We arrived in Big Bend National Park about 3pm on Friday April 25th. We drove approximately 1 hour into the southwest corner of the park to Cottonwood Campground. When we pulled in we saw another Four Wheel Camper, a 2010 Hawk. We introduced ourselves and Gordon and Lois came down to our site for a visit.
Yucca Cactus in bloom
From Cotton Wood Campground
Claret Cup Cactus
Century Cactus in bloom
Sana Elena Canyon
Sana Elena Canyon
Prickly Pear Cactus
Claret Cup Cactus
Dessert Marigold
Tuff Canyon
We spent two nights in Cottonwood Campground along the Rio Grande River. We were mostly in a desert environment. We spent a lot of time driving to different marked viewing areas to read the signs and observe the geological formations. Lava formations were observed along with volcanic ash that was white or off white in color
Red Vermillion Fly Catcher
The Window
We hiked the Window Trail, 2.03 miles each way. The elevation drop from Chisos Basin to The Window was a little over 800 feet. The hike took us 4 hours and this was Susan's first full hike.
We saw numerous jack rabbits and road runners during our stay in the park. We saw a Javelina along the road as we were leaving. There are over 450 bird species that spend time in Big Bend National Park.We spent the second 2 nights in the mountains at Chisos Campground. Temperatures got into the 40's at night and we even turned the furnace on for a few minutes.
Big Bend is an amazing place that should be on everyone's bucket list. Being able to experience a desert environment and then go up into the mountains was a real adventure in itself. We even drove into the southeast corner of the park and saw Boquillas, Mexico and part of the Boquillas Canyon.
Looks like you two caught it just right for desert flowers, very nice!
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