Big Bend RanchComplex Map |
Complex Map of Big Bend Ranch State Park (SP) in Texas. Published by Texas Parks & Wildlife.
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CLOSED CANYON
THE HOODOOS
FORT LEATON STATE HISTORIC SITE
OJITO ADENTRO
THE FLATIRONS OF THE SOLITARIO
WELCOME TO THE BIG BEND RANCH
STATE PARK COMPLEX – EL DESPOBLADO
El Despoblado means “the uninhabited place.” It is a
name used over centuries to describe the northern
Chihuahuan Desert — a name that implies a sense of
emptiness. Yet Big Bend Ranch State Park is far from
empty. The park offers 500 square miles of unrivaled
geology, spectacular vistas and night skies, diverse
plant and animal life, and evidence of over 10,000 years
of human occupation.
GEOLOGY
COMPLEX MAP
BIG BEND
RANCH
STATE PARK
BIG BEND RANCH
STATE PARK
VISITOR CENTERS
Barton Warnock Visitor Center
(Eastern Entrance)
21800 FM 170, Terlingua, TX 79852
(432) 242-3327
Fort Leaton State Historic Site
(Western Entrance)
16952 FM 170 E, Presidio, TX 79845
(432) 229-3613
Sauceda Ranger Station
(Interior)
1900 S. Sauceda Ranch Road, Marfa, TX 79843
(432) 358-4444
www.tpwd.texas.gov
Cover Photo: Chase A. Fountain, TPWD
©2021 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Interior Photos: Gary Nored
PWD MP P4501-0152AA (2/21)
In accordance with Texas State Depository Law, this publication is available at the
Texas State Publications Clearinghouse and/or Texas Depository Libraries.
TPWD receives funds from the USFWS. TPWD prohibits discrimination on the
basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, and gender, pursuant
to state and federal law. To request an accommodation or obtain information
in an alternative format, please contact TPWD on a Text Telephone (TTY)
at (512) 389-8915 or by Relay Texas at 7-1-1 or (800) 735-2989 or by email
at accessibility@tpwd.texas.gov. If you believe you have been discriminated
against by TPWD, please contact TPWD, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX
78744, or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Diversity and Workforce
Management, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041.
The geology of Big Bend Ranch State Park reminds us
of profound changes over the past 600 million years of
Earth’s history — changes born of water and fire. A deep
ocean, the Ouachita Basin, covered the Big Bend and
much of the southeastern United States some 570 million
years ago, long before the age of dinosaurs. One may
see remnants of the Ouachita Mountains in parts of
Arkansas, Oklahoma and West Texas, including The
Solitario at Big Bend Ranch State Park. Erosion and
uplift worked together to expose the limestone rock of
this ancient sea floor in the Contrabando lowlands and
the upended “flatirons” that form the rim of the Solitario.
The Solitario is a feature born of fire. Between 36 and
35 million years ago, magma from deep within the Earth
pushed upward in three pulses to create a blister-like
bulge nearly 10 miles across near the park’s eastern
boundary. Following erosion and a complex series of
eruptions, the uplifted sedimentary rock and the
underlying lava chamber collapsed to form the almost
circular basin-like feature known today as the Solitario.
Volcanism remained at work in the region. As you pass
the dark peaks and mesas between Redford and Lajitas
or along the Sauceda road, imagine glowing cone-like
vents and gaping fissures that once spewed red-hot ash
and molten rock. Lava from these eruptions eventually
hardened into the rhyolite and basalt rock that form the
Bofecillos Mountains, whose many cracks and fissures
trap groundwater and account for the region’s numerous
springs — life-giving oases in the desert.
HUMAN HISTORY
Diverse people have lived among the canyons, mountains
and valleys of Big Bend Ranch State Park for centuries,
typically near water sources. The materials and structures
they left behind tell stories of triumph and hardship in
this sometimes hospitable but often relentless land.
Hundreds of prehistoric camps, cooking areas and rock
art sites dot Big Bend Ranch. Grinding stones, bedrock
mortars, flint tools and burned rock middens indicate
that the hunter-gatherers living here used every natural
resource available to survive in the demanding environment. Prehistoric pictographs (rock paintings) and a few
petroglyphs (rock etchings or carvings) showcase the
amazing diversity of rock art styles preserved in the park.
A handful of traders and freighters such as Ben Leaton
and Milton Faver were the first Anglo-Americans to
settle the area in the mid-1800s. By the 1870s, small
family ranches began to spring up, raising much of their
own food and herding sheep and goats. Park visitors
today can see remains of the Crawford-Smith, McGuirk,
Reza and Madrid houses among others. Remnants of a
wax factory and several camps remain in Fresno and
Contrabando Canyons, where thousands of pounds of
wax were extracted from candelilla plants and sold as
waterproofing for World War I army tents. Nearby,
the Whit-Roy Mine produced flasks of mercury from
cinnabar ore into the 1960s.
FLORA
Vegetation throughout the park exists in a moisturedependent mosaic, sometimes lush but more often
sparse. Native plants range from arid-adapted cacti to
water-loving cottonwoods. Common species of succulent
include varieties of prickly pear and cholla. Ocotillo is a
common desert shrub in the region.
FAUNA
Animals exhibit similar variety, from water-dependent
beavers along the river to desert specialists like the
black-throated sparrow. The park is home to large
mammals, such as black bear, and the Big Bend’s
tertiary predator, mountain lions. Mule deer and
non-native aoudad are important components of
mountain lion diets. The park is also the eastern-most
range boundary for the Mojave rattlesnake, occurring
alongside black-tail, mottled rock, and western diamond
back rattlesnakes.
CLIMATE
Big Bend Ranch State Park is located in the rugged
terrain of the northern Chihuahuan Desert. The park
receives less than 10 inches of rain per year, mostly
occurring as monsoonal summer storms. During monsoon
season, dry creek beds (arroyos) are prone to severe
flash flooding. Desert temperatures can fluctuate by
40 degrees on the same day. Pack and dress accordingly.
Summer temperatures often exceed 110 degrees.
SAFETY
Remember where you are. There is very little shade in
the desert. Dress accordingly: long sleeves and widebrimmed hats are recommended in addition to sunscreen and sunglasses.
Cell phone coverage is unreliable or non-existent
in the park.
Bring plenty of food and water for long day hikes.
All water from spring sources should be treated or
filtered before being consumed.
Big Bend Ranch State Park protects habitat for large
mammal species, including black bears and mountain
lions. Follow these tips to enjoy wildlife while preventing
human-wildlife conflicts:
• Observe wildlife from a safe distance.
• Do not feed or attempt to catch wildlife.
• Do not run if you encounter a bear or mountain
lion in the field. Make noise, take action to make
yourself look large, and back slowly away from
the animal.
• Rattlesnakes are common and can be active
year-round in the desert. Be careful where you
step and place your hands. Listen for the rattling
warning signal.
LEAVE NO TRACE ETHICS
Please help us maintain a pristine wilderness
setting in our park by practicing the:
Leave No Trace Seven Principles
1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
3. Dispose of Waste Properly
4. Leave What You Find
5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
6. Respect Wildlife
7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors
© 1999 by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor
Ethics: www.LNT.org.
OUTFITTER INFORMATION
Angell Expeditions
HC 63, Box 51, Marfa, TX 79843
Email: charles@angellexpeditions.com
(432) 384-2307 or (305) 336-2787
Big Bend Boating & Hiking Company, LLC
53570 Fire Station Rd, Terlingua TX 79852
Email: hikingbigbend@gmail.com
(469) 607-9869
Big Bend River Tours
P.O. Box 317, Terlingua, TX 79852
Email: rapids317@hotmail.com
Phone: (800) 545-4240 or (432) 371-3033 (local)
Fax: (432) 371-3034
Desert Sports
P.O. Box 448, Terlingua, TX 79852
Email: info@desertsportstx.com
Phone: (432) 371-2727
Fax: (432) 371-2726
Ebikemarfa, LLC
114 W San Antonio Street, Marfa, TX 79843
Email: ride@ebikemarfa.com
(432) 386-3086
Far Flung Outdoor Center
Permits are required for use of park facilities, including
use of hiking trails, park roads, picnic areas, camping
areas, river access, or pull-offs along FM 170 (River Road).
P.O. Box 377, 1 Adventure Lane, Farm Road 170,
Terlingua, TX 79852
Email: info@ffoc.net
Phone: (800) 839-7238
Fax: (432) 371-2993
Special Use Permits are required for backcountry
hiking, backpacking, or bikepacking.
Lajitas Stables
PERMIT REQUIREMENTS
REGULATIONS
• Quiet hours are from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.
• Dogs are allowed on-leash on two trails in Big Bend
Ranch State Park: Hoodoos and Closed Canyon.
• UTVs and ATVs are not allowed within the State
Park boundary.
• Big Bend Ranch State Park is an International Dark
Sky Park. Please do not use lighting at campsites
that will “trespass” in to neighboring campsites or
temporarily contribute to light pollution.
P.O. Box 6, Terlingua, TX 79852
Email: lajitasstables@bigbend.net
Phone: (800) 887-4331 or (432) 371-3064
Fax: (432) 371-3066
Wild Art Mobile Outdoor Studio
P.O. Box 148, Big Bend National Park, TX 79834
Email: Annie@wildartstudio.org
(415) 569-0651