March 9 - Saturday - first day of Spring Break - temperature from 56-68 degrees
Today’s focus was the Ross Maxwell Scenic drive, and the goal was to be at the Santa Elena Canyon Overlook for sunrise. I ate breakfast in my room again and left Terlingua in the dark, passing the Maverick Junction entrance station before it was manned. I hated to pass by so much scenery in the dark, but I’d see it all on the way back. It was a little eerie to pass the white volcanic rock in low light.
Sunrise was kind of a bust - there were low clouds to the east, blocking the sun, which was too bad, because the light clouds to the west should have glowed a nice pink, but they didn’t. It was still nice to see the canyon before the harsh mid-day sun. I liked the light the first hour or so after sunrise.
A cold front had moved in, so temps stayed pretty low in the desert today. And windy, thanks to the front. I kept all my layers on (each day I started with a short sleeved shirt, long sleeved shirt, fleece hoodie, and puffy vest). I only saw 3 people on the trail with me, with a couple starting as I left. I saw some people approach the entrance but not come into the canyon - I’m not sure if they didn’t want to hike, or couldn’t find the crossing. There is a stream crossing that sometimes has water, but if you continued to the right, there is a second crossing area that was dry and easy to walk up the opposite bank - it was marked with flags.
I can see why this is a must-do hike - there are great informational signs, and it was just lovely heading up through the canyon until you couldn’t go any further (especially when it wasn’t crowded).
I headed back on the scenic drive, stopping to enjoy the pullouts now that it was light out.
I stopped at the Mule Ears trailhead and hiked 6 miles RT past the spring to a nice viewpoint before the trail drops down to Smoky Creek. On the way out I only passed 1 hiker, but the trail was busier on the way back - finally saw some spring breakers (families) on the trail!
The view was a little hazy, but I enjoyed a peaceful lunch sitting at the overlook.
I took the Burro Mesa side road and hiked to Burro Spring. I probably should have skipped this hike (to have more time at Upper Burro Mesa), but the views of the mountains at the trailhead were just gorgeous in the afternoon, and I couldn’t resist. Otherwise, this was probably my 2nd least favorite hike of the trip (but it was short).
I drove down to the Upper Burro Mesa trailhead and started the trail there. It was downright chilly with the wind - I kept my fleece on the whole hike. There were a few people on the trail, but not many, and plenty of parking.
The trail is really interesting and fun to hike - except for the sections of soft gravel that are tiring to walk in (or maybe it was because I had already hiked so much this day). I didn’t go down the very last pouroff - the warning sign at the trailhead called it bouldering to get back up, and while I probably could have made it, I didn’t want to guess wrong while hiking alone.
Finished up the scenic drive with nice light in the afternoon.
I drove up into the Chisos Basin for my 3 night stay at the lodge. There was plenty of parking at the registration/restaurant building - and since there wasn’t a line at the restaurant, I had dinner before checking in. The parking up near the rooms was tight, but there was a space near my building available.
A note about the Chisos Mountains Lodge - it's kind of a disgrace to national park lodging. I have stayed in a bunch of in-park lodging. I know the amenities are few, buildings are old, furnishings are rustic. But these rooms have not been updated in FOREVER. Linens are old. Carpet is BADLY stained. Tiles are cracked. Fixtures are loose. Not completely clean. No pride has been taken in the upkeep of the rooms. It is now run by Aramark, was recently Forever Resorts - I've stayed in other FR properties, and they are generally pretty nice. All I can guess is it's the culture of the park, going back a long time? They are planning on completely replacing the lodge building (restaurant and registration, not the actual rooms) next year, due to repair being unsafe/unsustainable. Maybe they are waiting to do a big reno of the rooms as well at that time?
It wasn't so bad that I wouldn't stay there again. The location is great, and the staff was all really nice.
I walked the Window View trail for sunset, which was nice. There were some clouds, but you could still see a nice orange glow to the west.