Monday, February 13, 2012

Big Bend National Park: Pine Canyon

When we were in the planing stages of this Big Bend trip one of my co-workers who had formerly worked at Big Bend National Park recommended the hike into Pine Canyon. I was worried about the road access but he assured me that the Subaru would be able to make it. I'm really glad we took his advice. The hike up into Pine Canyon was truly magical.

Agave

The hike started with a drive along the rough Glenn Springs and Pine Canyon Roads to the trailhead. The trail didn't start out looking too promising, just a walk through the sotols, cactus and desert grasses.
Beginning of Pine Canyon
Soon we started to see some trees though. The deeper into the canyon we headed the more trees and shade we found. There were oaks, madrones, pines, and even maples.
Trees!
Noelle in the Trees

The mixture of trees reminded me a bit of the Guadalupe Mountains. Eventually we found ourselves at the bottom of a massive dry pour-off.
Bottom of Pour-off
We rested there for a bit and then headed down canyon.
Resting
The views to the southeast and into Mexico were amazing.
Hiking Down Pine Canyon
There were lots of interesting rock formations along the sides of the trail as well.
Rock Outcrops
Rock Outcrop

The hike back to the car was downhill and easy. The whole hike was thoroughly pleasant. The scenery wasn't eye-popping but just enjoyable. We remarked on how different the hike got from the start to the pour-off. It was like two different worlds. Once we returned to the car we headed back out on the rough roads and headed to our home for the next two nights: Grapevine Hills site #3.
Eating Dinner
We relaxed and ate dinner before retiring for the night. It was a great way to spend a day in Big Bend National Park! 

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