In search of some backpacking fun that you can indulge in out west? Big Bend National Park has some great options for you, especially if you’ve only got a couple days to go explore with. My wife Gabrielle and I recently went through Big Bend and found a nice route to tackle with some great views.
First of all, let’s talk about trip preparation. We originally stopped in at what is generally considered the main visitors center located at Panther Junction. Now, there are Rangers who like their jobs and Rangers who don’t seem to enjoy their work day. When we went to the desk to buy a backcountry pass to do a backpacking venture we were swept up as the guys behind the desk were less than helpful. The two dudes expected us to know all the information about the hikes we were interested in going to and when we asked for information and recommendations we were rushed into a pass to hike the path to the south rim trail. We left there confuzzled and feeling unprepared as it was already afternoon and our pass had been set up to start that very evening.
Naturally we rushed to the Chisos Basin visitors center because we needed to hurry and start out on the hike itself. Gabrielle had the good sense to go in to the visitors center and talk to the folks working there and they were exponentially more helpful in their recommendations. Just goes to show, if someone is blowing you off or isn’t giving you helpful information, simply go ask around. Feel free to go seek out answers to your questions because someone somewhere will help you out.
We decided to take the trail leading up to Laguna Meadows. There is another trail leading up to the same campground area we were going to be at but it was a much steeper grade. That route is called Pinnacle Trail which takes you to the highest peak in Big Bend, but isn’t the best view in the park. You can make a loop connecting the two routes if you choose, but be advised that if you want to use Pinnacle you need to ascend it because it’s not considered a good decent because the grade is literally THAT steep. Regardless, we chose to ascend up the Laguna Meadows trail and come back down on it as well.
(view from the top of the switchbacks)
The hike can be strenuous if you don’t have great knees or aren’t in good shape because you will be hiking uphill almost exclusively to get to the South Rim, however the fight is really just getting to the campground at Laguna Meadows.
The map we were given was styled after a topo-map but wasn’t great so we were guessing when we were going up the switchbacks how many more we had. Just so you folks know there are actually two sections of switchbacks before you hit the meadows. The first set has 11 and the second set has 6. I like to know how many I have so I can count them down and feel more motivation when I’m tackling them. Once you’re up at the meadows though the hike evens out quite a bit more to the South Rim and is much easier. We slept at the Meadows our first night and then at the South Rim campsites our second night. We found it more enjoyable dropping our packs when we made it to the second campsite and dayhiking the rest of the South Rim. Not too much of the south rim is open in the Spring and Summer because peregrine falcons use the Rim to nest and bring up their young. Still, enough of it is open for some fantastic views even without waiting for sunrise or sunset. In the morning we hiked all the way back down to the visitors center, which should only take you a few hours because it’s all downhill. We had been lead to believe the hike one way was approx. 8 miles, however that was a guestimation we were told, so who knows.
(Gabrielle relaxing on top of the South Rim)
Some things to take note of before venturing off into the backcountry in Big Bend are, the park doesn’t allow open fires(besides charcoal) so when backpacking you need to bring a stove of some type if you intend to cook your food. Gabrielle and I each packed separate stoves for this venture and compared the two, and honestly they both performed reasonably the same. She packed what’s known as a penny stove and used anti-freeze for her fuel. This is a great, cost effective, lightweight, and cheap alternative if you’re saving your money (Heet is approx $1.12 and then find two pop cans.) just don’t forget the actual penny that you need to operate the stove. I myself brought an ezbit stove and used the stove platform that’s in my Pathfinder canteen kit to run them.
(The Penny Stove)
(the Ezbit Stove)
Another factor is that Big Bend gets HOT. Like soaked backpack pad hot. So bring plenty of water because there is absolutely no water on this backpack trail. It’s recommended to take two gallons of water per person for ever day you will be out. We filled what we could and rationed two gallons between the two of us for two days. I don’t recommend this, but the way we were able to cut our water weight down was by taking food with us that didn’t require water to cook like sausages, fruit, eggs, ect. Also, plan the time of day you will be hiking. We chose to hike in the early morning hours and the evening times to help escape the heat.
There at bear boxes at every campsite area but the bears don’t seem to be your concern here ( I mean, It’s not Yellowstone) rather Big bend has a large population of javelinas. They routinely come in herd into the campgrounds and are mostly harmless, but will root around searching for food, so it’s best to lock your food and smelly goods away from camp at night.
Either a tent or a tarp will work as good shelter for you here. We took a tarp without any stakes and were able to erect fine shelters for the nights we were out since quite a bit of the Meadow has trees. The campsites themselves are well marked and unmistakable.
Over all I feel the backpacking route we took while in Big Bend was a good 2 night trip that will get your heart and muscles working and reward you with splendid views for your efforts. I wasn’t worried about the wildlife in the area coming into camp or anything, though we did have a blue jay that followed us and allowed us to get few feet from him while he modeled for our camera. The trail itself is well maintained and decently shaded helping make this one hike I would happily do again.
(The Penny Stove)
(the Ezbit Stove)
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