Big Bend Ranch State Park, 3/15 - 3/18/16

40. Primitive campsite, Rincon 1.  We traveled here with Aaron's parents and 4 of their friends, all of whom are avid off-roaders.  On the way here we stayed in Ft. Stockton - a good idea to split the journey because the dirt roads within the park make for slow going.  If we had tried to drive from Austin in one day, we would have been navigating seriously off-road jeep trails in the dark.  It was 27 dirt miles from Presidio to the Ranger Station and another 15 to our campsite on unmaintained roads.  We knew our campsite would be primitive so we brought one gallon of water / person / day and had about 2 gallons left at the end (we gave it away).  We brought 5 gallons of extra gas.  All cooking was boil-in-bag or cold - we didn't want to waste water washing dishes.  And we all brought bucket toilets, newspaper, toilet paper, and multitudes of trash-compactor bags (thicker than regular trash can liners).

The shade shelters helped a lot, but sunscreen is a necessity.  A free-standing shade canopy would have been a nice addition.

We didn't see any rattlesnakes (whew!), but saw lots of quail, rabbits, deer and wild burros (available for adoption immediately).

We had some amazing hikes in canyons to Mexicano Falls and to the mesa above the Crawford-Smith Ranch.  Aaron also hiked to the top of the hill nearest our campsite.  Big Bend Bluebonnets were blooming like crazy and we found springs and waterfalls in the canyons.  In all 3 days, we only saw 2 other people: a cyclist on the road and one person hiking on the mesa across the canyon from us.

This is where you leave the pavement.

Burros en route to our campsite.

The unmaintained road into our campsite.

Handprint rock art on the way to our site.

Our caravan.

Rincon 1 campsite.  That's our tent on the right.

Pano of the Flatirons from our campsite.

Our bucket loo and the view.

Mexicano Falls.

Pools at Mexicano Falls.

Aaron on top of the nearest hill.

Crawford-Smith Ranch ruins.

Crawford-Smith Ranch ruins.

Cairns marking the trail on the mesa.

Pano of Fresno Canyon from atop the mesa.

Ready to hike! 

Hiking up the mesa behind the Ranch.

Close to the top of the mesa.

The nearest county seat is Marfa, which is a Texas gem.  Marfa is home to a gorgeous old courthouse, the historic hotel where the cast and crew of "Giant" all stayed, a huge art scene, diverse lodging opportunities, restaurants and shops, Prada included.  And of course, the Marfa Lights.