mountain Trail Classics: Driving Pinto Canyon Road

Thanks to Randy Mallory and the Texas Historical Commission for the use of this photo!

There are many exciting drives in the region--Williams Ranch Road in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Maverick Road, the River Road, Old Ore Road in Big Bend National Park, many of the roads in Big Bend Ranch State Park--but Pinto Canyon Road remains a sentimental favorite of many.  For high clearance vehicles only, this rough and scenic road runs between Marfa and Ruidosa.

The first 32 miles of FM2810 from Marfa are paved and run through beautiful grassland, scenery captured in films like "There Will Be Blood" and "No Country for Old Men," but soon the road becomes gravel and one lane and that's where the adventure begins.

The road runs through private land and is posted as such, and you're invited to enjoy the view from the road, but not invited to travel into private property or cross fencelines.  Still your adventure won't be diminished by staying on the road, for every turn brings a new glorious view.  Near the end, near Ruidosa is the entry to Chinati Hot Springs, a historic complex of adobe cabins, hot tubs, a swimming pool and camping possibilities..definitely worth a stay if you want to linger in the area..and you probably will!

This road is remote, and infrequently traveled, so you MUST be prepared.  Be sure your vehicle is in good working shape, and your spare tire is ready to marshal into service.  Pack plenty of water...you're still in the desert and you'll need more than you might expect.

Ruins of Mariscal Mine in Big Bend National Park

Before it was a national park, the Big Bend area was where people lived and tried to make a living.  Folks ranched, farmed, were merchants.  One of the region's leading industries was mining. You can visit an abandoned mine on the remote River Road in Big Bend National Park.

To read more about this fascinating place, click here.
To read more about primitive dirt roads in the park, including the River Road, click here.

Driving in Big Bend Ranch State Park

This week's featured photographer, Al Capizzo, really captures the feeling of driving in the remote areas of Big Bend Ranch State Park.  We love the wide open spaces, the wild land, the incredible vistas and the intimate access to wildlife.

Drivers need to plan ahead, bring plenty of water, and a good spare or two.  If you want to drive on backcountry roads, take a few minutes to download and read this "4x4 Guide to Big Bend Ranch State Park."

And thanks again to Al, for sharing this wonderful photo!

Pinto Canyon Road

One of the best 4x4 adventures in the region is the drive from Marfa to Presidio on FM2810, known as the Pinto Canyon Road.  Driving south of out Marfa, the smooth asphalt turns to rocky adventure suitable only for the most rugged of vehicles and the most adventurous drivers.  While it is tempting to explore off-road, don't, as the road is surrounded by private land and some landowners to not welcome visitors on their property.  That fact doesn't detract from the sheer adventure of traveling the road itself.  Have fun and expect a bumpy ride!