Introduction
Living in West Texas gave me an opportunity to perform some cool desert hikes in the winter season. However, I was usually racing the clock to get a trip in before my water ran out, or before I had to get back to work. My three-day trip hiking Big Bend National Park’s Outer Moutain Loop was no different.
I began my three-day trip behind schedule and had to do a long day of hiking across the desert. I nearly ran out of water in the process. This experience could have been disastrous, but I figured it out.
In spite of being a bit strenuous, it was an amazing hike with a huge variety of scenery. I started in a mountain forest, walked into scrub-land, continued into desert-land, and then went back up to mountain forest again. Although hiking Big Bend National Park is one of the best-known hikes in Texas, I saw very few people along the way.
Hiking Big Bend National Park Photo Essay
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Companion forum thread to: Hiking Big Bend National Park: Outer Mountain Loop
Hiking Big Bend National Park’s Outer Mountain Loop gave the author an opportunity to get out and see deserts and mountains on the same route.
Nice report Luke. Never under estimate the water needed on the OML, the lower desert really takes it out of folks, especially people not used to it. They no longer let you cache food in the bear boxes at Homer Wilson (where you cached water) or Juniper canyon trailhead. There are several sources of water besides Fresno creek but it is the best and usually clearer just a few hundred feet down stream of the trail.
Here is one of the best pieces of info on hiking the OML and Big Bend Chat is the place for all information on the park and the area.
You already know it and it’s been mentioned but it’s better to have too much water than not enough. I did a south rim overnight in September and nearly got caught in a rainstorm (passed over about 1/2 mile to the west) without a tent or tarp. I thought I was saving weight. I had frost on my sleeping bag the next morning so if I’d have gotten wet I might have slept a lot longer than I want to (dirt nap). I won’t do that again. BiBe is a wonderful place. I make the trek there (10 hours for me) 3 or 4 times a year. I prefer June / July. Fewer people. Most people think it’s too hot there but it’s usually more comfortable in the Chisos than it is at home
Nicely written article
Nice write-up, Luke! Glad you got to experience the Outer Mountain Loop. Thanksgiving is a nice time for it, though I’ve had better luck being a little further away from the winter solstice so there’s more daylight to take advantage of (but obviously, not so far that it’s summertime).
Both times I’ve done the OML I’ve been lucky enough to be in the park (or real close) in order to get a nice early start and spend the entire full day hiking. That usually has put me down at the junction with the Dodson Trail for the first night’s camp, or even slightly past it. I’m sure you know this, but if you had been able to get an earlier start on Day 1, then you probably would have been able to enjoy Day 2 a little more (wouldn’t have had to hike so far / sweat so hard / drink so much).
I hope you’ve also gotten a chance to see the South Rim (perhaps on some other trip to Big Bend). IMHO it is the best view in the whole park, and perhaps one of the best in the whole region. If you get a head start on Day 1 of the OML, then it’s easy to camp on the South Rim at the end of Day 3, and then have an easy hike back down to the Basin on the morning of Day 4.
Anyway, I’m just tooting my own horn, but glad you got to check out this classic route.
I’m curious – Did you calculate your total water consumption for the trip? And if so, what was that?
The cafe/gas station at the Adventure Motel in Study Butte has amazing burgers n fries! they also have what I would call the absolute best bacon on the planet if you get there early enough for their all you can eat breakfast buffet…..
just saying….
I’ve eaten there several times. Yes, good. If you are ever over towards Presidio, stop in at El Patio.
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