From this week's cold snap

Taken Thursday on Hwy 17 between Marfa and Fort Davis.

Tejas Trail from Dog Canyon in Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Yesterday, we headed up to Guadalupe Mountains National Park since it had been too long since we'd been to Dog Canyon in the northernmost reaches of the park.  We stopped at the ranger station before checking in at the trailhead, and we were very glad we did.  It was in the upper 90s and the ranger told us the Tejas trail had the most shade, and he was right.  We were able to hike longer in the heat because most of the trail had the blessing of shade cover. 

This is a trail backpackers take through the park, ending up at Pine Springs or the McKittrick Canyon trailhead, and there's the Tejas backcountry campsites,  6.2 miles from Dog Canyon.  Backpackers need to take all their water with them, because the trail is rich in views and wildlife and adventure, but not water!
Here's a link to the park's map.

You can also bring your horse to this part of the park, as there's a corral at the trailhead in Dog Canyon.  Read more here.

Because Dog Canyon is high country forest, there are different birding opportunities here.  The park's website says the area is a great place to view acorn woodpeckers and the magnificent hummingbird.  The ranger station at Dog Canyon had several hummingbird feeders, providing a great show early and late in the day, especially!

Horses as Landscape

We are doubly pleased to share this lovely image with you once again, because the photographer, Dan Baeza, a Van Horn native and Texas A&M-Commerce student is doing a two week photography internship with us starting today!  We've featured Dan's work twice now on this blog, and we're big fans of his work!  We're so pleased to have him working on projects to benefit our Texas Mountain Trail and Van Horn's Clark Hotel Museum.  Welcome Dan!

12 Days of Christmas: Guided Vacations

Canoeing down the Rio Grande with Big Bend River Trips

From Lajitas Stables

Sometimes the best gift is the gift of experience, discovery and travel. 

From Visit Big Bend, explore the river, or go horseback riding or mountain biking.  Guided opportunities are possible with interpretive guides, or personalized tours.  Big Bend Ranch State Park also offers the opportunity for guided adventures.

Perhaps Elderhostel (now called Road Scholar) trips are more your thing...

Any way you travel to the region...get ready for adventure and fun!

Displaying horse for sale on the streets of Alpine by Russell Lee, 1939

Folks from Alpine, can you identify the place or the people?  Another image by Russell Lee of Alpine from May 1939 from the U.S. Farm Security Administration Archive in the Library of Congress. 

Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection, LC-DIG-fsa-8a26199

Dan Baeza Week Concludes!

We've been enjoying the work of Van Horn native, Dan Baeza, all week long.  His eye for our landscape and life in Far West Texas helps us all see our high desert land just a little bit better.  Please head on over to his website, here, to see more of his work.   Thank you for sharing your work, Dan!

Ranchland

We're featuring the new work of Van Horn native, Dan Baeza, this week.  Dan finds inspiration from our Far West Texas landscape, even though he is studying at Texas A&M University- Commerce in Commerce.  Lovely!

Dawn at Big Bend Ranch State Park

When you're in Big Bend Ranch State Park, the landscape and the sky fuse, especially at sunrise and sunset.  Lots of beautiful campsites; hiking, mountain biking, and horse trails to enjoy!

A delicious lunch pulled from the saddlebag!

We leave our horses for the shade of a canyon, while Janelle pulls a delicious lunch from the saddlebags!

Janelle carves and entire roast chicken for our lunch!

Black bean and corn salad, carrots, cheese and crackers, roast chicken!  Yum!

By the time lunch came, we were more than ready.  The day's heat was climbing and we took refuge in a canyon Janelle said had been dubbed, "Lunchbox Canyon."  Here we sat next to the canyon walls, in the shade, enjoying a few moments of quiet while Janelle pulled a delicious lunch out of her saddlebags.

Next, our afternoon on the Rio Grande....the "paddle" portion of this one-day Saddle/Paddle Adventure on the Rio Grande!

A stop at the top, views from our Big Bend Saddle/Paddle trip

The Rio Grande is far below our mountaintop rest

We stop for photos!

Our guide, Janelle, points out landmarks in the scenery

Our ride takes us past dramatic formations and views of the landscape

Stay tuned!  Tomorrow, we continue our Saddle/Paddle trip..and we stop in a "lunchbox canyon" for a shaded, restful, and delicious lunch!

Saddle/Paddle Tour of Big Bend!



 Over the next few days, we'll show you our recent one day Saddle/Paddle tour of the Big Bend!   

Getting up in the saddle!

  


If we'd had some trepidation about getting on a horse for the first time in decades, our guide Janelle of Lajitas Stables put all fears to rest.  She put us all on horses that were surefooted and responsive to the reins, and as thoroughly inspiring of confidence as Janelle herself.  A California native, she'd worked with horses for many years, including a stint in England.   Now in Texas for six years, and obviously completely in her element here, we knew we were in good hands.

We headed UP the mountain above the stable headquarters on the River Road, Hwy 170, just west of Lajitas.  The trail was rocky and rough, and we imagine people from other centuries--native Americans, soldiers, settlers, cowboys--moving through this landscape on horseback.  The sky was clear, the day lovely even as the temperature rose.  Our leisurely pace allowed us to see cactus close up, and listen to the breeze rush through the desert grasses. 

Before we knew it, we were on top of the mountain, and the rest of the world seemed far, far away.  No more car noise, no airplanes above.  All we could hear seemed timeless...our horses climbing, the wind, our own hushed conversations. As we continued up through Big Bend Ranch State Park, we eventually saw the Rio Grande down below us, a lovely ribbon of green cutting through the mountains. 



We're on the trail!


 

Our view of the Rio Grande!

 Tomorrow, more views from the Trail in Big Bend Ranch State Park and our Saddle tour!





Sneak Peek from our Saddle/Paddle trip in Big Bend

We wanted to share this preview photo from our trip on horseback and by canoe recently in Big Bend.  Stay tuned for more information about our one day adventure from Lajitas Stables and Big Bend River Tours!

Cycle-friendly Big Bend Resorts and ADVENTURES!

Quaint bridge on the scenic golf course behind the Resort headquarters!





View of one of the target golf greens, a rugged, scenic place to launch some balls!

 

This is a cycle-friendly property!   Park your bike in your room; on-site cafe for easy, early breakfasts; lots of grab and go snacks! 

 Big Bend Resorts and Adventures is in Terlingua close to the entrance of Big Bend National Park, making it a perfect launching spot for all kinds of fun.  Behind their motel rooms, tent camping and RV sites, they have a target golf course set in view of some pretty terrific mountains.  They have a stable and offer horseback riding; a party barn and "Big House" for groups; and if you want to guided experience, they have a rugged, comfortable vehicle and a friendly "life-long Terlinguan" to take you on any adventure or 4x4 road you want!

They also participate in our cycle-friendly program, and offer the following to individual touring cyclists or groups:  "Cycle-friendly features include: convenient location to Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park and on-site trails; clean, comfortable rooms; on-site café for breakfast, lots of grab and go snacks for rides plus box lunches to go; on-site parking for bikes and towed vehicles; and more. Laundry, public showers, custom guided tours,party barn for groups, target golf course tent/RV sites."

Sunrise on the River Road

One of the loveliest drives anywhere is the River Road, Hwy 170 that connects Terlingua to Presidio.  The land is rugged and spectacular, but you miss an experience if you don't look up into the sky, too.  We recently took this shot on a morning drive to the Lajitas Stables.  We'll post about our saddle/paddle experience with them soon!

Lajitas Stables

Overlooking the Rio Grande by Bill Broyles

You've dreamed about doing this, right?  A ride on a horse, through incredible high desert scenery is just part of experiencing Far West Texas.  Don't have a horse of your own?  Take a look at the offerings of Lajitas Stables with 21 years of experience offering guided horse tours from 1-5 hours,  and 1-5 days. There are adventures in Big Bend Ranch State Park, and ride/river combination excursions! 

Take a look at their offerings, here.  Their facebook page is here!

o6 Remuda on Hwy 118

Taken by Larry Francell of the Museum of the Big Bend, between Fort Davis and Alpine!  Thanks, Larry!

The Road to Dog Canyon

One of our favorite places in the region is one of the most remote--Dog Canyon in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. To get there, you need to backpack through the park south to north, or drive north into New Mexico, and then head south through the Lincoln National Forest on Hwy 137.

Not only a favorite of hikers and backpackers, the Dog Canyon campground was recently given an honorable mention as one of the top campgrounds in the country. And if you want to bring your own horse for riding the trails, Dog Canyon also has stock corrals.

For other hiking opportunities in the region, visit our hiking page, www.texasmountaintrail.com/hike

For a listing of trail descriptions for Guadalupe Mountains National Park, including Dog Canyon, click here.

Leggett Week Begins! Big Bend Cowboy Rendezvous

From time to time we like to feature images from photographers visiting the region, and starting today, we're featuring the photography of David Lee Leggett...it is David Leggett Week!

Currently a resident of Dallas, Leggett is a frequent visitor to West Texas. He says, "I grew up on and around ranches in East and West Texas. When I am not in Dallas, I am usually at my family's ranch near Menard, TX. I am a self-taught photographer. I began photographing, processing and printing images at age 12. I primarily depict scenes from nature and west texas. My obsessions tend to lean toward thunderstorms, windmills, cows and the open Texas sky."

Leggett captured great images of the recent Big Bend Cowboy Rendezvous on the O6 Ranch north of Alpine. You can see his work at: http://www.phlography.com/

Snowy White

Just enjoying the day!

Horses

Partly because our ranching heritage is still so strong, horses are a familiar sight in Far West Texas and the Texas Mountain Trail region. Sometimes you see folks riding into town for lunch!

There are places you can bring your own horse to ride in the mountains, such as the Dog Canyon area of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.