The Sounds of Big Bend

View from a rock shelter in
Big Bend Ranch State Park

One of the great joys of visiting our region isn't discussed much, because, frankly, it is hard to convey.  When you're here, if you let yourself stop a few minutes and concentrate, you can experience absolute  quiet.  What you see in our landscape are unspoiled vistas, but what you HEAR--because we are so remote--is what early man heard, what the Apache and Comanche heard, what Cabeza de Vaca heard, what the early settlers heard as they moved through our region.

We were reminded of this when we heard a podcast by "How Sound" about the sounds of Elizabethan England.  It is worth a listen in that it forces you to think about the sound of today's world, and the sounds we've lost from the past.  If there is a place in Texas to reclaim the sounds of the past, of the true frontier, it is in our region. 

Santa Elena Canyon
Big Bend National Park

We offer a private wilderness experience, trails to hike where you see no one for many minutes (and perhaps hours), so it is easier here....to stop and listen to the silence.  Maybe you'll hear your heart beat, maybe you'll hear a rock tumble as an animal scampers about, maybe you'll hear the wind swell and then wane.

This is why we often advise people to explore the region by bicycle:  you're out in the open, not protected by your car.  There's no metal box to divide you from the land. 

Metate left near rock shelter in
Big Bend Ranch State Park

And when you happen upon remnants of early cultures in Big Bend, take a few minutes to experience the sound of their world as they did. 

What were the sounds of grain being ground in the metate at the rock shelters? 

What were the sounds of rock art being created? 

Rock art in Big Bend Ranch State Park

What were the bird songs?

What was the sound of the Rio Grande, lapping against the rock canyons?

Take a river trip and experience it yourself.  And a hike.  Have a great time in the Big Bend of Texas.

Rock Art in Big Bend Ranch State Park

On a recent trip with the Tierra Grande Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists, we were treated to a ranger-led hike to see some rock art in a remote area of Big Bend Ranch State Park.

From the park's website:

"Big Bend Ranch State Park offers some of the most interesting archeology and history in the region. There are presently over 500 documented sites on the park. Many of the known sites are located near water sources but sites also occur on upland areas away from any obvious drainages, springs or tinajas. There is both need and potential at BBRSP for additional archaeological research to be conducted.

The earliest artifacts identified within BBRSP indicate that Native Americans traversed the area as early as perhaps 11,000 years ago, and continued to do so well into the 19th century. Native American site types attributable to the prehistoric era include open campsites, open camps associated with rock shelters, rock shelters, quarries, lithic scatters, Late Prehistoric Cielo complex (ca. A.D. 1250-1680) sites, rock art sites (primarily pictographs, or rock paintings) and special-use or ritual sites."


Interested in seeing rock art at the park?  Our best recommendation is to contact a park ranger and schedule a ranger-led or outfitter-led outing. 

Rock Art in Big Bend Ranch State Park

Ancient peoples left pictographs in several locations in Big Bend Ranch State Park, and on a recent tour by TPWD's Blaine Hall, we saw some beautiful examples of rock art thought to date back 2,000 to 3,000 years ago.  To ensure preservation of the images, we'll protect the precise location.

 

 Read more about rock art in the park, here.  From the park's website:

"The earliest artifacts identified within BBRSP indicate that Native Americans traversed the area as early as perhaps 11,000 years ago, and continued to do so well into the 19th century. Native American site types attributable to the prehistoric era include open campsites, open camps associated with rock shelters, rock shelters, quarries, lithic scatters, Late Prehistoric Cielo complex (ca. A.D. 1250-1680) sites, rock art sites (primarily pictographs, or rock paintings) and special-use or ritual sites.

 

Many pictographs that have been recorded within the park are monochromatic red, black or white. Bichrome and polychrome (red, black, yellow, white) figures also occur. The figures include humans, animals, insects, tally marks, double zigzags, hourglass chains, star patterns and various other abstract motifs. Most of these pictographs were probably painted during the Late Archaic (ca. 1000 B.C. - A.D. 1000) or Late Prehistoric (A.D. 1000 - 1535) periods. Other pictographs represented by human figures on horses, longhorn cattle, Spanish saddles and crosses date to the Protohistoric (ca. A.D. 1535-1700) period or later."

Pictographs found in rock shelter in undisclosed
location in Big Bend Ranch State Park

Our adventure included driving very challenging roads
and hiking over very rugged desert terrain
to an undisclosed location in a remote area of the park
 (similar to this) to a rock shelter.

Interesting sun-like image centered in the
light blue circle (mid-right)

 If you're interested in visiting some rock art sites in the park yourself, there's one easily viewed set of pictographs on the road to Sauceda in the center of the park.  There's a rock shelter RIGHT by the road, and if you go slow, you can see some rubber mats on the ground and there's a new sign urging stewardship of the park's resources.  Stop there, get out of your car, walk along the rubber mats and look up at the shelter's rock ceiling...and soon, you'll see some pictographs! 

Or, you can hire a guide to give you a personalized archeology tour.  Page down on this link to read about "Ranger Programs."

TRAVEL SPOTLIGHT!

Now you can join the Texas Mountain Trail and support our programs, including this Daily Photo blog!  Our members receive terrific benefits and gifts are tax-deductible.  To learn more and become a member, click here!

Rock Art in the Hot Springs Historic District of Big Bend

Ancient rock art left on limestone cliffs in the Hot Springs Historic District of Big Bend National Park.  See yesterday's post about this wonderful place to visit!

Rock Art Hike at Big Bend Ranch State Park

We heard from Big Bend Ranch State Park's archeologist about a neat Rock Art Hike coming up!

From Tim Gibbs, Park Archeologist:

"In celebration of Texas Archeology Month, Big Bend Ranch State Park will be hosting a public trail hike to one of the most spectacular (and otherwise access restricted) rock art panels in the Big Bend Region. The hike is a total of about seven miles over fairly rough terrain with no natural shade or water. Participants are advised to wear long pants, a long sleeved shirt, and a wide brimmed hat, and should be prepared to carry lunch, between 3-5 liters of water, and a sturdy hiking stick. The event is scheduled for October 21 at 9:00 AM in the Western part of the park (call for details on parking location). The event is currently limited to 10 participants, though may be expanded depending on the level of interest expressed by the public. The $3.00 per person park entry fee can be paid at either Barton Warnock Visitor Center, Fort Leaton Historic Site, or La Sauceda Headquarters. Call 432-358-4444 now for questions or to reserve your place!"

For more events in the region, check out our new Texas Mountain Trail website event calendar!

Watercolor Paintings of Rock Art at Hueco Tanks at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology

Our friends at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology sent us this about a current exhibit:

Watercolor Paintings of Rock Art at Hueco Tanks

Exhibit on view until June 3, 2012

The El Paso Museum of Archaeology is currently exhibiting Forrest Kirkland’s images of rock art at Hueco Tanks in the auditorium gallery.   

Kirkland was the first artist to systematically document prehistoric rock art in Texas, thus his work is well known and admired by those interested in Texas archaeology. 

The twenty six images in this exhibit, which include hundreds of pictographs, are full color reproductions scanned at high resolution from Kirkland’s plates.  The original watercolors are no longer in a condition to be exhibited because the paper and paints are brittle and light sensitive.  Today some of the images Kirkland rendered in watercolor have faded or disappeared while others in sheltered locations are still visible.

Want to learn more or plan a visit?  Here's the museum's website.

Pictographs at Big Bend Ranch State Park

Recently we took a GREAT hike in Big Bend Ranch State Park, (BBRSP) along with interpretive ranger, Blaine Hall.  Working with the park's interpreter is the way to go....not only can they take you to some of the best, out-of-the-way spots, but can illuminate the experience with their knowledge of history and natural history.  This was the case for our hike.  Blaine took us to a place only accessible via ranger-led hike, and helped see and appreciate these amazing pictographs.  To hire a ranger for a group experience, call the park's local number, 432/358-4444.

The park's website says this about the early human history in the area:
"The earliest artifacts identified within BBRSP indicate that Native Americans traversed the area as early as perhaps 11,000 years ago, and continued to do so well into the 19th century. Native American site types attributable to the prehistoric era include open campsites, open camps associated with rock shelters, rock shelters, quarries, lithic scatters, Late Prehistoric Cielo complex (ca. A.D. 1250-1680) sites, rock art sites (primarily pictographs, or rock paintings) and special-use or ritual sites."

"Many pictographs that have been recorded within the Park are monochromatic red, black, or white. Bichrome and polychrome (red, black, yellow, white) figures also occur. The figures include humans, animals, insects, tally marks, double zigzags, hourglass chains, star patterns and various other abstract motifs. Most of these pictographs were probably painted during the Late Archaic (ca. 1000 B.C. - A.D. 1000) or Late Prehistoric (A.D. 1000 - 1535) periods. Other pictographs represented by human figures on horses, longhorn cattle, Spanish saddles and crosses date to the Protohistoric (ca. A.D. 1535-1700) period or later."

Want to read more?  Click here. 

Ocotillo at Ojito Adentro Trailhead in Big Bend Ranch State Park

We're excited because we're spending a weekend in Big Bend Ranch State Park in a couple of weeks with the Tierra Grande Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists, and we'll take EVERY opportunity to experience this vast, wild, and incredibly beautiful land.  This is the national park's lesser known neighbor, but it offers more remote hiking, mountain biking, birding, and rock watching opportunities.

This trailhead is on the main road to the center of the park, Sauceda Ranch.  The unpaved road is rugged, and most cars can handle it fine.  If you have a delicate vehicle or a large RV you might want to enjoy the park's wonderful sights and trails along the paved River Road (Hwy 170) instead.  The road to Sauceda Ranch has a 25 mph speed limit, and that's really as fast as you want to go, more for the scenery than for the rugged road conditions.  The drive into Sauceda will take an hour...we recommend taking it in the morning light, which is when this photo was taken. 

Cool Places on Hot Days! Shade of the Rocks at Hueco Tanks!

Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site, just a half hour from El Paso, has caves and rock overhangs that offer shelter from the sun's heat.  These are places early people marked the rocks with pictographs.  It was recently nominted as one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's This Place Matters campaign.  Their website says this,"This place matters because it gives our visitors a rare glimpse into the minds and cultures of peoples of the past, through amazing painted images. It is a place that allows recreation in a wild and unique landscape, while inspiring stewardship for cultural heritage and the natural environment. This place preserves an irreplaceable connection to our shared past, for the benefit of today's visitors and future generations."

Due to the fragile nature of the rock art and the popularity of this small park for boulderers and birders, entry is limited.  Plan ahead, make reservations and enjoy! 

Rock Art of Big Bend Ranch State Park

Our region is full of traces of earlier life in the form of rock art, from Hueco Tanks in the west to Big Bend in the east.  Today's photo comes from Big Bend Ranch State Park from a place on the main road to Sauceda Ranch.  Here's a bit from their website about evidence of the archaeology and history of the park's land:


"Big Bend Ranch Sate Park offers some of the most interesting archeology and history in the region. There are presently over 500 documented sites on the park. Many of the known sites are located near water sources but sites also occur on upland areas away from any obvious drainages, springs or tinajas. There is both need and potential at BBRSP for additional archaeological research to be conducted.

 The earliest artifacts identified within BBRSP indicate that Native Americans traversed the area as early as perhaps 11,000 years ago, and continued to do so well into the 19th century. Native American site types attributable to the prehistoric era include open campsites, open camps associated with rock shelters, rock shelters, quarries, lithic scatters, Late Prehistoric Cielo complex (ca. A.D. 1250-1680) sites, rock art sites (primarily pictographs, or rock paintings) and special-use or ritual sites.
 Many pictographs that have been recorded within the Park are monochromatic red, black, or white. Bichrome and polychrome (red, black, yellow, white) figures also occur. The figures include humans, animals, insects, tally marks, double zigzags, hourglass chains, star patterns and various other abstract motifs. Most of these pictographs were probably painted during the Late Archaic (ca. 1000 B.C. - A.D. 1000) or Late Prehistoric (A.D. 1000 - 1535) periods. Other pictographs represented by human figures on horses, longhorn cattle, Spanish saddles and crosses date to the Protohistoric (ca. A.D. 1535-1700) period or later."

Read more from the park's website, here.

Texas Mountain Trail Classics Week: Hueco Tanks

Just 30 miles east of El Paso, Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site has been loved by local residents for years...so much so, that with the delicate rock art and world-class bouldering in the tiny park, planning a visit ahead of time is a necessity.  That's not to discourage travelers from taking in this magical place, you DO need to understand what's involved before you hike, watch birds, view ancient (and fragile) rock art, and climb those rocks!

The park's website says this, "For the protection of natural and cultural resources at the park, visitation is limited. Special reservation and entry restrictions are required at this park. Please contact the park or park information (1-800-792-1112-Option 3) for details."   Please take the time to do this, or else risk being turned away at the gate.

The park's website also says this about the fragile pictographs and the park's history:  "From Archaic hunters and foragers of thousands of years ago to relatively recent Mescalero Apaches, Native Americans have drawn strange mythological designs and human and animal figures on the rocks of the area. The site's notable pictographs also include more than 200 face designs or "masks" left by the prehistoric Jornada Mogollon culture. Hueco Tanks was the site of the last Indian battle in the county. Apaches, Kiowas, and earlier Indian groups camped here and left behind pictographs telling of their adventures. These tanks served as watering places for the Butterfield Overland Mail Route."
 
Visitors come from all over the world to climb the boulders of this small 860 acre park.  Everyone entering the park will go through a brief orientation program designed to help visitors protect the pictographs and other park resources, even those who have reserved a place on the birding, hiking, bouldering, and pictograph tours noted on the website.  Don't let that deter you from visiting Hueco Tanks, a place with more biodiversity than many of the world's deserts! 

Click here to view a video of Hueco Tanks.  Click here to download a guide to the pictographs of Hueco Tanks.

Hueco Tanks is also a site on the new Far West Texas Wildlife Trail map.  Read more, and find a link to purchase the map here!

Views from Hueco Tanks!

Near El Paso, Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site offers adventurers bouldering, hiking, rock art, and birding opportunities.  This small park has so many assets (and some--namely the rock art--is so fragile) that entrance is limited to a certain number every day.  That shouldn't deter visitors from experiencing this special place...just plan ahead, call ahead, make reservations ahead of time.

One of our friend, TR, alerted us to this article about winter birding at Hueco Tanks...take a look!

Hueco Tanks is a site on the new Far West Texas Wildlife Trail map...for more information, click here.

For regional hiking information, visit our hiking page: www.texasmountaintrail.com/hike

Now THAT'S a campsite!

Our recent camping trip to Big Bend Ranch State Park revealed so many of Far West Texas' assets, the reasons people keep coming back to our corner of the state:

• Our campsite, as you can see, allowed us a private wilderness experience.  And how rare is that these days?  Pretty darn rare. 
• We were surrounded by evidence of geological history, with extinct volcanoes in the area, and volcanic rock all around.
• As we drove into the park, we passed right by some ancient rock art, pictographs of human figures
• The nearby Fort Leaton and the town of Presidio were established early, in 1683.
• This land was traveled by the Comanche and Buffalo soldiers, and by refugees from the Mexican Revolution a 100 years ago.
• A few miles away in the park's center, sits the historic ranch house dating back to 1908, and there was plenty of evidence of old ranch buildings throughout the park.
• We heard coyote in the night, and in the morning the birding was excellent. (The park is on the new regional wildlife/birding map.) We hiked and if we'd brought our mountain bikes, world-class "epic" rides were available right there in the park. 

We had adventure, history, archaeology, nature, geology all right there waiting for us.  And we can't wait to go back!

Rock Art and Beauty at Hueco Tanks

Hueco Tanks' rock art sets it apart from other public land in our region, in that spectacular and fragile rock art is visible to visitors.  Over 3000 images are located in the park, the earliest put there by hunters and gatherers known as Archaic Indians.  The Indians filled the hidden and secret places in the rocks with sacred paintings depicting their beliefs and the world around them.

To learn more about the rock art in the park, click here to download a 3.79 MG guide.

Check out our entries in the past two days for more information about this very special place near El Paso!

What's a Hueco? Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site

"Huecos" (pronounced way-co's) are large natural rock basins that have furnished a supply of trapped rain water to dwellers and travelers in this arid region of west Texas for millennia.  Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site, is located 32 miles northeast of El Paso in El Paso County. It offers great hiking, birding, rock art and world-class bouldering opportunity. 

Because of the special nature of the park's attributes, admission is limited to protect it from "being loved to death."  Please contact the park or park information (1-800-792-1112-Option 3) for details. 

The park has an incredible history.  TPWD's website says, "A unique legacy of lively and fantastic rock paintings greets the visitor at the "tanks." From Archaic hunters and foragers of thousands of years ago to relatively recent Mescalero Apaches, Native Americans have drawn strange mythological designs and human and animal figures on the rocks of the area. The site's notable pictographs also include more than 200 face designs or "masks" left by the prehistoric Jornada Mogollon culture. Hueco Tanks was the site of the last Indian battle in the county. Apaches, Kiowas, and earlier Indian groups camped here and left behind pictographs telling of their adventures. These tanks served as watering places for the Butterfield Overland Mail Route. "

Thanks to TPWD for the use of this photo!  Check tomorrow's entry for more images of Hueco Tanks!

Exploring Hueco Tanks

Near El Paso, there's a wonderful park that provides hiking, birding, rock art expeditions and bouldering for visitors...Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site.

Here's what TPWD says about the park:

This 860.3-acre park is named for the large natural rock basins or "huecos" that have furnished a supply of trapped rain water to dwellers and travelers in this arid region of west Texas for millennia.

A unique legacy of lively and fantastic rock paintings greets the visitor at the "tanks." From Archaic hunters and foragers of thousands of years ago to relatively recent Mescalero Apaches, Native Americans have drawn strange mythological designs and human and animal figures on the rocks of the area. The site's notable pictographs also include more than 200 face designs or "masks" left by the prehistoric Jornada Mogollon culture. Hueco Tanks was the site of the last Indian battle in the county. Apaches, Kiowas, and earlier Indian groups camped here and left behind pictographs telling of their adventures. These tanks served as watering places for the Butterfield Overland Mail Route.



Because of the delicate ancient rock art, visitation is limited to protect it...but don't let that discourage you from visiting.  Just plan ahead and make a reservation with Texas Parks and Wildlife, the agency that manages the park.  The park is so popular, without a reservation you may not gain entry!

For other regional hiking information, visit: www.texasmountaintrail.com/hike

Hiking in Hueco Tanks

El Paso County's Hueco Tanks State Historic Site provides hiking tours, bouldering tours, rock art tours, and birding tours. Fragile rock art dating back 1,500 years limits the public's use of the park, so planning your visit ahead of time is essential. It is one of our very favorite places in the region, so make your reservation and enjoy a truly special experience.

Read more about the park here and here.

Hiking Tour Headquarters

Van Horn's Red Rock Ranch has a new headquarters on its main street, Broadway. This private ranch offers guided hiking and driving tours of their land. They also will offer views of petroglyphs and pictographs, wildlife habitat, and movie sets. Contact them here.

Cave Kiva

At Hueco Tanks State Historic Site near El Paso, the rocks allow for challenging hiking and bouldering, and provide special places for adventurous visitors, like Cave Kiva.

The park has many fragile ancient rock art pictographs, so visitor access is controlled and limited. Reservations are required, and all visitors must view an orientation video about protecting historic resources and rock art. Visitors come away with a stronger appreciation for the care needed to preserve these important cultural works. Here a group of hikers pause inside Cave Kiva to view the precious mask pictographs.

For other hikes in the Texas Mountain Trail region, vist: www.texasmountaintrail.com/hike

Rock Art

Ancient rock art is visible in many places throughout the region, including Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, Red Rock Ranch, and here at Hueco Tanks State Historic Site.

Adventurous rock climbers also know Hueco Tanks as a world-class bouldering site. To allow a balance between preserving the small park's precious history, and allowing climbers to enjoy the boulders, visitation at the park is limited.

Visitors are welcomed, it is strongly suggested you make reservations for a rock art, hiking, birding or bouldering tour prior to arriving in the area, but it is worth it!