Posted by Steve@Advance on September 23, 2020 at 18:26:27 from (66.169.147.211):
In Reply to: OT, Vacation posted by gearheadbill on September 23, 2020 at 15:48:14:
Haven't been down there in many years!
But looks like the best parts are all closed. All the back roads, trails, are closed. Which makes perfect sense, close the places you might drive or hike all day and not see another person... Yep, our government is looking out for us!
Last time I was there, food was best DIY, the restaurants were few. The ones near the cabins and camp grounds were outrageously expensive, the outlying ones were unreliable as for being open or what you get. But that's my kinda place!
Found one little place, a one room adobe shack half way between Study Butte and Lajitas, "5 Star Restrant"! Said so right there on the screen door! The people were friendly, the breakfast burritos were great, the orange juice was spoiled...
If you go, hit the Panther Junction Visitor Center first, load up on maps (to places you can't go). The brochures show the paved and unpaved roads. Anything not paved is labeled "4X4" only, which is not true. Very few roads that can't be traveled with anything with a little extra ground clearance, unless there has been a rain, which is very rare.
Don't mess around down by the river at night alone in the remote areas. It is very remote, things go on down there that shouldn't.
It's a beautiful place! Takes days to see all the roads (if they were open), a lifetime to hike all the trails! One of the best walking trails (but it's closed) is to Pine Canyon. It's a pretty strenuous hike, following a dry river bed. Start out at the desert floor, hot, typical desert, then suddenly you would think you were in the mountains of Colorado! Pine trees everywhere! Birds, squirrels, rabbits... The temperature drops 20*, and a good thing, you are doing some serious up hill hiking. Nothing challenging, just steady up hill. At the top of the trail is a huge waterfall! It's usually running. Every drop of water crashes down on the rocks at the bottom, and disappears underground! The river bed only flows when it rains. First time I was up there was at Thanksgiving, hiking up, I kept hearing something crashing. I thought someone was up top rolling rocks off. Turned out to be giant icicles breaking off and crashing on the rocks! Crazy, I would have never thought it would have been cold enough for that!
Personally, I would not waste my time to go drive the paved roads. That just doesn't get you much. You can see the surrounding areas, Lajitas, buy Clay Henry a beer, Terlingua, explore the ghost town, Study Butte, not much to do there since they tore down the old store with the front porch...
But they do have a general store there in Study Butte that has about anything you would need, life is simple there.
Like I say, I haven't been in years, it's probably been a lot more tourist-fied since then.
If you do go, take something you are not afraid to get scratched up and bounced around in, get off the paved roads as much as you can. Take easy to fix food, plenty of water just in case. Stay with your vehicle if you get stuck! Walking or hiking is rough, super easy to underestimate distances or get lost, stay on the roads or trails. The ground is hard pack gravel, not blowing sand like you see on TV. Every step must be watched, plants grow up on little tufts of ground. Every plant will stick you or trip you!
While you are there, go visit Marfa, if you are into artsy-crafty stuff. Strange little town with even stranger people! It's in the middle of nowhere, with it's own Prada store!
I want to go one more time while I can, but not unless it's all open. If you can wait, maybe a couple months it will open.
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