Trails

D N E BIGABNCH R E PARK STAT Horsetrap Trail is an approximately 4.3-mile-long loop that is located a short distance from the Sauceda Ranger Station. It is a combination of decommissioned doublet-rack and single-track with gentle grades and outstanding views of the rolling hills and low mesas of the central interior portion of the park. The trail is named for its proximity to Horsetrap Springs located near the trailhead along Javelin Road. The spring was once used to supply the Sauceda complex with drinking water. The trail itself runs through an old pasture where horses were kept during the early years of the ranch, beginning around 1910. © TPWD, Earl Nottingham As a hike or horseback ride, this trail offers few challenges and can be traveled with ease from either direction. Counterclockwise travel is recommended for mountain bikers. For cyclists, this trail is challenging with loose and rocky surfaces and a few areas of deep sand. The counterclockwise option begins on an old double-track with a gradual ascent and transition to single-track on exposed rock surfaces. The ascent is a hike-a-bike section (for most). Beyond this initial portion, the trail evens out and continues with a gradual, flowing descent. The trail is popular among all user groups so please be courteous of others and yield the right-of-way as indicated. Be mindful of wildlife such as javelina and rattlesnakes and always bring plenty of water! This guide is made possible by the Compadres del Rancho Grande (Friends of Big Bend Ranch). Please recycle your brochures at any of the BBRSP Visitor Centers, Trailheads, or Ranger Stations. Visit www.parkfriends.org to contribute or get involved. ©2019 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department PWD BR P4501-0152S (2/19) 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 (TDD) at (512) 389-8915 or by Relay Texas at 7-1-1 or (800) 735-2989. If you believe you have been discriminated against by TPWD, please contact TPWD or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Diversity and Workforce Management, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041. Horsetrap Trail Horsetrap Trail has two signed access points; one located approximately 0.2 miles west of Sauceda Ranger Station on the main road, and the other approximately 0.5 miles southwest of the ranger station on Javelin Road. Parking is available at Sauceda Ranger Station. Geographically, the trail is situated at the junction of the Llano Pasture and the foothills of the Boffecillos Mountains. “Llano” is Spanish for “plain” and is here used to describe a landscape characterized by desert grassland with low hills and rocky outcrops. The vegetation is typical of the Chihuahuan Desert, dominated by creosote bush, sotol, lechuguilla, prickly pear and several species of grasses and cacti. Occasional springs, marked by thick stands of cottonwood trees, punctuate the area. Fresno Peak and the Flatirons of the Solitario are visible in the distance to the southeast. La Mota Mesa (Cerro la Mota or La Mota Mountain), a feature of the Boffecillos range, is the nearest and most prominent landmark situated to the north. The Sauceda complex is most visible from high points along the western segment of the trail. Sauceda Ranch was established around 1905 and was used intermittently as a goat, sheep and cattle ranch until the property was designated as a park in 1988. Evidence of ranching activities can be seen here and throughout the park. A corral, said to be an old rodeo grounds used from around the 1950s through the 1970s still stands along the old road segment near the trailhead. The grounds were created by the people who lived and worked at the ranch as a source of entertainment.