Clayton's Overlook Trail at Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center

One of our favorite trails at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center offers 360 degree views of the Davis Mountains, with full interpretive panels explaining the geology, history and natural history of the area.  Learn how the mountains were formed, how the area was settled, and where Wild Rose Pass REALLY is! 

Spring is coming to Wild Rose Pass

Cottonwood trees leafing out on Friday in the
Wild Rose Pass area on Hwy 17

The cottonwood trees along Hwy 17 from Balmorhea to Fort Davis are a brilliant green, the first clear sign of spring from the highway. 

From the Handbook of Texas History:

"WILD ROSE PASS. Wild Rose Pass is ten miles northeast of Fort Davis in east central Jeff Davis County (at 30°43' N, 103°47' W). State Highway 17 goes through the pass, which is two miles long. Elevations in the pass range from 4,320 feet to 4,546 feet above sea level, some 900 to 700 feet lower than the unnamed neighboring peaks to the east and west. The pass was supposedly named by Lt. William H. C. Whiting, who traveled through the area in March 1849, for the Demaree rose, which grows at springs and seeps in the area. Local legend has it that William A. (Bigfoot) Wallace, who in the 1850s was a driver on the Skillman mail route from San Antonio to El Paso, once shot a buck atop a nearby cliff in Wild Rose Pass. The dead animal toppled over the cliff, slid down the mountainside, and came to a halt directly in front of the coach, whereupon Wallace reportedly said, "Them's the first mountains I ever seen where the game comes to heel after being killed." Another story holds that in 1859 a band of Mescalero Apaches waylaid a mail coach, killed the guard, and made off with the mail. The Indians became so absorbed by the illustrations in the captured newspapers, however, that they allowed themselves to be caught by pursuing soldiers. Fourteen Mescaleros were killed, and thereafter the Apaches believed that pictures were bad luck and avoided them."

--Martin Donell Kohout

Blooming on Friday along the Hwy 17 roadside near
Wild Rose Pass

Many travelers don't realize that the road doesn't follow the original Wild Rose Pass.  This is clear when you visit Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and hike the Clayton's Overlook Trail.  At the very top of this trail, there's a 360 degree interpretive exhibit showing the entire Davis Mountains area and explaining the geological and historical background, including a guide to the original and the current "Wild Rose Pass."

One of our favorite wintertime landscapes, on a road mostly locals know

There's a road heading south from Marathon you really need to take...either by bicycle, motorcycle or car.  A 10 mile round trip offers a great adventure--history, geology, wildlife and nature--all packed into a short trip.  On a brisk winter day, we took this photo, looking north on our way back to town.  Lovely, right?

The road is known as the "Ride to the Post Heritage Bike Ride," on our website, but is ready for anyone (even non-cyclists!) to enjoy.  Consider all it offers:
The Road to the Post extends south on Avenue D in Marathon from US Highway 90 and the Union Pacific Railroad, and has an amazing history!

• Your route follows one fork of the Comanche War or Indian Trails into Mexico—there was a skirmish on the ridge above Post Park in 1855 between Buffalo Soldiers, Texas Rangers and Indians in 1855!
• It also generally follows the original Ore Roads to haul the ores (lead, zinc and silver) from the smelter at Boquillas in Mexico in 1895-1906, as well as quicksilver from the Terlingua, Study Butte and the Mariscal mines in south Brewster County to the railroad in Marathon as late as 1937!
• The route takes you near the historic cemetery and the site of an influenza tent hospital from the 1918 epidemic!
• The area known as Post Park was the site of a military encampment, farms, and ranches. Today it is the place for county-wide dance parties, fishing and birdwatching!
• The Gage Gardens and Post Park are both sites on the new Far West Texas Wildlife Trail.

Want to learn more?  Visit our "Ride to the Post" webpage for a link to a complete history, by Marathon resident Travis Roberts, PLUS a slideshow of the route!

A Turkey Story

One of the funniest, quirkiest things to happen to Marfa is the appearance of our new unofficial town mascosts.  Look closely in the shaded street behind this truck for a look at one of them...and when you visit Marfa, keep an eye out for them!  Three turkeys usually explore the street in their own little pack of ne'er-do-wells...or so it would seem!

For laugh and an explanation, read this discussion on Marfalist.org.  Come to think of it, if you're coming to Marfa and you want to know what's new in town, Marfalist.org is a great resource!  Check it out! 

Wild Rose Pass

Biker enjoying Wild Rose Pass north of Fort Davis.

Wild Rose Pass was an important spot for stagecoaches heading west on the Butterfield Overland Mail route.

Read more about the celebrations planned for the 150th anniversary of the Butterfield stage.

To read more about biking in the region, click here.