Big Bend National Park

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Dates: (6 days, 5 nights; Tues-Sun) March 2-7 Assembly Point: Big Bend N.P. (airline service to Midland, TX; Timberline van shuttle between Midland and Big Bend N.P. prior to and following tour) Tour Cost: $1,295 (includes all lodging, all meals, full-day raft program, van shuttle between Midland and Big Bend, leaders, trail maps & narratives) If someone had suggested to us hard-core Coloradans in our early adventure outfitting days that we would be about to launch a program in Texas, at the very least we might have smiled and raised a collective eyebrow in disbelief. Merely a reflection of our relative parochial ignorance in those days and a reflection of how much we yet had to learn about this western land we call home. Clearly, we had yet to discover the wonders of Big Bend National Park. Nestled in the southwest corner of Texas, not close enough to any major city to provide any meaningful clue as to its location, Big Bend requires a little scrutiny to understand its remote and wild character. The park is situated along a 107-mile stretch of the Rio Grande, including that point where the river turns sharply to the north (hence, its name, "Big Bend"). This section of the Rio Grande is protected as a Wild and Scenic River and the spectacular limestone gorges through which the river flows are among the astonishing, varied natural features contained within the park's boundaries. The vast Chihuahan Desert, extending northward from Mexico, dominates a considerable expanse of the park, but standing in stark contrast to the desert lowlands are the rugged, forested Chisos Mountains, whose peaks reach an elevation of 8,000'. Without a doubt, Big Bend offers some of the wildest and unspoiled land remaining in the "lower 48". We've planned our inaugural Big Bend program for early spring--the absolute best time to visit this park. With an estimated 1100 plant species, 430 species of birds and a wide range of other wildlife, including gray fox, pronghorn antelope and mule deer, spring is an exciting season in this desert environment. Although we'll spend all five nights at the Chisos Mountain Lodge, the only lodging facility within the park, we've structured this program in a manner that will provide the varied experiences that are the essence of Big Bend. We'll hike the high country of the Chisos, explore the erosional landscapes of the Window, the Chihuahan Desert environment and the breathtaking gorges carved by the Rio Grande. A full-day's raft journey on the Rio Grande through spectacular Santa Elena Canyon is another dramatic feature of this program. We'll assemble at the Chisos Mountain Lodge late afternoon of Day 1 (we'll provide a van shuttle from the Midland Airport to the park earlier that afternoon). Early the following morning, we'll hike from the lodge into the Chisos as we head for the South Rim on what generally is recognized as the quintessential hike in Texas. The views along the trail of much of the Big Bend country extending into Mexico are unsurpassed (12.5 miles). We'll head south on Day 3 for a relatively moderate hike to Mule Peaks along a trail that showcases the beauty of the Chihuahan Desert in bloom. We'll climb to a ridge overlooking the broad Smokey Creek Valley and the peaks of the Sierra Quemada to the south (7 miles). Days 4 and 5 are dedicated to the Rio Grande and its spectacular canyons. On Day 4, we'll challenge the awesome Marufo Vega Trail as it winds through the Dead Horse Mountains to the rim of Boquillas Canyon overlooking the Rio Grande 1,000 feet below. We'll descend to the river itself before returning to our trailhead (14 miles). On Day 5, we'll team with Texas River Expeditions for a thrilling full-day whitewater adventure on the Rio Grande as it twists through the Santa Elena Gorge. The sheer limestone walls that line the gorge soar 1,500 feet above the river. Following our final overnight at the Chisos Lodge, we'll hike leisurely along the Window Trail to the Window itself and capture a sense of the geological diversity of Big Bend, including its volcanic origins (5 miles). We'll then van shuttle back to Midland where our program concludes late afternoon. T I M B E R L I N E   A D V E N T U R E S 7975 E. Harvard Suite #J  Denver, Co. 80231 Telephone: (800)417-2453; or (303)759-3804 Fax: (303)368-1651 E-Mail: timber@boulder.earthnet.net