Contents BIG BEND AND TEXAS MOUNTAINS TRAVEL GUIDE 8 Welcome to the Guide 10 Regional Map 12 Calendar of Events 15 National & State Parks Big Bend National Park Guadalupe Mountains National Park City Listings 25 Alpine 32 El Paso 35 Fort Davis 38 Fort Stockton 42 Lajitas 44 Marathon 47 Marfa 51 Midland 53 Odessa 55 Ozona 56 Presidio 60 Terlingua/Study Butte 62 Toyahvale/Balmorhea 63 Van Horn 64 Features Photography in the Big Bend featuring James Evans Texas Mountain Trail 72 Last Look GREG HILLJE BIGBENDTRAVELGUIDE.COM 7 Publisher’s Letter THANK YOU for picking up a copy of the 2014/15 Big Bend and Texas Mountains Travel Guide! This is the Contributors second year that I’ve had the privilege of publishing this travel guide. It has been published once a year since 1984, which is pretty impressive! I’d like to thank Beth James Evans Nobles and Ron Sanders with the Texas Mountain Trail for their commitment to the travel guide and for Originally from West Virginia, James Evans has been the opportunity given to our team to publish it. I love based in Marathon for 25 years, and is perhaps the to travel throughout the area, and even before I became most well known photographer of the Big Bend the publisher I carried the publication with me for vital region. Two very popular books showcase his art- information and tips. It’s an incredible resource for any- istry: Big Bend Pictures and Crazy from the Heat. In one wishing to explore the region. For example, you’ll an Austin American-Statesman, Evans explains the find information on various parks (state and national), as appeal of the region. “The vastness of it all, the free- well as a city-by-city guide. In addition, there is a feature dom you feel when you’re in the parl ... in a week I about photography in the Big Bend. One of the main subjects of this story is the renowned was sold.” photographer, James Evans, who is based in Marathon. I remember on one of my very first trips to the region I met James, who told me that he decided to move to the region on his third trip to the area. It only took me a couple more trips to decide to establish a residence in Alpine. The allure of the Big Bend region is strong and whether you’re a first-time or repeat visitor I hope you have a wonderful time in this amazing part of Texas. We have many important contributors to the travel guide, and you can read about some of them on this page, but in addition I’d like to thank the guide’s designer, Martha Gazella- Taylor, who was born and raised in Odessa and went to Permian High School. As far as my background, I wear a few hats. In addition to being the publisher and founder of Texas Music magazine, I am currently working with the City of Alpine as tourism director. I also produce Viva Big Bend, which is held in Alpine, Fort Davis, Marathon and Marfa (our music festival is the last weekend of July each year). I hope you’ll find as much enjoyment in visiting this area as we do in promoting it. Thank you for reading the 2014/15 Big Bend and Texas Mountains Travel Guide, and happy trails! — Stewart Ramser Martha Gazella-Taylor Martha Gazella- Taylor is the A MESSAGE FROM designer for the Big Bend & Texas Mountains Travel Guide. She hails Texas Mountain Trail from Odessa, the “big city” of West WELCOME TO the beautiful mountains of far West Texas. She has Texas, to our quiet communities, to our colorful sunsets since moved, and to our frontier! Our Texas Mountain Trail non- gone to school , profit organization is proud to present the latest edition started a family and created a graphic design busi- of the Big Bend and Texas Mountain Travel Guide with ness in Austin. Texas. Ironically it wasn’t until she Ramser Media, and we hope it helps you get the most moved to Austin — with it’s religious appreciation out of your stay. Since 2005, we’ve been reaching out of fitness and the outdoors — that she found her- to travelers with information about far West Texas, self trekking back to Far West Texas to see for the encouraging folks to spend their vacations in our moun- first time what the parks had to offer. She has been tains. We’ve also worked with community leaders here hooked ever since. to make the region more visitor-friendly by developing programs like the Far West Texas Wildlife Trail and our cycle-friendly hotels and heritage bike routes. Let us know what you think of the Guide, and ways we can make your stay more enjoyable. Kick back, enjoy the quiet, seek your adventure and have the time of your life! — Beth Nobles BIGBENDTRAVELGUIDE.COM 8 CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: MAY LEAL, COURTESY JIM GLENDINNING, COURTESY JESSICA LUTZ, COURTESY BETH NOBLES Map 385 115 349 137 Must 176 ang MARTIN D ra w Shafter 385 ANDREWS 118 Andrews 176 Stillwell 115 67 Ranch 1 0 54 NEW MEXICO 349 20 NEW MEXICO 128 EL PASO Dell City 180 Stanton 87 163 GUADALUPE 62 Midland Presidio • MOUNTAINS 18 158 62 180 NATIONAL PARK Red Blu Nor Reservoir th Concho ElEl Paso Paso 302 302 158 GLASSCOCK LOVING Kermit Riv 158 er BIG BEND RANCH SoSocorroccorro WINKLER ECTOR Odessa Sterling City 302 Garden STATE PARK Heath BIG SanSan Elizario Elizario City 87 Canyon CULBERSON Wink Study BEND 20 HUDSPETH Pe nwell MIDLAND 54 20 Butte 115 T e rlingua NATIONAL 1 1 1 1 STERLING PARK REEVES WARD Monahans 349 UPTON 137 163 Lajitas Chisos Pe cos REAGAN ARD TIME Basin Pe cos River ARD TIME Crane 329 AND Lake Castolon Rio Grande AND 17 T o yah 1 0 CRANE 329 Village AIN ST 20 385 Rankin Sierra Blanca Imperial Big Lake MOUNT Reservoir CENTRAL ST Kent Rio Gr McCamey ah Creek 18 67 1 0 y Balmorhea ande To 163 Van Horn 67 349 385 Toyahvale F o rt Buckhorn Dr MEXICO Balmorhea Sto c kto n MEXICO Lake Iraan 1 0 1 9 0 1 9 0 aw JEFF DAVIS 349 137 17 90 PECOS 166 Sheeld Ozona 277 83 377 Alpine Fo rt Davis 67 BREWSTER KIMBLE 505 285 Sonora r 118 North Llano Rive 385 r 1 0 Junction 17 CROCKETT Alpine TERRELL 163 SUTTON Marfa evils Rive 118 Ko kernot 67 349 Pe Telegraph Park cos Rive D 90 223 South Llano 377 83 1 0 281 0 r River Marathon 90 55 VAL VERDE 118 Sanderson 223 Dryden EDWARDS Sul Ross State W 41 277 University Shipman e Park 67 118 Ruidosa s Rocksprings 90 PRESIDIO BREWSTER t 67 67 N 90 118 u 385 e 377 c Jackson Shafter e ak Station Field Amtr 67 Langtry s 67 Stillwell R 90 i v 90 67 118 e 67 Baines Ranch r Park RioRio Grande Grande 55 67 C o m s tock 90 PresidioPresidio 277 377 1 mile BIG BEND RANCH STATE PARK BIG Heath Amistad Del BEND Study Canyon International Rio Sycamore T e rlingua Butte NATIONAL Reservoir Creek PARK Bracketville LajitasLajitas Chisos Ciudad 90 Basin AcuñaAcuña 277 Castolon Rio GrandeGrande KINNEY VVillageillage 131 MAVERICK 57 17 118 AND TEXAS Eagle Pass Piedras 118 MOUNTAINS 277 Fo rt Davis Negras National TRAVEL GUIDE Historic 17 Site 118 PUBLISHER: Stewart Ramser TEXAS MOUNTAIN TRAIL BOARD OF DIRECTORS EDITOR: Tom Buckley AND EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS DESIGN: Martha Gazella-Taylor Ron Sanders — Forever Resorts, Alpine Rio Grande ADVERTISING DESIGN & PRODUCTION: Rebecca Diaz — Hyatt Place, El Paso 17 118 Lisa Reiley David Elkowitz — Big Bend National Park 1 mile Melanie Gentry — Dell City CONTRIBUTORS: James Evans, Beth Nobles David Gibson — Sul Ross State University, Alpine PHOTOGRAPHERS: Beth Nobles, James, Evans, Will Van Linda Hedges — TPWD Fo rt Stockton Overbeek courtesy Texas Department of Transportation, Elizabeth Jackson — Museum of the Big Bend, J. Griffis Smith courtesy Texas Department of Alpine 18 67 Marathon Transportation Michael Lewis — El Paso County Historical 285 1 0 Fo rt Stockton Commission, El Paso High School 1 0 67 285 In the spring of 2013, the border crossing at Boquillas Chelsie Melendez — El Paso Convention and Visitors 90 67 1 0 90 385 67 67 385 285 385 1 0 385 90 reopened as a result of enthusiastic advocates in both Bureau, El Paso 90 COVER PHOTO: James Evans 194 the United States and Mexican67 governments. Consider John Morlock — Fort Davis National Historic Site 285 James Rooney Memorial 67 Park making a trip there yourself! While a travel advisory is Travis Roberts —Brewster County Historical Commission, 385 67 385 Pat 1 mile 67 Taylor in place from the U.S. State Department for travel in Marathon The Big Bend Travel Guide is licensedField 194 285 385 Mexico, residents of the Big Bend area continue to enjoy Drew Stuart —Hudspeth County Herald and Dell Valley for publication by the Texas Mountain 1 mile an extremely low incidence rate, and a visible, support- Review, Dell City Trail. © 2014 All rights reserved. ive law enforcement presence. Jennifer Turner — Mountain Trails Lodge, Fort Davis M a rfa Rio Gr ande MEXIC 17 Presidio O 170 10 BIGBENDTRAVELGUIDE.COM1 mile 67 67 67 67 1 mile 67 67 67 118 T e rlingua and Study Butte MEXIC Lajitas Presidio O 1 mile 118 1 mile CALENDAR of events BIG BEND AND TEXAS MOUNTAINS AREA • SUMMER 2015–SPRING 2015 VIva terlIngua SEPTEMBER 2014 JULY 2014 Terlingua and Lajitas www.facebook.com/ “Coolest” 4th of July Cyclefest vivaterlinguafest CeleBratIon Prude Ranch 2014 Dates: Aug.