At the Tip Top

What's this? Why the very tippity-tip of Mt. Livermore, the 5th highest peak in Texas known as Baldy Peak. Since 97 percent of Texas is privately-held land, you're in luck with Baldy-- the land is owned by the Nature Conservancy and they have open house days that allow guests to explore their small part of the Davis Mountains.

Interesting fact: Baldy Peak was the location of a very sacred site to the Livermore people and they buried almost 2,000 arrowheads there as offerings. Read the whole story in Texas Monthly, written by F.t Davis Historian Lonn Taylor.

Here's a view once you get to the top of Baldy:

We're at the Houston Marathon Expo today!

Photo from an earlier Expo!

Part of our mission at our Texas Mountain Trail organization is to encourage visitors to plan a trip to the Texas Mountains:  Big Bend, the Davis Mountains, the Franklin Mountains of El Paso, the "Top of Texas" at Guadalupe Mountains National Park and all our charming communities.

Our booth at an earlier Expo!

Today, we'll be in Houston at the Houston Marathon Expo, sharing travel and adventure information and inspiration to all the runners and their friends and family.  We'll talk to well over 1,000 people in during the two day Expo...and we love sharing our love for the mountains with everyone!  Look for the Visit Big Bend banner and come see us!

Be a Part of the Texas Camel Corp Expedition in the Davis Mountains

We're adding events all the time to our Texas Mountain Trail web calendar, but this weekend a new event came in that made us sit up and take notice.  How would you like to go back to the 1850s and participate in a military experiment....walk and ride through the Davis Mountains with the Texas Camel Corps, November 10-11?

Sounds like a very special once-in-a-lifetime experience to us...and steeped in history, to boot.

Here's the event information:

"These treks, over the very ground trod by the US Army Camel Experiment of the 1850s, are overnight camel-assisted walking treks (some riding time is possible) on private land within the Scenic Fort Davis Loop. Led by Texas Camel Corps owner Doug Baum, participants must be able to walk 5-7 miles per day and provide their own sleeping bag, water container, small duffel bag or backpack and change of clothes. Camels, all other camping gear, and meals are provided.  Trek fee is $750 per person."

These treks, over the very ground trod by the US Army Camel Experiment of the 1850s, are overnight camel-assisted walking treks (some riding time is possible) on private land within the Scenic Fort Davis Loop. Led by Texas Camel Corps owner Doug Baum, participants must be able to walk 5-7 miles per day and provide their own sleeping bag, water container, small duffel bag or backpack and change of clothes. Camels, all other camping gear, and meals are provided.
Trek fee is $750 per person.
- See more at: http://texasmountaintrail.com/events/fort-davis-texas-camel-treks#sthash.oMbwf8Yh.dpuf

Here's the link to our calendar listing with contact information, for your questions and to sign up!

Still have questions?  Here's a link to the Texas Camel Corps' FAQ page.  Our partner, the Texas Brazos Trail has a page on their website for the Texas Camel Corp, here.

Are you up for the (fascinating) history of the camels on the Texas Frontier?  Check out this YouTube video!

If you are an event planner working on something fun for travelers and residents of our six-county Texas Mountain Trail region, please add your event to our calendar!  Go to www.texasmountaintrail.com and select "Suggest an Event" from the Partners dropdown menu.  Thanks!

Davis Mountains Hummingbird Festival

Hummingbird during a banding demonstration

If you love hummingbirds--and who doesn't--here's a great opportunity to see more, learn more, and experience more about one our smallest and spunkiest birds in the region.  Plan to come to Fort Davis, August 9-11, for the Davis Mountains Hummingbird Festival!  Download the schedule here. 

For $35, participants will receive:

Ticket to the Opening Reception on August 9 at the Hotel Limpia Ballroom; booklet, "Hummingbirds of West Texas" by Kelly Bryan; map of local viewing areas; hummingbird "Goodie Bag" and admission to Botanical Gardens & State Park areas!!
Information and a link to registration is here.

The Historic Hotel Limpia is the site of the festival's
Opening Reception!

Davis Mountains Preserve Open Weekend...THIS weekend!

The Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountains Preserve will be open for hiking, picnics, photography, birding and other outdoor activities on selected days this year.  The Preserve is open THIS weekend,  July 12-14.

The Davis Mountains Preserve is located approximately 25 miles northwest of Ft. Davis on Hwy. 118 (about 10 miles past McDonald Observatory & about ¼ mile past the Lawrence E. Wood Picnic Area).

Guests will be required to sign in and out at the McIvor Conservation Center.

Important Reminders:
• Only high clearance vehicles will be allowed past the McIvor Conservation Center.
• Only camp stoves are allowed, and open camp fires are prohibited. (Jeff Davis County continues to be subject to a burn ban.)
• Restrooms are available at the McIvor Conservation Center.
• Guests should bring their own food and drinks and plan to take their trash home with them.
• Hikers should bring their own binoculars, cameras, sunscreen, hats and plenty of water to drink.
• Firearms, stereos and TVs are not permitted on the preserve.
• For safety reasons, children must be supervised by their parents or other designated adults.
• No pets of any kind are permitted on the preserve.

Interested parties are reminded that the Madera Canyon Trail, also located in the Davis Mountains Preserve, adjacent to the Lawrence E. Wood Picnic Area, is open to the public year-round from dawn until dusk.
For more information, contact Davis Mountains Preserve Manager Shawn Benedict at shawn_benedict@tnc.org or (480) 458-6860. To learn more about the Davis Mountains Preserve and other Texas lands The Nature Conservancy works to protect, visit www.nature.org/texas.

Davis Mountains State Park's Indian Lodge

One of the most sought after reservations in our region is a night's stay at Fort Davis' Indian Lodge, in the center of Davis Mountains State Park.  The Indian Lodge, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s continues to charm visitors with its quiet and scenic mountain location.

From the Lodge's website:

"Indian Lodge is a full-service, historic hotel with 39 rooms, a restaurant, a meeting room, and a swimming pool. Rest, relaxation, good food, swimming, mountain biking and hiking are among the activities the Lodge has to offer. The Lodge is located within the boundaries of Davis Mountains State Park and guest have full use of the recreation & educational activities available at the park. There are foot trails into the mountains that cross Davis Mountains State Park and a scenic trail to the Fort Davis National Historic Site.

Look UP at Night: Feb 2-23 Best Evening Viewing of Mercury AND Guide to Visiting McDonald Observatory

Photo by Randy Mallory for the Texas Historical Commission

Locals and veteran travelers already know it:  Our region has a distinguished jewel in McDonald Observatory.  Located atop the Davis Mountains on the "Scenic Loop," it is a place visitors regularly put high up on their bucket list.  Intrigued?  Here's an EXCELLENT article about visiting the Observatory and taking in a couple of their public programs, from our friend, Sheila Scarborough of Perceptive Travel Blog. 

 

Click here to read the Observatory's webpage on visiting the facility.  Heading to the region for Spring Break?  Click here to see all the special Spring Break programming at McDonald Observatory.

The view of the Davis Mountains from
the top of McDonald Observatory
(click on the photo for a closer view!)

This month, we'll be treated to the best evening viewing of Mercury in a long, long time.  Read more here, from Weather.com.  An excerpt:  "Mercury, the "elusive" innermost planet, will travel far enough from the glare of the sun to be readily visible in the western sky, soon after sunset. On the evening of Feb. 8, Mercury will skim within less than 0.4 degrees of the much-fainter planet, Mars."

Mount Livermore Hike View

The trail to Mount Livermore offers terrific views of the Davis Mountains and the desert below.  Access is limited to special groups and public Open Days and Open Weekends.  The Nature Conservancy protects the Davis Mountains Preserve; read about their work here.

From the Nature Conservancy's website:

"The 33,000-acre Davis Mountains Preserve (with conservation easements on 65,830 acres of adjoining property) includes Mount Livermore, the summit of the Davis Mountains. It encompasses the heart of a functioning landscape with intact watersheds and a unique assemblage of animals and plants."

Would you like to see it yourself?  The calendar for open days and open weeks is here.

Thanks to our friend, Monte Riggs, for sharing his photo from the trail!

Indian Lodge has a new website!

An old (and much beloved) favorite lodging option--Davis Mountains State Park's Indian Lodge--in our region just got a new website!  Click here! 

From the website:

"The historic section of the lodge was constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and features the original interiors and furnishings. In 1967, a major construction project was completed, including renovation of the original structure, which has 18-inch adobe walls, hand-carved cedar furniture, and ceilings of pine viga and latilla. It resembles a Southwestern Native-American-style, multilevel pueblo village. Indian Lodge was voted the #1 accommodation in Texas by readers of Texas Highways magazine in 1992."

Want to stay there?  (You'll love it!)  This popular lodge enjoys full or nearly full occupancy much of the time...make your reservations well ahead of time!

Here's a park map!
Click here to learn more about the Civilian Conservation Corps' work at Davis Mountains State Park!

Sunset in the Davis Mountains

Beautiful Davis Mountains Vista

Don't we wish we were there today?  Take a trip this fall or winter....enjoy the beauty of the Texas Mountains!  Taken outside Fort Davis.

Baby Short-horned Lizard

Horned lizards (also known as horny toads, horned frogs, and horned toads) are not as common as they once were, with habitat destruction being the major factor in the decline of the population. This little guy is a short-horned lizard--the species has a range from Southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, all the way south to Sonora, Chihuahua and Durango, Mexico. 

The species lives in short-grass communities of the the northern Great Plains, in sagebrush and greasewood of the Great Basin, and on mountain hillsides and valleys with pinyon-juniper (which is where we found this wee one), aspen and coniferous forests throughout the range.  This short-horned lizard was found at the Davis Mountains Preserve, part of The Nature Conservancy's preservation area in our region, north of Fort Davis.

The lizards are so cute, many folks are tempted to keep them as pets.  Howver the Horned Lizard Conservation Society warns that they're very difficult to keep in captivity, and taking one home will likely lead to the animal dying a slow death.  We put this one back in the grass where we found him on the side of the mountain, so others may enjoy him and his offspring.

Want to learn more?  Check out http://www.hornedlizards.org/ and consider becoming a member of the Horned Lizard Conservation Society, based in Austin.

Our thanks to the Tierra Grande chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist program, the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center, and the Davis Mountains Preserve!

Sunset over the Davis Mountains

Taken at the Davis Mountains Preserve outside of Fort Davis!

360 degree view of the Davis Mountains, Clayton's Overlook Trail

Mitre Peak in the background, with an intrepetive panel showing the history and geology of the view

Did you know that the road through Wild Rose Pass is not quite the historic route taken by travelers?  This exhibit shows both routes.

Lovely view

Explanation of the geology of the area

There's a great trail outside Fort Davis, at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center that offers an interpeted 360 degree view of the Davis Mountains.  It is rated moderate to difficult, and 2.25 miles takes you to the highest point on the property, where Our Dynamic Landscape exhibit shows the geology, geography and history of the area

Hiking Mount Livermore

We recently hiked Mount Livermore at The Nature Convervancy's Davis Mountains Preserve north of Fort Davis.  The Preserve limits public access to Open Days and Open Weekends, and we always put those days on our Texas Mountain Trail website calendar.  The  next event is a good one....an Open Day and Christmas Tree Hunt on December 3...and yes, you can cut your own Christmas tree to take home for the holidays!

For regional hiking information, check www.texasmountaintrail.com/hike

What you could take home!!!

The back of the Far West Texas Wildlife Trail t-shirt

National Trails Day t-shirt

Next week, we'll be launching the Far West Texas Wildlife Trail at three parties...and you're invited to each of them!  At each party, we'll have drawings for lots of neat giveaways; including t-shirts, hats and lens cloths for the Far West Texas Wildlife Trail, as well as t-shirts for National Trails Day! 

Thursday, June 2, we'll have an 8 am bird walk, starting from Fort Davis' Indian Lodge in Davis Mountains State Park, followed by a 10 am party.

Friday, June 3, there will be an event at Monahans Sandhills State Park.

Saturday (National Trails Day!), June 4, we'll hold a party at Keystone Heritage Park in El Paso, starting at 9:45 am

Yesterday's photos of Fort Davis: even without the benefit of rain, regrowth begins

Outside Fort Davis, a cholla in a field of charred vegetation blooms!

Overnight runoff provides enough moisture for grass to start growing again

Yesterday we headed into Fort Davis, and even without the benefit of rain there's evidence of life and regrowth since the fires.  This town is fully functioning now--and has been since mid April--and is absolutely ready for you to visit.  If you come soon, you'll witness a special time, when wildlife is easier to see and regrowth is starting to occur.

In Davis Mountains State Park, the campers were enjoying lots of room in the (completely unburned) campground.  In our first 15 minutes in the park, we saw a red-tailed hawk hovering over Skyline Drive--mastering the breeze in order to just hang there--looking for prey. Then a blur of red flew by, which we think was a summer tanager.  We also saw a group of four invasive species--aoudad--catching some shade under a surviving green tree in the midst of a burned area on Skyline Drive.  Most of this park's 2700 acres (2000 of it!) was completely untouched by fire.  So there's plenty of it left for you to enjoy!

At the Visitor Center, we picked up a flyer that explains the effect of the Rock House Fire in this park.  Here's some excerpts:

"How does wildfire affect plants and wildlife, and what is the situation in the Davis Mountains?

• Plants and wildlife in most parts of Texas, including within the Davis Mountains, are adapted to, and even dependent upon, periodic fires.  The disturbance is a natural part of their world, which creates the habitat conditions required for their survival.  This is particularly true for the grasslands surrounding the higher portions of the Davis Mountains.
• Most animals escape oncoming wildfires by running, flying or retreating underground.  While these animals may be temporarily displaced by fire, they quickly re-colonize burned areas as habitat conditions improve.  Some animals with limited mobility may succumb to fast moving wildfires."

"I enjoy visiting the Davis Mountains to see wildlife.  Since large areas of the range have recently burned, I will probably not see any, right?

• Actually, your chances of observing wildlife are at least as good as they were before the fire, and they may be better.  It is common to observe many wildfire species such as deer and turkey entering burned areas within an hour after the fire has passed.  Additionally, fires result in a flush of new plant growth which attracts numerous wildlife species.  Hopefully late spring and summer rains will support this re-growth."

The green we saw yesterday along the roadsides may have been the result of overnight moisture collecting on the road, then draining off giving just a little bit of water to the grass just waiting to pop out.  Just think of how green the area will look after our first rain!  Come on out and see it for yourself! 

Davis Mountains State Park scheduled to reopen May 7!

Firefighters saved 2000 of Davis Mountains State Park's 2700 acres, and you can see it for yourself, starting Saturday, May 7!  The park and the Indian Lodge will reopen to the public on that day, after being "home" for hundreds of firefighters working in the region since April 9. 
We got an early look at the park on April 22, and CNN published two of our photographs, here and here.  You can see a full slideshow of 59 images here.

Keep June 2 on your calendar, as that's when a public launch party and bird walk will be held in the park for the Far West Texas Wildlife Trail map.  Stay tuned for more information!

Firefighter Tent City at Davis Mountains State Park

Park staff and firefighters saved Indian Lodge and Davis Mountains State Park on April 9-10, yet the park and Lodge remain closed indefinitely because they're being used as a staging area and tent city for firefighters still in the region.  We thought you might like to have a little look at their set-up.  They've got a medical tent, a resupply area, showers and sinks on trucks, and a tent dining hall...their own temporary city set up in the park's campsite area.

Survivor! Davis Mountains State Park

Beautiful adobe staircase at the Indian Lodge.  The Lodge, restaurant and pool were completely untouched by fire.

Building on Skyline Drive adjacent to mountain biking trail saved by park staff and firefighters!

Burned trees with intact grassland below, from Skyline Drive

A blossom from the Park Interpretive Center's garden, just a few feet from the burn line

The view from inside the completely untouched Rock Shelter atop Skyline Drive



We wanted to share more photos from Davis Mountains State Park, which is ready for visitors but won't be open until May 1 because it remains a staging area and tent city for firefighters serving the region since the April 9 wildfire.  Read yesterday's entry for the full story. 

Click here for more images of the park, taken Thursday, April 21.

Updated 4/26/11: because of continuing fire operations in the area, the park and lodge are closed until further notice.  We'll post here as soon as we hear they are reopened!  The rest of Far West Texas and Fort Davis IS open!