Big Bend Ranch State Park

If you suffer from sunlight deprivation in January and February but your Social Anxiety Disorder makes you less than likely to head out to crowded sunnier climes such as Florida, Arizona or the gold coasts of Mexico - then I've got a deal for you. And if it is your fear of flying that keeps you on your dark couch, then there is a bonus - you can take AmTrak.

Big Bend Ranch State Park ("BBRSP") is located on the Rio Grande River just west of Big Bend National Park.  It is huge.  Five hundred sections, five hundred square miles, 300,000 acres; when still operating it was one of the fifteen largest ranches in the United States.  After the early decades of the twentieth century (only two inches of rain fell in 1933) the property changed hands several times.  In 1958, when it was sold by the ranching Fowlkes family of Marfa to a Midlands oilman and lawyer (L. G. McCormick), it was said that the purchase included 17,000 sheep, 4,500 Angora goats, 147 mules and 35 horses. The cattle were apparently uncounted. The ranch then changed owners and or operators several more times before being sold and or bequeathed to theTexas Parks and Wildlife Department in 1988.  It is operated by TPWD as one of the state's many impressive State Parks.

The northern Chihuahuan Desert where BBRSP is located is known as El Desplobado "The unpopulated place".  It is also known as "the other side of nowhere" and other terms of endearment.  It is rugged, desolate and magnificent.  The literature states that people come there to visit the past; to commune with nature; and for "camping, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, river rafting, and backcountry driving".  These activities in this "wild and remote land can push the limits of human endurance and fortitude".  But no matter what you come for, you will find unimaginable peace, quiet and solitude.  A ranger told me that the park receives 6800 visitors per year, but that only 20% come into the interior of the park.  That is only 4 persons per day on average - but since it is uninhabitable by non-natives for much of the year then it is probably more like 10 people per day during the cooler months.  

Sauceda Ranger Station - E 4160'

To reach park headquarters (Sauceda) you take the river road (Texas 170) approximately 7 miles east from Presidio to Casa Piedra Road and it is 27 miles (estimated travel time 1.5 hours) to Sauceda ranch headquarters.  There are rooms at the big house ($100 per night) and bunks in the bunkhouse (15 bunks for men and 15 for women $35 per night).  There are bunkhouse meals by reservation one week in advance.  Campsites, both drive in and backcountry hike in sites, can be reserved for $8 per night.  When selecting a site keep in mind that the wind blows much of the time and, when a desert storm roles in the winds will be gale force. The front desk handles the money and sells odds and end camping supplies, souvenirs and ice.  An 800 number in Austin handles reservations.  If you need something from town - it's almost 2 bone jarring hours before you will satisfy that need, and then that many bone jarring hours back to your tent or bunk.  

Does all of the above sound like a recipe for peace, quiet and solitude?  You got it.

To pack your kit bag to come mountain biking and or hiking at Big Bend Ranch is a little different. You already know how to conduct yourself in the outdoors. In addition to what you would normally do to prepare for outdoor activities, follow the recommendations below and you will be prepared for a lot of enjoyment:

• When you leave Highway 170 to enter the park do it with a full gas tank
• In order to reach the best spots you will need a high clearance 4x4 such as a Jeep Wrangler or Toyota Tacoma (short wheel base).
• 6 ply tires and 2 spares, 2 jacks, pick and shovel, heavy work gloves, etc.,etc.
• fully equipped bicycle repair kits, 2 spare tubes, and a copy of the "Big Bend Ranch Biking Guide"
• Map, compass, GPS and a lot of water.  I needed at least twice as much water as I use under normal hiking conditions.  Some of the guides recommend carrying a small water purifier, but I didn't find much water to purify.
• Clothing should take into account that most of the vegetation in the desert is very thorny or prickly and the trails are steep and eroded with jagged surface. I hiked in long pants, long sleeves, backpacking boots, and full length leather working gloves.
• If you are a sunscreen junkie then bring a lot, for you will get scalded if you get caught short. If not a junkie then you will replenish your healthy tan while recharging your Vitamin D levels. Bring cocoa butter with Vitamin E to heal the dry skin and thorn and cactus wounds. 
• Load the Tacoma with firewood before you leave Highway 90 because I didn't see any south of there.  The only commercially available firewood that I saw anywhere is in Alpine from Ellis Aldridge (432) 294-0178.

There is evidence of WiFi at the bunkhouse but it is not much.  Your cell phone will be useful for whatever expanded capabilities it has such as clock, GPS and compass.  If your service is Verizon Wireless then you will have phone and text service in a very small footprint at the bunkhouse.

If you love sunshine, physical exertion, grandeur, peace and quiet; then you will groove at Big Bend Ranch.