storms in the heights, the dry waterfall turns into a torrent, with
boulders bouncing along like so many corks. Growling and grumbling, the
big rocks plunge over the pouroff in a 67-meter (220-foot) free fall,
coming to Earth in a great rubble pile below.

Pinyon pines grow abundantly across both Mexico and the American
Southwest. In the Chisos you’ll find them almost anywhere above 1,500
meters (4,800 feet) of elevation, and at lower elevations they will be
the only pines. Short of trunk, with spreading lower branches, egg-sized
cones, and short, slender, bluish-green needles, pinyons range from
dwarf size to a tree 15 meters (50 feet) tall. Many birds and mammals
eat its delicious nuts.

As elevation increases you may find fewer junipers, while more pinyons
appear on the open slopes and more oaks along drainages. The deciduous
Graves oak requires more moisture than other oaks, so you find it
putting forth its shiny, dark green leaves in high moist canyons. The
Emory oak also prefers high drainages but it grows at slightly lower
elevations. It has small lance-shaped leaves. The Chisos oak, a small,
graceful tree with narrow, leathery leaves, requires a high water table.
In all the world it grows only in the Chisos Mountains’ Blue Creek
Canyon.

    [Illustration: Mule deer frequent the park’s lower, drier
    elevations.]

    [Illustration: The Sierra del Carmen whitetail haunts the Chisos
    Mountains. It has much smaller ears than the mule deer and bears the
    characteristic flag tail. Isolation allowed this sub-species of
    whitetail to develop. These deer live only in the Chisos and across
    the river in the Sierra del Carmen.]

Many of these interesting woodland features can be studied at leisure in
Upper Green Gulch, reached by the Lost Mine Trail from the trailhead in
Panther Pass, following the well-kept path at least as far as Juniper
Canyon Overlook. Here you find yourself among the very pines and oaks
that you viewed from the switchbacks far below. On location it appears
much as it did from far below. There are few grasses and a host of
flowering bushes. Shaggy mountain-mahogany and fragrant sumac make
excellent feed for whitetail deer. Fragrant ash puts out long clusters
of cream-colored flowers in springtime. Mountain sage, a beautiful shrub
that grows nowhere else in the world, bursts into crimson flower each
fall. As a hummingbird feeder it even outranks the golden platters of
the century plant. Probably most surprising at this elevation is the
persistence of desert and grassland plants, for here among the pinyon
pines and oak trees grow clumps of ocotillo, lechuguilla, pricklypear,
and the great gray-green blades and towering bloomstalks of the Big Bend
agave.

Dryness is a fact of life in these woodlands. The north-facing slope is
densely covered with trees, while the opposite south-facing slope
exhibits mostly ocotillo and lechuguilla. The same holds true on the
narrow ridge extending from Casa Grande. Pine woodlands face north and
lechuguilla flourishes on the south-facing slope. It’s a question of
solar exposure and resulting temperature and moisture variations.

Oddly enough, you will likely see more wildlife in the populated Basin
than along the whole Lost Mine Trail, for animals find the Basin as
attractive as man does. The del Carmen whitetails find it a good place
to feed off and on throughout the day. These deer are found only in the
Big Bend and across the river in the Sierra del Carmen. To the rock
squirrels the Basin offers acorns, pine nuts, and plenty of rocky
lodgings. The busy cactus wren can indulge its habit of year-round nest
building, because there is abundant tall grass, and introduced yucca, a
favorite avian building site. Sounding like a child’s squeeze toy, the
brown towhee takes to his human habitat as freely as a house sparrow,
and the crestless Mexican jay scolds ferociously, as jays will.

                         The Jackrabbit Economy

  Should the jackrabbit reflect on its situation it might think life is
  a conspiracy. This prolific breeder might feel it exists solely to
  keep the local web of life functioning. Many predators include this
  big-eared, nimble-footed creature in their diets.

  Big ears, big feet, and protective coloration are the jackrabbit’s
  major survival mechanisms. It will listen for danger, sit motionless
  until perceiving a threat, and then burst into speedy flight. The ears
  may also represent an adaptation through which the jackrabbit can emit
  excess body heat to the environment, a useful ploy in deserts.

  Birds, snakes, and numerous mammals prey on the jackrabbit, which is
  really a hare, and on the park’s desert cottontail and eastern
  cottontail rabbits. The coyote can sustain bursts of speed sufficient
  to run them down. An arch opportunist, the coyote eats almost
  anything, including an occasional tennis shoe. The bobcat and mountain
  lion (photo page 103) are the park’s two felines. The bobcat hunts by
  stealth. It will sit by a game trail for hours and then pounce on
  passing prey. Threats to the jackrabbit come from above, too, where
  the golden eagle soars.

    [Illustration: Coyote]

    [Illustration: Bobcat]

    [Illustration: Golden eagle]

    [Illustration: Jackrabbit]

Toward twilight the whitetail deer put in another appearance. These
dainty little animals are highly territorial, so you are likely to see
the same band of bucks in the upper Basin, and the same doe and twin
fawns near the campground turnoff. The eastern cottontails, larger than
the desert cottontails, also come out at dusk, after spending the day in
the very same thickets that the deer come to browse. A little later,
skunks may appear. These spotted, striped, or hognosed nighttime
foragers are cyclic in their populations, and like the raccoon they have
a decided fondness for campgrounds.

In the Basin as elsewhere, many residents are heard rather than seen,
especially the tree crickets and katydids that sing their songs at
night. The Chisos Mountains even boast their own katydid, known nowhere
else in the world, the Big Bend quonker. Scraping its wings together it
produces a squeak much like that of a cork being pulled from a wine
bottle.

The woods that rim the Basin to the south have a softer, more
life-supporting look than the slopes above Panther Pass. They feature
the same junipers and pinyon pines and the same pricklypear and century
plant, but the difference is the grass. Tall and short, gold and blue,
tasseled, tufted and feathered, it grows so thickly under the trees and
between the shrubs that it all but covers the ground. You find
basketgrass, too, with leaf edges like fine sawteeth and their tips
frayed into curls of twine. With such abundant cover animals should
thrive, and judging from the scat they do. In the fall the pricklypear
is still in fruit, and it appears that everyone is eating brick-red
tunas. At lower elevations where the tunas have already gone by, many
animals are eating black persimmons.

But strong as the signs of life are, the evidence of death and dying
cannot be ignored. You hear the shrieks of some creature on the edge of
a little meadow, watch a hawk come to circle the tree tops, wonder who
has won that contest as the cries cease and the hawk flies off. You
smell the pungent odor of pine resin and follow it to its source, a
pinyon oozing crystal drops from dozens of holes. As the sticky stuff
ages it turns yellow, and there, mired in the gum, is a small black
beetle exactly as some fossil bee in amber. And here is a redberry
juniper so strangled by pink tree-thief that the greenest thing on it is
the mistletoe cluster.

    [Illustration: The mountain lion’s mystique explains the many park
    place names that bear its alias, panther. Most park sightings of
    these regal cats occur at Panther Pass, usually in May or June.]

                           Quicksilver Mining

  Quicksilver, or mercury, the only metal that remains liquid at
  ordinary temperatures, was mined as cinnabar in the Big Bend country
  from about 1884 until after World War II.

  Cinnabar, red mercuric sulphide, was used as a pigment and medicine as
  early as the first century. Indians used it as pigment for war paints
  and pictographs. Today mercury is used in electrical apparatus,
  control instruments, thermometers, and medical and dental
  preparations. The United States once produced about one-third of all
  quicksilver. From 1910 to 1920 Texas mines produced about one-third
  the U.S. production. Locally, quicksilver mining began in 1884, but
  real production began after 1896. The park’s Mariscal Mine was opened
  as Lindsey Mine by D.E. Lindsey, an immigration inspector, about 1900.
  Production increased greatly about 1916, under the ownership of W.K.
  Ellis, as World War I pushed up quicksilver prices. The mine
  floundered again with postwar price declines and was not profitable
  anew until World War II. In the Mariscal Mine’s heyday between 1919
  and 1923, from 20 to 40 men worked it. All were Mexicans except the
  manager, foreman, and a brick-kiln specialist. Wood for the furnaces
  came from as far as 80 kilometers (50 miles) away, by burro. These
  photographs show quicksilver operations at the Waldron Mine, just
  outside today’s park, in 1916. Laborers toiled 12-hour shifts for
  $1.00 then.

    [Illustration: Waldron Mine, entrance]

    [Illustration: Waldron Mine, buildings]

    [Illustration: Aplomado falcons once ranged this far north and east,
    but no longer. Now that the national park offers a large protected
    area, we hope these birds of prey will return.]

The death of trees is actually part of the continuing cycle of life
because it returns much needed nutrients to the soil. Termites play an
important role in converting dead wood into substances useful to plants
although they cannot digest the wood themselves. Tiny protozoans living
in their intestines secrete digestive juices that do the job for them.
Dead trees also provide nesting and resting places for various birds and
mammals: Screech owls and mice may make their homes in hollow trees and
logs, and so may the ringtail, gray fox, and bobcat. These four mammals
are adept tree climbers. The brush mouse climbs to garner pine nuts,
acorns and juniper berries, while the ringtail and gray fox add berries
to supplement their largely meat diet. The bobcat, as sure-footed aloft
as other cats, will take to the trees when pursued but prefers to hunt
on the ground.

The bobcat, so-called because of its short tail, limits his diet to
mammals, birds, and insects. This smallest and most common of the wild
cats prefers rocky canyons and outcrops in pine-oak woodlands. Hunting
mostly at night and on the ground, he prowls on padded feet, hides for
hours beside a game trail, and springs on his prey in one lethal pounce.
The ringtail is the busiest of small predators. Strictly nocturnal, he
covers a wide territory several times each night. He has much the same
tastes as the raccoon, but without the latter’s fondness for water. The
ringtail especially likes to prowl rocky ledges and canyon cliffs on the
lookout for insects and small rodents. He climbs easily and hunts in
trees for roosting and nesting birds.

Water, those rare spots where it occurs permanently, can do astonishing
things to a woodland. In a secluded canyon you’ll find a grotto no
bigger than a room, with countless seeps trickling down the face of a
high, nearly dry waterfall. At the foot of the fall, maidenhair ferns
and stream orchids crowd beside a deep pool, while redbud, oaks, and
maples canopy a burbling brook. The sun rarely reaches this rock garden,
so that at midmorning it is significantly cooler than the grassy slopes
nearby. The water in the main pool is even cooler. So many big boulders
lie heaped across the canyon that few animals can reach the water, yet
all sorts of creatures live here. You’ll find leeches in the pool, and,
looking like a shelled peapod, a dead katydid’s exoskeleton gutted by
water insects. You’ll hear a canyon wren echoing its own song, and spy
tiny canyon tree frogs clinging to trees and rocks with sticky little
suction-cup mounted toes. Tiniest are the mites living in parasitic
comfort on the tree frogs. Such microenvironments stand in surprising
contrast to the grandiose environment of the mountain masses surrounding
you here in the Chisos, and elsewhere.

People call one particular spot high in the Chisos the top of the world.
If you sit there at sunset you can watch the turkey vultures describing
long, lazy figure eights from the top of the world down to the Window
and back. At that time of day those vultures, not looking for food,
simply seem to be enjoying their world and being alive. In those sunset
cruises they’re living to the limit of their unique life form—and are
glorifying Big Bend!

Big Bend’s future, as its past, will be ruled in the long run by
triumphant nature. The vulture’s self-celebration almost portends this.
If we are entering another Ice Age, what a new lease on life this will
be for the high mountain forests of Douglas-fir, ponderosa pines,
Arizona cypress, and quaking aspen. What vindication for the staying
power of these many beleaguered species. If on the other hand the desert
pushes on, the summer rains don’t come, and the springs dry up for good,
then Big Bend’s big trees will vanish like the dinosaurs.

Such events are beyond our power to influence or foretell. Indeed,
change may be so imperceptible, so slow, that people, supposing there
are people left in Big Bend, may find it perfectly natural. Or change
may be catastrophic, and those last Big Benders disappear without a
trace, as though snatched off the Earth. And those, if any, who come
after may then marvel over ruins and artifacts and ask what drove these
Ancients from their homes.

    [Illustration: The peregrine falcon’s easy soaring belies its diving
    speeds of up to 320 kph (200 mph). Peregrines nest in the river
    canyons and high Chisos.]

                         3    Guide and Advisor

    [Illustration: Road into the park]

                            Map of the Park

                 [Illustration: The Roads to Big Bend]

    This Texas map shows the main routes to Big Bend National Park.

                          Approaching Big Bend

Big Bend National Park sweeps so far south that, since there is no road
through it to Mexico, the park isn’t on the way to anywhere. That makes
an automobile the best transportation bet. Trains and transcontinental
buses approach only as close as Alpine and Marathon (see map). There is
no public transportation to or through the park. You can fly into the
Midland-Odessa airport to the north. Cars may be rented in Alpine and in
the Midland and Odessa areas. The distances encountered are vast, so
plan departures and arrivals conveniently for available facilities.

From San Antonio, Texas, it is 660 kilometers (410 miles) to the park
headquarters at Panther Junction via U.S. 90 to Marathon and south on
U.S. 385. Driving from the Persimmon Gap park entrance to park
headquarters will consume 46 of these kilometers (29 miles). The gap is
a low mountain pass once traversed by the Comanche War Trail, a
thoroughfare northward for thousands of horses stolen in Mexico. Had you
crossed this pass in 1859 you might have witnessed the U.S. military
experimenting with camels as beasts of burden for this dry country. The
cantankerous camels bettered the standard military mule on several
points. However, the Civil War ended the camel tryouts. The camel’s
aptness illustrates that you are traveling desert country. This calls
for unique precautions, so please read the “Tips for Desert Travelers”
on page 124.

From El Paso it is 520 kilometers (323 miles) to Panther Junction via
Interstate 10 to Van Horn, U.S. 90 to Alpine, and south via Texas 118.
You enter the park at the Maverick entrance. Just west of the park here
on Texas Ranch Road 170 is the ghost town of Terlingua, a worthwhile
side trip. In the park’s western section you find the Painted Desert,
eroded badlands formations showing distinct bands of colorful deposits
from up to 70 million years ago.

From El Paso and points west you can take U.S. 67 south from Marfa to
Presidio, approaching the park on Texas Ranch Road 170, the Camino del
Rio, at the Maverick entrance. From this entrance to the headquarters at
Panther Junction is about 43 kilometers (27 miles).

Water and gasoline are available in and around the park only at a few,
and often widely separated, points. Check your water supply and gas
gauge before you leave U.S. 90.

                           Driving the Park.

At Panther Junction you can purchase the _Road Guide to Paved and
Improved Dirt Roads of Big Bend National Park_. It describes five tours
and the points of interest en route. The Santa Elena and Basin drives
begin at junctions along the park road from Maverick to Panther
Junction. The Boquillas drive begins at Panther Junction. The Persimmon
Gap and Maverick drives extend from their respective entrances to
Panther Junction. A park map and information folder includes a large map
showing major natural and historical features, roads, and facilities and
services. It is available at Panther Junction in the administration
building, and in dispensers at Persimmon Gap and Maverick. (Supplies at
Maverick are sometimes exhausted.) Obtain a copy of this folder before
your trip by calling or writing the Superintendent, Big Bend National
Park, Texas 79834, (915) 477-2251.

                            Primitive Roads.

After you have toured the main points on the major park roads, you may
want to see more by vehicle. You can do so on the primitive roads, which
introduce further varieties of scenery and interesting plants, animals,
and historic features. Plan your trip in advance, don’t just turn off a
main road on the spur of the moment. And register at park headquarters,
getting current information about road conditions from a ranger. On
these primitive roads you are on your own, so play it safe. Primitive
roads are patrolled only infrequently. Some are suited only for 4-wheel
drive. A _Road Guide to Backcountry Dirt Roads of Big Bend National
Park_ may be purchased at Panther Junction.

    [Illustration: Horse and rider in the hills]

                          Persimmon Gap Drive.

This drive offers short side trips: on a motor nature trail up to Dagger
Flat, or just off the highway north of the Tornillo Creek bridge to the
fossil bones exhibit. Signs along the Dagger Flat road identify
Chihuahuan Desert species, including the giant-dagger yuccas, found in
the United States only in Big Bend country. The Fossil Bone Exhibit
shows an extinct mammal, _Coryphodon_, whose remains were found in
sandstone deposits about 50 million years old. Tornillo Creek is one of
the park’s largest drainages. The Chisos Mountains, seen as you approach
Panther Junction, are the park’s highest. Panther Junction is such a
focal point that you may overhear park employees call it PJ.

                            Maverick Drive.

Terlingua and Study Butte are ghost towns—or nearly so—which were once
prosperous cinnabar (mercury) mining communities. The large, rounded
Maverick Mountain north of the road near the Maverick entrance is the
eroded exposure of an intruded mass of molten rock pushed up through
softer, older rock beds. You will also see the Painted Desert and many
plants of the desert shrub community. Outside the park to the north the
Christmas Mountains are prominent. To the east the Chisos define the
skyline. Along the Maverick drive you come to the Santa Elena Junction,
where the Santa Elena drive begins (see below). Further on you will see
dry washes that can carry flash floods and gravel slopes formed by the
erosion of the mountains. Then you come to the Basin Junction, where the
Basin drive begins (see below). Near this area you may also see mule
deer, the peccary (or javelina), coyote, or other desert animals. The
next stop—except for pictures—is Panther Junction.

                            Boquillas Drive.

From Panther Junction you can head southeast toward the Rio Grande’s
Boquillas Canyon. Along the way are the Dugout Wells picnic area and
self-guiding nature trail, Hot Springs, and Rio Grande Village (see
Facilities and Services). Boquillas Canyon is one of the Rio Grande’s
three grandest canyons here in the park. It was cut through the Sierra
del Carmen (_sierra_ is Spanish for mountains) and is the longest of Big
Bend’s famous gorges. Across the river is the Mexican village of
Boquillas.

                           Santa Elena Drive.

Spectacular historic and geologic features are found along the Santa
Elena drive. You observe wall-like dikes, massive gravel deposits, an
ancient buried valley, and a narrow canyon cut through volcanic tuff.
Across the river near Castolon is the Mexican village of Santa Elena. On
the U.S. side are adobe and stone ruins of dwellings for farms on the
river flats. Near the end of this drive a viewpoint gives an excellent
view of Santa Elena Canyon. Summer sunlight only strikes the canyon
mouth for several hours after sunrise. To take pictures, make this trip
in early morning. The canyon is usually hot in midday during summer.

                              Basin Drive.

From Basin Junction southward the Basin drive climbs out of desert
lowlands into the woodlands of the Chisos Mountains and their Basin, the
park’s “island” of green. The grade of the approach road is deceptive:
watch that your vehicle does not overheat. The Big Bend agave plant
reaches heights of 4 meters (15 feet). Even if you miss its bright
yellow blossoms in summer, the old stalk remains standing for a year or
two. As you drive up Green Gulch the vegetation changes from desert
shrub to woodland species. The road’s highest point is Panther Pass,
more than 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) in elevation. At the parking lot here
the Lost Mine Trail begins its ascent of Lost Mine Ridge, where legends
of a rich Spanish mine have touched off many a vain (no pun intended)
search. From the top you get superb views into Mexico. As you leave the
parking lot the road begins to descend into the Chisos Basin via a
series of sharp curves. (Read about the Chisos Basin under Facilities
and Services.)

                            Driving Safety.

There are desert-related driving hazards not mentioned above. Please see
Tips for Desert Travelers.

                        Facilities and Services

Overnight lodging is available inside the park at the Chisos Mountains
Lodge in the Basin; at campgrounds at the Basin, Castolon, and Rio
Grande Village; and at a small trailer park at Rio Grande Village.

Chisos Mountains Lodge accommodates more than 200 guests in
stone-and-adobe cottages with terraces and private baths and in modern
motel-type units. Reservations should be made by writing to National
Park Concessions, Inc., Big Bend National Park, Texas 79834. The lodge
coffeeshop serves food from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

                              Campgrounds.

Campgrounds at the Basin, Castolon, and Rio Grande Village provide water
and comfort stations. Electricity and fuel are not available, except
that the concessioner sells charcoal. Ground fires are not permitted. At
Rio Grande Village only there are pay showers and laundry facilities for
campers. Large groups may make advance campground reservations, but
families, other small parties, and individuals may not.

A number of backcountry roadside campsites are located along the park’s
backcountry dirt roads. A free permit, available at any ranger station,
is required. If you are interested in a primitive site, ask at a ranger
station.

                             Trailer Parks.

Rio Grande Village trailer park has hookups; use of all hookups is
required. Consult a ranger before taking trailers into the Basin
campground. The road to the Basin is not recommended for trailers longer
than 6 meters (20 feet) or RVs (7 meters/24 feet) due to sharp curves
and steep grades.

                      Stores and Service Stations.

Groceries, cold drinks, camping supplies, and film can be bought at the
Basin, Rio Grande Village, Castolon, and Panther Junction. There is a
gift shop in the Chisos Mountains Lodge. Minor auto repair service and
gasoline may be obtained at Panther Junction. Gasoline is sold in the
park at Castolon, Rio Grande Village, and Panther Junction only, so
check your gauge before you leave U.S. 90, and periodically in the park.

                             Saddle Horses.

You can arrange for saddle horses, pack animals, and guides in the Basin
with Chisos Remuda, Basin Rural Station, Big Bend National Park, Texas
79834.

                          Naturalist Programs.

Illustrated evening talks are presented in summer at dusk at the
amphitheater in the Basin, and in other seasons at Rio Grande Village
and park headquarters. Schedules for all programs are listed on park
bulletin boards.

The naturalist programs at Big Bend are designed to help you understand
and enjoy the natural and historic features. The park road system
features wayside exhibits and markers about local attractions. The
Dagger Flat Interpretive Auto Trail leaves the park road south of
Persimmon Gap. Self-guiding trails are located at park headquarters,
Dugout Wells, Santa Elena Canyon, the Basin, and Rio Grande Village. A
descriptive booklet is available at the head of the Lost Mine Trail in
the Chisos Mountains, to help you identify plants, animals, and
panoramic views.

Park naturalists and rangers provide many other services to interpret
the park’s geology, plants, animals, and history. You can supplement
these personal services by purchasing maps and publications at park
headquarters in Panther Junction.

    [Illustration: A rainbow cactus in bloom is about to be immortalized
    by a young photographer.]

    [Illustration: The Panther Path, a self-guiding nature trail outside
    the visitor center, introduces you to cactuses and other desert
    plants of the park.]

                        Walking Trips and Hiking

Besides floating the river, the surest way to experience the “real time”
of the park is to walk out into it. Neither desert nor mountains will
reveal themselves to a motor vehicle. Opportunities for walks and hikes
abound, from short strolls on well-developed nature trails to multi-day,
cross-park treks via its network of trails. Walks and hikes are
described in _Hiker’s Guide to the Developed Trails and Primitive
Routes, Big Bend National Park_ (see Armchair Explorations). The guide
and a “Terlingua-Chisos Mountains, Texas” topographic map sold at park
headquarters or by mail, give particulars. General information follows.

If you take a trail, please stay on it. Trails are routed for safety and
constructed to avoid washouts and erosion. Shortcutting increases
erosion and rockslides. Low-heeled street shoes or sneakers will suffice
on developed trails, but if you hike off trails, wear hiking boots with
thick lug soles to protect against sharp rocks and the spines of desert
plants. Carry tweezers in your first aid kit, for pulling spines and
thorns. Take plenty of food and water to carry you through your return
or your connection with new supplies. In hot weather one person needs 4
liters (1 gallon) of water per day; in winter slightly less. In winter
rattlesnakes are rare. In summer they are common, but are mostly abroad
at night. (See Poisonous Reptiles under Tips for Desert Travelers.)

Smoking is prohibited on trails, because fire poses a real threat to
plants and animals in this dry country. Building ground fires is
prohibited, too. You will need charcoal or a camping stove in the
campgrounds. In the backcountry you will need a backpacking stove and
sufficient fuel for cooking and for heating water.

Water is a precious resource anywhere, but here in Big Bend it is also
scarce. Do not pollute streams, springs, or tinajas by washing in them
or close to them. Also be careful where you make your toilet in the
backcountry.

Short walks on developed trails are available throughout the park. Short
walks of 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) or less include: Window View Trail
(Chisos Basin); Rio Grande Village Nature Trail; Burro Mesa Pouroff
Trail (Sotol Vista/Castolon Road); Boquillas Canyon Trail; Chisos Basin
Loop Trail; Santa Elena Canyon Trail; and Hot Springs Canyon Overlook
Trail (off the road to Rio Grande Village).

Beyond the short walks, hiking and backcountry options are endless. If
you go off trail, wear proper gear, carry adequate supplies, use a
topographic map, and know your route. Get advice on routes and gear from
any park ranger or at park headquarters or any ranger station. It is
important that you inform someone, preferably a park ranger, of your
intended route. A backcountry permit is required whenever you plan to
camp overnight anywhere but in developed campgrounds. Backcountry
permits are issued free at park information and orientation points (see
map).

Take it easy on the trails and enjoy yourself, especially until you are
acclimated. In the mountains, the elevation adds to the exertion. In the
lowlands the heat is an important factor.

                                Birding

To learn about the raven, writes Barry Lopez in _Desert Notes_, “bury
yourself in the desert so that you have a commanding view of the high
basalt cliffs where he lives. Let only your eyes protrude. Do not
blink—the movement will alert the raven to your continued presence ...
there will be at least one bird who will find you. He will see your eyes
staring up out of the desert floor. The raven is cautious, but he is
thorough. He will sense your peaceful intentions. Let him have the first
word. Be careful: he will tell you he knows nothing.”

The raven is one of more than 400 species of birds that have been seen
in Big Bend National Park. Why so many? The park lies right smack on the
flyway for birds winging north out of Mexico and, indeed, almost
three-fourths of the species recorded in the park fly right on through.
But for serious birders—even those less determined than the raven seeker
Lopez describes—this is paradise. During the spring migration northbound
birds confront the northwest-southeast trending Sierra del Carmen.
Instead of flying over them, most birds keep to the west and are
funneled right into the park. For the return trip in fall, however, the
Sierra del Carmen have the opposite effect. Many southbound birds peel
off east at Persimmon Gap. The fall migration is smaller and brings more
lowland than mountain species.

The springtime bursts of birdsong are inspired by the drive to claim
territory, as some 100 species nest within the park. Many of these
breeding birds will abandon the lowlands as soon as their young are big
enough, moving to the mountains to beat the heat. Rio Grande Village,
for example, is at its low ebb for birdlife in July, and in the Chisos
Basin you will find yourself identifying lowland birds left and right!
But all in all, Rio Grande Village, with its ponds, cottonwood groves,
rich riverbottoms, heavy brushlands, and neighboring desert, is the best
year-round birding site in the park. In the springtime it offers an
unbelievable display of species.

The Chisos Basin is the second best overall birding site, providing a
long parade of mountain birds throughout the year, as well as lowland
birds. The Basin is one of three spots for the annual Christmas Bird
Count, along with Rio Grande Village and the Castolon-Santa Elena Canyon
area. Over a five-year period, 147 species have been counted at these
locations at Christmas time.

The Colima warbler is probably the park’s most famous bird, because in
all the United States it nests only here in the Chisos Mountains. It
arrives in April from southwest Mexico and leaves in mid-September. The
Big Bend has also remained one of the few successful breeding grounds of
the peregrine falcon, a species that suffered much from pesticides. You
are most likely to see peregrines during their spring migration, but
nesting pairs have been sighted at Santa Elena, Mariscal, and Boquillas
canyons and in the Chisos Mountains. These predatory birds prefer to
nest in a scrape on a high cliff ledge. This falcon, about the size of a
crow, is slaty backed and barred below, with a pair of black “mustaches”
on the face. In its magnificent dive, the peregrine is one of the
fastest moving animals on Earth.

For advice on good birding spots at any time of the year, or on where to
find specific birds, ask a ranger or at park headquarters. Also see
Armchair Explorations.

                           Birds of Big Bend

    [Illustration: Summer tanager]

    [Illustration: Gray vireo]

    [Illustration: Great horned owl]

    [Illustration: Yellow breasted chat]

    [Illustration: Blackthroated sparrow]

    [Illustration: Painted bunting]

    [Illustration: Belted kingfisher]

    [Illustration: Roadrunner]

                           Floating the River

    [Illustration: Boulders dwarf the raft of Park Service employees
    landing in Santa Elena Canyon.]

    [Illustration: A kayaker drifts into reflections.]

If you stumbled onto the Rio Grande upstream of the park, between El
Paso and Presidio, during most of the year you’d say “Oh well, forget
floating!” That stretch is most often dry, sapped by irrigation
projects. But the Rio Grande gets a new lease on life as the Rio
Conchos, draining Mexican mountains, flows into it at Presidio. You can
thank the Rio Conchos for the prospects of floating the Big Bend. Along
the park boundary and down to the Terrell-Val Verde County Line, the Rio
Grande is designated a national wild and scenic river for 307.8
kilometers (191.2 miles). The “scenic” goes without saying. When you hit
the rapids or a cross-channel current hits you, the “wild” designation
rings true as well.

Below is general information about floating the river.
Particulars—including descriptions of the canyons and some rapids—are
contained in, among others, the river guide series published by the Big
Bend Natural History Association. (See Armchair Explorations.)

The first fact: You need a permit to float the Rio Grande in the park,
including the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River. The free permit is
available from park headquarters and ranger stations, or any park
ranger. Permits will not be issued if the river is at flood stage. In
high water the river is outright dangerous. The annual high water season
is July through October. Flash floods are a great danger through summer
and early fall. The best months for river running are November through
February, when water levels are relatively stable and the heat is
moderate. By late April or early May and after the heat can be a
problem.

The recommended craft is the inflatable raft. It is not as prone to
damage from submerged rocks as are kayaks and canoes. Any rigid craft
may break up when slammed into the canyon’s rock walls by treacherous
cross-channel currents. No craft or accessory gear is available for
rental within the park. You must bring your own, or make arrangements
with an outfitter. (Call or write the park for information on local
outfitting services.)

A second fact: Any float party, as the name implies, should consist of
two or more people for obvious safety reasons. Fact three: Everybody
should be able to swim....

You will need two vehicles, one for put-in and one for take-out. Gear
should include: approved personal flotation device for each person and
one extra for each boat; boat paddle for each person; waterproof duffle;
freshwater; flashlight; lash lines and a 15-meter (50-foot) bow line and
15-meter (50-foot) stern line; extra paddle for each boat; first aid
kit; and boat patching kit. Lash all these items to prevent their loss
in the event that your craft capsizes.

Lest you be discouraged by the safety warnings and logistical
considerations, suffice it to say that from the river inside Big Bend’s
magnificent gorges you will experience an intimate immensity rare on
this Earth.

                                Fishing

Most of the park’s native fish are of minnow size but the Rio Grande
does attract anglers. The major attractions are catfish, gizzard shad,
carp and suckers, the freshwater drum, and an occasional longnose gar.
The complete list of fish recorded in the park and its immediate
surroundings includes 35 species, including bluegill and sunfish
species.

Most anglers are after the blue, channel, and flathead catfish. The blue
and flathead are favored food fish. The longnose gar may reach over a
meter (4 feet) in length and is predatory, as its long snout and sharp
teeth suggest. You do not need a fishing license to fish in the national
park. For advice on fishing spots and preferred methods, ask a park
ranger.

Yellow cat up to 45 kilos (100 pounds) have been taken from the river,
and 14-kilo (30-pound) cats are not uncommon. Channel and blue cats also
provide fine sport and good eating. These deepwater species feed on
aquatic plants, insects, and smaller fish, both living and dead. They
spawn in depressions and sheltered nooks in river banks and canyon
cliffs. While catfish account for most of the recreational fishing in
the Rio, many other interesting species swim the brown waters: the
predatory garfish, needlenosed and shaped like a torpedo; the humpbacked
carp that can survive even in limited waters; smallmouth buffalo,
sheepshead, and green sunfish; the bullhead that favors quiet waters and
can endure higher temperatures and lower oxygen content than most other
fish; and of course the minnows, as plentiful and gregarious as
sparrows, with a preference for running water and rocky or sandy
bottoms.

                       Tips for Desert Travelers

                     Best Times to Visit Big Bend.

Winter days will be nippy in Big Bend’s mountains and comfortably warm
in the lowlands. Snow falls in the mountains once or twice a year.
Spring hits the desert lowlands in February and begins a slow ascent up
the mountain heights, arriving in May. Some of the desert plants bloom
throughout the year, but the most predictable displays are in
springtime. Summer is problematic. If you come in the summer you will
probably want to take to the mountains. Midsummer daytime temperatures
in the desert and river valley generally hover above 38°C (100°F)—often
well above. But up in the Basin, daytime temperatures average 29°C
(85°F) and nights are cool. Autumn is usually sunny, with the air gentle
and warm. The best months for running the river are November through
February, both for river conditions and for avoiding summer’s intense
heat in the canyons.

                           Climbing Hazards.

The character of the basic rock in the park is very unstable, making it
unsafe for climbing. Climbing is not recommended.

                             Night Driving.

Be extra alert for wildlife while you are driving at night. Many
creatures, particularly deer, may be blinded by your headlights so that
they make no effort to get off the road.

                           Spines and Thorns.

Beware the cactus and other spine- and thorn-bearing plants, shrubs, and
trees. These can inflict painful injury. To protect yourself, wear stout
shoes and tough clothing if you go hiking off the developed trails. If
you go out at night, walk carefully, carry a flashlight, and don’t
venture out too far. The National Park Service recommends that you carry
tweezers for removing irritating spines, which may be too small to
extract with your fingers. People have even gotten mouthfuls of
delicate—but highly irritating—spines of some pricklypear cactus species
while trying to eat the fruits! Delicate spines hardly noticeable to the
naked eye can inflict painful injury.

                           Poisonous Reptiles.

The park contains copperhead snakes and four species of rattlesnakes,
although these are seldom seen in daylight. Though poisonous, they are
protected in the park. Do not molest or harm them. Very few snakebites
occur in the park. Most of these involve bites to the hands of people
who have reached into places where they couldn’t see a snake resting or
hiding. The general precautions are these: Stay on trails after dark and
use a flashlight, and avoid bushes and damp areas. There are no
poisonous lizards at Big Bend, but if you molest lizards they may bite
you.

                       Tarantulas and Scorpions.

Tarantulas, contrary to horror films, will not bite you unless you annoy
them. And the park species of scorpion is not deadly, although if you
are stung, get prompt attention.

                          No Medical Services.

There are no doctors or nurses in the park. The closest hospital, in
Alpine, is 174 kilometers (108 miles) from park headquarters. Terlingua
Medics, a nonprofit first-aid station and medical care facility, is
located 42 kilometers (26 miles) west of park headquarters, in Study
Butte. The trained paramedics can provide interim care until further
help can be obtained in Alpine.

Carry your own first-aid supplies (including tweezers). Please notify
the nearest park ranger or park headquarters immediately of accidents or
emergencies.

                           Use Water Wisely.

Carry drinking water with you whenever you are in desert country. This
is particularly a must when hiking: 4 liters (1 gallon) per day per
person is a good rule of thumb. And remember: Start your return trip
_before_ half of your water supply is used up. Floaters and boaters, do
not drink the river water: Carry your own. Any spring water used for
drinking should be treated first.

                             Flash Floods.

High water is a threat during the flash floods that may follow summer
thunderstorms. You must be alert for this because a flash flood may
travel down the watershed to you even though you were not rained on.
Flash floods make roadway dips potential death traps. If you are caught
in high water, drive slowly to avoid stalling your engine: Do not splash
through at a high speed. And by all means, avoid any high water!
Washouts are a hazard in a storm and afterwards, so be on the lookout
for them. These same precautions about high water and low spots apply to
camping, too. Do not camp in washes and arroyos. They could turn into
swirling rivers while you sleep, and you might not even have the warning
of raindrops to wake you.

                            Park Regulations

                                Driving.

The maximum speed on park roads is 72 kilometers (45 miles) per hour.
Slower limits are posted; please observe them. Do not pass or park on
curves, and take road dips slowly. Motorized vehicles are restricted to
park roadways and are prohibited on all trails. Check with a park ranger
before driving the primitive roads.

                               Trail Use.

Stay on trails because shortcuts mar the area and can cause erosion and
destructive rockslides. Smoking is not allowed on trails because fire is
a constant hazard here. Please carry out all your refuse.

                           Camping and Fires.

Camping is limited to campgrounds except for backcountry camping, which
is by permit only. Building wood and ground fires is prohibited.

                           Fishing Licenses.

Fishing licenses are not required. Obtain fishing information from any
park ranger.

                           Firearms and Pets.

Use or display of firearms is prohibited. Pets must be kept on a leash
at all times, and they are not permitted on trails or in public
buildings.

                               River Use.

A permit is required to float the Rio Grande. At high water float trips
are particularly hazardous. No permits are issued for Santa Elena and
Mariscal Canyons when the river is at flood stage. Swimming in the river
is discouraged because of the dangers, many of which are unseen. Obtain
float permits at park headquarters or ranger stations. For information
call or write the Superintendent, Big Bend National Park, Texas 79834,
(915) 477-2251.

                         Armchair Explorations

Selected books, maps, guides, and other publications are offered for
sale at the park or through the mail by the Big Bend Natural History
Association, Big Bend National Park, Texas 79834. Please write and ask
for a free list.

  Casey, Clifford B. _Mirages, Mysteries and Reality, Brewster County,
          Texas, The Big Bend of the Rio Grande._ Pioneer Book
          Publishers, 1972.
  Deckert, Frank. _Big Bend: Three Steps to the Sky._ Big Bend Natural
          History Association, 1981.
  Langford, J.O. with Fred Gipson. _Big Bend, A Homesteader’s Story._
          University of Texas Press, 1973.
  Larson, Peggy. _The Deserts of the Southwest._ Sierra Club Books,
          1977.
  Madison, Virginia. _The Big Bend Country of Texas_ (Revised edition).
          October House Inc., 1968.
  Maxwell, Ross A. _The Big Bend of the Rio Grande._ Guidebook 7. Texas
          Bureau of Economic Geology, 1968.
  Sonnichsen, C.L. _The Mescalero Apaches_ (Second edition). University
          of Oklahoma Press, 1973.
  Tyler, Ronnie C. _The Big Bend: A History of the Last Texas Frontier._
          National Park Service, 1975.
  Warnock, Barton H. _Wildflowers of the Big Bend Country, Texas._ Sul
          Ross State University, 1970.
  Wauer, Roland H. _Naturalists’ Big Bend._ Texas A&M Press, 1980.

                                 Index

   _Numbers in italics refer to photographs, illustrations, or maps._

                                   A
  Alvarez, Navidad 91
  Amphibians 22, 45
  Animals 34, 40, 75, 107;
      Basin 99-102;
      canyons 62;
      grasslands 89;
      illustrations _68-69_, _71_, _82-83_, _100-101_, _103_;
      prehistoric 63, 66-71

                                    B
  Beaver 75
  Big Bend National Park:
      accommodations & services, 18, 117-18;
      fishing, 123;
      founding, 22-23;
      health advice, 119;
      hiking, 119;
      International Biosphere Reserve, 94;
      map, _112_;
      nature trails, 74-75;
      rafting, 122-23;
      regulations, 125;
      size, 6, 18;
      transportation & roads, 23, 112, 114-17;
      water conservation program, 49
  Birds 44, 56, 61-62, _63_, 77, 108, 120-_21_.
      _See also_ Eagle, golden; Falcon
  Bobcat _82_, _100-101_, 107
  Boquillas Canyon 22, 62, 64, 114

                                    C
  Cabeza de Vaca, Álvar Núñez 12, 32, 86
  Cactus 30, 32, 75;
      photos, _13_, _14_, _31_, _116_
  Camel 12
  Candelilla _32_
  Cano, Chico _91_
  Canyons 59-71;
      photos, _64-65_
  Castolon _60_, 70, 77
  Castolon Peak _4-5_, 23, _122_
  Century plant _cover_, 88-_89_
  Chisos Basin _cover_, 94-108, _115_, 120
  Chisos Mining Company 15, 18
  Chisos Mountains _16-17_, 22, 70, _92_, 93-94;
      South rim, _20-21_, 81, 94, _95_, 120
  Considine, Roy J. _91_
  Cottonwood _47_, _72_, 77
  Coyote _83_, _100_, 101
  Creosotebush _26_, 27, 29

                                    D
  Deer 18, _19_, _82_, _99_
  Desert, Chihuahuan 6, 22, 65, 77;
      illustrations _16-17_, _28_
  Desert, Painted 114
  Desert, shrub 22, 28-30, 74, 77, 80, 81, 84

                                    E
  Eagle, golden 59, _101_

                                    F
  Falcon _106_, _109_, 120
  Faver, Milton 50
  Fishing 123
  Fossils 66, _67_, _68-69_, 70, 114.
      _See also_ Animals, prehistoric
  Frog, leopard _44_
  Fur Trade 82-83

                                    G
  Geology 6-7, 18, 59-60, _64-65_, 66-67, 70, 98
  Ghost towns 114
  Glenn Spring 45
  Gopher, pocket 32
  Grass 74, 80-81, 84, 89, 93, 102
  Grasshopper 33, 85
  Grassland 73-74, 77, 80-81, 84-85, 89
  Green Gulch 11, 94, 115;
      Upper, 99

                                    H
  Hiking 119
  Hot Springs _60_
  Hot Springs Canyon 61

  Indians 12, 13, 15, _84_, 85, _86-87_, 88
  Insects 29, 34, 40, 44, 54, 56, 102, 108;
      water, 45, 48, 60-61
  International Biosphere Reserve 94

                                    J
  Jackrabbit 34, _100-101_
  Javelina. _See_ Peccary
  Johnson’s Trading Post, Elmo _82-83_
  Juniper, alligator _20-21_

                                    K
  Katydid 40, 102, 108

                                    L
  Lechuguilla 28, _32_, 84
  Lion, mountain 101, _103_
  Lizard 34, _35_, 38
  Locust _49_

                                    M
  Mammals, Age of 67-69
  Marfa 50
  Mariscal Canyon 22, _61_, 62, 64
  Mariscal (Lindsey) Mine 15, 104-5
  Mesa de Anguila 18, 64
  Mesquite, honey 77, 80
  Millipede 33
  Mosquitofish 74, _76_

                                    O
  Ocotillo _29_-30

                                    P
  Panther Pass 94, 102, 115
  Peccary 32, 34, _45_, 82
  Plants 22, _26_, 28-32, 62, 74-75, 99, 114-15
  Persimmon Gap 13, 66
  Petroglyphs _85_
  Population 12-13, 15, 18
  Presidio 59
  Pricklypear _14_, 30, _31_, 32

                                    R
  Raccoon 73
  Rafting 122-23
  Rainfall 22, 53, 93
  Ranching 18, 49, _50-51_
  Rat, kangaroo _38_-39, 56
  Rio Conchos 59, 64
  Rio Grande 6-22 _passim_, 59-60, 90;
      photos _8-11_
  Rio Grande Village 60, 73-77, 120
  Roadrunner _38-39_, _121_

                                    S
  Sam Nail Ranch 49
  Santa Elena Canyon 22, 23 62, 63, 64, 114-15;
      photos, _9-11_, _58_, _122_
  Scorpion _33_, 124
  Settlements _60_
  Shafter, William H. _86_
  Sierra del Carmen 18, 23, 64, 66
  Snakes _36-37_, 38, 40, 124
  Sotol 85
  Swallows, cliff 56, 62, _63_

                                    T
  Tamarisk 49, _52_, 53, 62
  Terlingua Abaja mine 75, 114
  Tinaja, Ernst _42_, 43, 48
  Toad, Couch’s spadefoot _44_
  Tornillo Flat 68, 80-81
  Trees _20-21_, 22, 70, 93-107 _passim_.
      _See also_ Cottonwood; Tamarisk
  Turtle 61

                                    V
  Victorio, Chief 86, _87_

                                    W
  Waldron Mine _104-5_
  Warbler, colima 120
  Water 43, 48-49, 59, 77, 107-8;
      _See also_ Rainfall
  Wildflowers 53-54, _55_, 56, _57_
  Window, the _cover_, _24-25_, 108

                                    Y
  Yucca 85, _88_, _114_

                                                  * GPO:1962-361-611/103

                              Handbook 119

The National Park Service expresses its appreciation to all those
persons who made the preparation and production of this handbook
possible. The Service also gratefully acknowledges the financial support
given this handbook project by the Big Bend Natural History Association,
a nonprofit group that assists interpretive efforts at Big Bend National
Park.

                            _Illustrations_

All photographs and other artwork not credited below are from the files
of Big Bend National Park and the National Park Service.

  Amon Carter Museum 87 Indian.
  Tom Bean 14, 19, 24-25, 29, 38 patchnose, 60 color, 88, 99 mule deer,
          110-111, 118 photographer.
  Frank Bell 4-5, 31 pricklypear and fish-hook, 46, 55 caltrop, Desert
          baileya, dayflower and cardinal flower, 72.
  Richards Bushnell 8.
  Robert P. Carr 26, 42, 47, 63, 78-79, 103, 106.
  Ed Cooper 41.
  Frank Deckert 57.
  John Dieckhoner 38-39, 81-82 drawings, 100-101.
  Frid Fridrikson 109.
  David Goss 122 kayaker.
  Hunter’s, Alpine, Texas 51 longhorns.
  Library of Congress 87 soldier.
  Rick LoBello 44 toad, 45, 85 mortar hole, 118 with book, 121 vireo.
  David Muench covers, 9-11, 16-17, 20-21, 58, 92, 95-97.
  Syd Radinovsky 33.
  Smithers Collection, Humanities Research Center, University of Texas
          at Austin 50-51 except longhorns, 81-82 photo, 91 inset, 104,
          105.
  Doris Lee Tischler 68-69 color.
  John Tveten 121 tanager, bunting, kingfisher and chat.

                         National Park Service
                    U.S. Department of the Interior

As the Nation’s principal conservation agency, the Department of the
Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public
lands and natural resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of
our land and water resources, protecting our fish and wildlife,
preserving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks
and historical places, and providing for the enjoyment of life through
outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy and mineral
resources and works to assure that their development is in the best
interest of all our people. The Department also has a major
responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for
people who live in island territories under U.S. administration.

                                                      IBSN 0—912627-15-8

    [Illustration: Sunset silhouettes a century plant and lone bird
    through the Window, from the Basin in the Chisos Mountains.]

Transcriber’s note:

—Relocated all image captions to be immediately under the corresponding
  images, removing redundant references like ”preceding page”.

—Silently corrected a few obvious typographical errors.