Ride West Texas!

A Road Few Travel, But Most Should!

Hwy 54 looking west, about 30 miles north of Van Horn

From the collection of the Clark Hotel Museum,
the R.P. Bean Ranch, c. 1910
On what is now Hwy 54 about 18 miles north of Van Horn

Part of the original historic driving loop established in the 1960s
to promote Texas during HemisFair '68,
Texas Mountain Trail,  Hwy 54

Hwy 54, connecting Van Horn to Guadalupe Mountains National Park is one of the most scenic drives (auto, bicycle, motorcycle) in the state.  Nearly untouched by man, the road still has the same "feel" it did in 1940, when this description was included in the WPA Guide to Texas, though it was called Hwy 90 at the time:

"US 90, rounding the northeast shoulder of the Baylor Range, heads north up the broad arid valley that lies between the frowning rampart of the Sierra Diablo (6,513 alt.) on the west and the Delaware Mountains (5,670 alt.) on the east, traversing one of the most desolate yet weirdly beautiful stretches of country to be found in Texas. The view sweeps almost level reaches, gray-green with sage and greasewood, dotted here and there with prickly pear, yucca and ocotillo. Beyond the middle distance a streak of blazing white gleams (R) like a hazy silver ribbon. It is the crystal-encrusted shoreline of a salt lake. On the horizon the ragged crest of the Delawares loom stark against the sky. Closer at hand, the sheer wall of the Sierra Diablo rises (L). Somewhere in the tangle of ridges and deep narrow canyon of this range are mines, lost and active. Gleaming white salt lakes appear. Far ahead lifts the blunt nose of the Guadalupe Range where it shoves its triangle of lofty peaks across the State Line from New Mexico. Higher and bolder loom the broad cliffs."

Read more about this stretch of road on our "El Capitan to El Capitan Heritage Bike Route" page, here.

One of our favorites!

One of our very favorite photographs of early life in Van Horn from the collection of the Clark Hotel Museum, this image of the R.P. Bean Ranch.  You can drive north from Van Horn about 10 miles and still see the landscape as it is shown here.  In fact, we included this photo and a current view on our heritage cycling route (also good for driving and motorcycling), the "El Capitan to El Capitan Heritage Bike Route," here.  The route travels Hwy 54 from the historic Hotel El Capitan to the foot of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Click on the photo for a closer view, so you can see the cowboys on horseback! 

Click here to see the view today!  Or better yet, drive or ride the route!

Scenic Drive-Scenic Ride

There's a great undiscovered road connecting Van Horn with Guadalupe Mountains National Park that we call the "El Capitan to El Capitan Heritage Bike Route," but it is a great route for motorists and motorcyclists in addition to cyclists. 

It starts at the historic Hotel El Capitan in Van Horn (at the crossroads of the Texas Mountain Trail) and runs due north to the base of Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  All in all, 55 miles of majestic scenery, frontier, and VERY little traffic.  Click HERE to read all about it, and see an elevation chart and more photos of the route.

Now Hwy 54, this is what the 1940 edition of the WPA Guide to Texas says about the road:

"US 90, rounding the northeast shoulder of the Baylor Range, heads north up the broad arid valley that lies between the frowning rampart of the Sierra Diablo (6,513 alt.) on the west and the Delaware Mountains (5,670 alt.) on the east, traversing one of the most desolate yet weirdly beautiful stretches of country to be found in Texas.  The view sweeps almost level reaches, gray-green with sage and greasewood, dotted here and there with prickly pear, yucca and ocotillo.  Beyond the middle distance a streak of blazing white gleams (R) like a hazy silver ribbon.  It is the crystal-encrusted shoreline of a salt lake.  On the horizon the ragged crest of the Delawares loom stark against the sky.  Closer at hand, the sheer wall of the Sierra Diablo rises (L).  Somewhere in the tangle of ridges and deep narrow canyon of this range are mines, lost and active.  Gleaming white salt lakes appear.  Far ahead lifts the blunt nose of the Guadalupe Range where it shoves its triangle of lofty peaks across the State Line from New Mexico.  Higher and bolder loom the broad cliffs."
 

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!

River Road Bike Route!

Bike route on the River Road, Hwy 170, click on the photo for a closer view!

Some places capture the imagination more than others...and one of the best is the winding, exciting, Hwy 170, "the River Road" between Presidio and Terlingua.  Not only is it a great driving and motorcycling road, but it is a challenging, yet thoroughly satisfying bike route...check it out!  Much of the route cuts through the edge of Big Bend Ranch State Park, and slides by the Rio Grande. 

For more regional cycling information, visit: www.texasmountaintrail.com/bike

Wishing we were on the road today!

As the region waits to greet large numbers of motorcyclists this weekend, we are experiencing our own version of wanderlust.  We'd love to be heading to Big Bend National Park's basin on ANY mode of transportation--car, motorcycle, bike, horse, even walking!

Thanks to the THC and Randy Mallory for this great photo of Big Bend's Basin!

The Ride to Rio Grande Village in Big Bend National Park

Big Bend National Park has many scenic drives for auto, motorcycle and bicycle.  Here's a shot of the road heading from Panther Junction to Rio Grande Village. 

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

Your Guide To Far West Texas Wildlife!

Just a reminder as you head out for Spring Break, that there's a new resource to help you get most of our trip to the Texas Mountains--the Far West Texas Wildlife Trail map!  There are 10 driving loops and 57 sites from El Paso in the west, to Midland and Iraan in the east.  This was a project of our organization--the Texas Mountain Trail--and the neighboring Texas Pecos Trail and TPWD, and the last remaining wildlife trail map to complete the state of Texas for birders and wildlife enthusiasts!

You can order your own copy of this beautiful map for $2 here!  
Or order all nine maps (together, they cover the entire state!) for $10 here.

Motorcyclists, you can enjoy these maps too!  Read Ride Texas' feature on this map here!

The Ride/Drive to Post Park: A heritage bike route for everyone!

Today's photos are two views from our newest heritage bike ride, the Ride to Post Park!  The route is easy and historic, suitable for beginning cyclists and families, or even automobile or motorcycle riders.  The ride takes you along an Comanche route, a route used by early miners, and near a post for Buffalo Soldiers.  The route starts and ends at the Gage Hotel in Marathon and is an out-and-back route, with Brewster County's Post Park as the midpoint.  Wildlife can be seen along the way...the first photo shows a couple of pronghorn antelope!  Post Park and the Gage Gardens, both on this route, are also sites on our new Far West Texas Wildlife Trail...read about it here!

Take a look at the "Ride to Post Park," page on our website, which also has a slideshow of images along the route!

December Skies south of Marathon

A December sky taken just south of Marathon, on the newest heritage bike ride:  Ride to the Post!  This easy 5 mile (one way) bike ride/motorcycle ride/drive) takes you from Marathon to Post Park, and shows you places in geological history, the history of the Comanche and Buffalo Soldier, as well as early ranching and settler history.  This is a great ride for the beginning cyclist or for families! 

Motoring the Texas Mountain Trail

Our seldom traveled and wildly scenic roads are perfect for taking off on a motorcycle.  Here's a scene from Big Bend National Park, but there are great motorcycling roads all over the region.  Suggestions for routes?  Try our Texas Mountain Trail motorcycling page:  www.texasmountaintrail.com/motorcycle

View of the Sierra Diablos, Hwy 54

Between Van Horn and Guadalupe Mountains National Park, there's a terrific scenic and historic route for travelers (in automobiles, on motorcycles and bicycles!) to behold...Hwy 54.  For a complete description, visit our El Cap to El Cap Heritage Bike Ride page!

Evening Light on Hwy 54

Taken between Van Horn and Guadalupe Mountains National Park on Hwy 54 in the waning light of the evening.  This route is our "El Capitan to El Capitan Heritage Bike Ride" but it is also a great road for motorists and motorcyclists!

Sunrise Road

On Hwy 54 north of Van Horn, the road to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and "El Cap to El Cap heritage bike ride (and drive, and motorcycle ride too!).

Sunrise on Hwy 54

A great cycling, motorcycling, and running road, Hwy 54 connects Van Horn with Guadalupe Mountains National Park. 

For information on regional cycling opportunities, visit: www.texasmountaintrail.com/bike
For information on regional running opportunities, visit: www.texasmountaintrail.com/run
For information on regional motorycle rides, visit: www.texasmountaintrail.com/motorcycle

Snowy Sierra Diablos on Hwy 54

A rare snowfall graces the upper elevations on the Sierra Diablos on Hwy 54 north of Van Horn.  This is a great cycling, motorcycling and car ride up to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Scenic Ross Maxwell Drive in Big Bend National Park

Texas Monthly magazine calls this drive the best bike ride in Texas...and they're right, but it is also a great motorcycling ride and car ride, too.  In the heart of Big Bend National Park, the drive gives you terrific views of the mountains and the desert floor to the Rio Grande.  You are treated to the sights of Mule Ears and Santa Elena Canyon, and you can stop at Castolon Historic District and La Harmonia store.

For information on cycling in the area, visit our Texas Mountain Trail cycling page: www.texasmountaintrail.com/bike.  Ditto, our motorcycle page, www.texasmountaintrail.com/motorcycle

Looking towards Hwy 54 from Guadalupe Mountains National Park

One of the undiscovered jewels of the region is the drive (or bicycle or motorcycle ride) between Van Horn and Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  Hwy 54 is extremely scenic and is rarely traveled, making it a satisfying ride for the traveler.

For information on cycling in the region, visit our biking page:  www.texasmountaintrail.com/bike
For information on traveling by motorcycle, visit www.texasmountaintrail.com/motorcycle

Undiscovered and Beautiful

Just north of Van Horn there's a wonderful road for running, cycling, motorcycling and just plain motoring.  Hwy 54 stretches from the Crossroads of the Texas Mountain Trail--Van Horn--to Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Van Horn is graced with the historic Hotel El Capitan, our newest cycle-friendly hotel, and they're eager to support cyclists in their rides around the region, including those on Hwy 54.

For regional running information, visit: www.texasmountaintrail.com/run

For regional cycling information, visit: www.texasmountaintrail.com/bike

For regional motorcycling information, visit: www.texasmountaintrail.com/motorcycle