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  • 2 months later...
Posted

Went to Big Bend for the first time over spring break. Towed our camper and stayed at Big Bend Station in Study Butte. 
 

Loved the park. We didn’t do any long hikes. Kept things on the shorter side to try and experience more areas.

I find the history of the park, surrounding communities, and the river/water rights very interesting. 
 

  • 1 month later...
Posted

Longdraw has good pizza, cold beer, and great people after a long day of hiking. Starlight cafe is a must at least once in your lifetime if you go regularly. Split the Diego burger though.

Edit: meant to say this is for terlingua. I’ve heard la kiva is open again which is also cool. Book your tix now for balmorhea if they’re not already gone for whatever day you’re passing through. If it’s your first time, time 90 one way and 10 back.

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Posted
10 hours ago, Jersey Man10 said:

Any food recommendations? I went to Magoo’s last year in Alpine and loved their chicken fried steak. This time I’ll be in Fort Stockton, Fort Davis, Alpine, and Terlingua.

Venga and Starlight in Terlingua

12 Gage and Brick Vault BBQ in Marathon

Convenience West, Para Llevar and Cochineal in Marfa, if u make it over there. 

Reata (maybe, its ok) in Alpine. 

 

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Posted

Normally I would recommend Reata in Alpine, but my last visit in March was not good.

Judy’s Bread and Breakfast never disappoints.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Posted (edited)
On 5/9/2024 at 8:59 AM, tigol said:

Judy’s Bread and Breakfast never disappoints.

bad news, they just had a pretty bad fire there, per the Alpine Mayor Judy's is a total loss.

https://bigbendsentinel.com/2024/05/27/fire-ravages-historic-section-of-downtown-alpine/
 

Quote

A fire that broke out next to the Holland Hotel in Alpine late yesterday afternoon could not be quickly contained and burned through several businesses in a row along W. Holland Ave. across from the Amtrak station between 5th and 6th Streets.

Several witnesses said the fire seemed to start in Judy’s Bread and Breakfast Bakery Cafe, although officials have not confirmed the location or cause. Smoke enveloped much of the downtown area and beyond as firefighters let the blaze burn itself out while trying to protect the adjoining buildings, including the Holland Hotel and the Catchlight Art Gallery. Alpine Mayor Catherine Eaves confirmed the following businesses are a total loss: Judy’s Bread and Breakfast, Eva’s Salon, Gallery on the Square, La Azteca and Vintage Antiques and Snazzy Things.

 

 

Edited by NoName
Posted

It’s not a destination restaurant by any means, but a breakfast burrito from Alicia‘s Mexican Restaurant in Alpine is pretty damn good when you’ve been off the grid in the park for a few days. 
 

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Posted

Did this trip the past week. Stayed in Marfa. La Ventura restaurant located in St Georges was maybe a little over priced but it was great. Aster’s Cafe across from the court house was great for breakfast. Also, got pizza from Para Llevar. It was not too bad. I stayed at the Stover House. If that comes up as a place you are interested in, let me know and I can give you some ideas on what to expect based on my experience.

We did go to Balmorhea on Thursday and we were able to make reservations and get in that day. I think if you plan on visiting on the weekend you do want to plan ahead and book when you decide to go.

Posted
On 5/31/2024 at 2:06 PM, stc said:

day after the cotton bowl convict rape 2 jan 91 pulled in to marathon with thunderstorms on the west side of the glass mountains

they rolled over the summit after dark, then proceeded to throw down 100 lightning strikes per minute, that made no sound

and that's all i have to say about that

Posted

was reading that starting in spring 2025 they're redoing the restaurant and visitor center in the basin. sounds like parking will be extremely limited for a couple years, expect a 1 in 1 out situation. also said there will be a gate that locks at 10pm preventing access to the basin...even if you're camped up there you have to be back by 10:00 or you're locked out. don't understand that one. expected completion spring 2027. 

  • 4 months later...
Posted

 

“By securing this large swath of land along our southern border, the GLO is not only blocking foreign adversaries from purchasing this land but also ensuring this mineral-rich property will be generating revenue for the school children of Texas,” she said.

Asked about the agency’s plans for the land, Buckingham said via email that, in addition to “conservation benefits” from the acquisition, there are “many types of leasing options available including but not limited to hunting, agriculture, mineral, and soil carbon sequestration.”

King said he had been involved in conversations with the GLO about multiple possibilities for the land.

“I’ve been told by the staff that they want to do something special here,” he said. “They want to look at ranching, they want to look at restoring, they want to look at opportunities like maybe a hunting lodge, or VRBO, hiking, camping.”  This is complete Horseshit. 

“I am always proud to step in when needed to secure our southern border and will use every tool at my disposal at the General Land Office to do so,” Buckingham told Marfa Public Radio. “If it comes to my attention that there is a need to do so on this property, I will gladly ensure Texans are protected from this ongoing border crisis threat.” meaning building a wall along the Rio Grande. 

 

This isn't going to be another park. Its going to get leased for grazing, hunting, mining, drilling. Best possible scenario is solar farms. The state will not spend money for "improving" or "restoring" anything. 

Or its going to end up like the Christmas Mountains- basically abandoned and neglected, with locals offroading and poaching and illegally squatting and dumping. 

National Park Service should have bought it and made it part of BBNP. 

 

 

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Posted
On 6/11/2024 at 4:13 PM, stc said:

was reading that starting in spring 2025 they're redoing the restaurant and visitor center in the basin. sounds like parking will be extremely limited for a couple years, expect a 1 in 1 out situation. also said there will be a gate that locks at 10pm preventing access to the basin...even if you're camped up there you have to be back by 10:00 or you're locked out. don't understand that one. expected completion spring 2027. 

 

Yeah, entire basin will be closed starting this May for "approximately" two years. No car access at all to the basin, or any trails up there, including Lost Mine and the Window. Renovating or rebuilding the restaurant and the lodge as well as water infrastructure. A complete redo, which is years, nay decades past due. 

There is a loop trail that starts in the lower park and has trail access to the basin, but that is a hell of a hike. Don't recall the names of the trailheads for that lower trail. 

 

Also, https://www.statesman.com/story/news/state/2024/10/29/hiker-dead-big-bend-national-park-texas-october-2024/75914670007/

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
Posted
On 10/31/2024 at 10:24 AM, Anton Chigurh said:

^^^ Oak Spring Trail into the Window Trail. I have done it from the basin down into the desert side, but never going up.

Is that the trail next to cattail falls trail? If so, that's a long uphill hike (at least for my old ass)  

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Posted
On 11/22/2024 at 9:38 PM, tejas60 said:

Is that the trail next to cattail falls trail? If so, that's a long uphill hike (at least for my old ass)  

Yes. That’s why you leave a car at the parking lot on oak springs road, then drive up to the basin, hike down to the window, and double back just a bit and take oak spring down to your car. Lots of downhill hiking

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Posted
18 hours ago, 4th and 5 said:

Yes. That’s why you leave a car at the parking lot on oak springs road, then drive up to the basin, hike down to the window, and double back just a bit and take oak spring down to your car. Lots of downhill hiking

That road and parking lot has been closed for years. You have to park on Ross Maxwell these days, making it an even longer hike. 

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Posted
3 hours ago, stc said:

That road and parking lot has been closed for years. You have to park on Ross Maxwell these days, making it an even longer hike. 

the lot was moved further to discourage hikers to Cattail Falls but you do not have to park on Ross Maxell

Posted

Good to see they finally opened the new lot. The last couple of times i've gone to cattail the barricade at the end of that road was closed. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

We are thinking about heading there next December, but I saw they are closing the Basin area.  We've never been to Big Bend. Are there other areas and things we could do instead? Will it be a goat f*ck because people will all over-crowd the other areas?

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
On 12/26/2024 at 10:04 AM, Dbeasy said:

We are thinking about heading there next December, but I saw they are closing the Basin area.  We've never been to Big Bend. Are there other areas and things we could do instead? Will it be a goat f*ck because people will all over-crowd the other areas?

 

Most of the park will still be open, there are plenty of other hikes you could do. December can be crowded, if you plan on camping get reservations in advance. Not sure what effect closing the basin will have. The basin does get crowded during peak visitation, but I'm not sure what effect a closed basin will have on the rest of the park. 

There is also the BB Ranch State Park, Davis Mountains State Park, Balmorhea, the observatory, and a few other random places (Nature Conservancy land, Chihuahuan Desert Visitor's Center in Ft Davis) you can hike in the area. 

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Posted
spent some time in pine canyon #1. silence, solitude, expansive views...all i could ask for. 
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Superb shots. Need to go back soon.
Posted

My business partner finally took his fam to this beautiful place.  They loved it.  That said he's got video/sound of the coyotes one night.  It was a party with some very loud cackling.  His wife and kids were shitting bricks, lol.

Posted
Quote

There is also the BB Ranch State Park, Davis Mountains State Park, Balmorhea, the observatory, and a few other random places (Nature Conservancy land, Chihuahuan Desert Visitor's Center in Ft Davis) you can hike in the area. 

Pertaining to the mention of Big Bend Ranch SP, i thought I’d post the following Texas Monthly article from over twenty years ago written by the author of Empire of the Summer Moon.  One of the finest essays I’ve come across:

https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/conversations-with-a-grasshopper/

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