Big Bend National Park

I finally made it to Big Bend with the Tacoma over the Christmas break. We did many of the roads out there and of course hit Black Gap road. This was my wife and son's first time out in the middle of nowhere like this. My son (8) is definitely hooked and my wife still does not understand why I enjoy it so much but is still supportive. The weather at night was quite cold but we had the proper sleeping bags for everyone except me. Since we were in the group campsites, we set up the Polish sweat lodge with some tarps and a propane heater. It took the edge off enough since ground fires are not allowed. On the last day, we saw the weather rolling in and packed quicker than we had planned. As we pulled out of the park, the snow rolled in.

It was an awesome trip and the truck has some new redneck pinstripes. The alignment is a bit out of whack but will be taken care of today if it is slow at work and I can get on the alignment rack. The truck hit 75,000 miles on this trip.

 

Wanting to make the trip. What camp did you stay at? Looks right on the water. Help me plan my trip

 

Subbed...been wanting to make a trip out there for a while now.

 

We had a group with us so we stayed at group campsite P in the Chisos Basin. It is near the middle of the park which was great because everything is so far away. On the off road trails, there are campsites in the middle of nowhere which is where I will stay on the next trip. There are so many trails to drive and hike and my wife said it felt like we were always on the go, which we were! The only showers in the place are in the Rio Grande Valley which is nice and has easy access to the water and the hot springs if you are there in the warmer months and want to swim.
If you go, take your passports so you can go across the border to Boquillas and have a beer and some tacos. Nothing fancy at all but is definitely worth doing.

 

Glad you made it to Big Bend, one of my favorite places. First time there was in November on the V-Strom. Rolled into Marathon after spending two nights in Del Rio on a windy afternoon, the person at the gas stop said the day before was a mini blizzard. The three days I was there were great. I've been there twice in February with the wr250r, nice cool nights in the lower 40s and days up into the 70s. More to explore, haven't made it to Big Bend Ranch State Park. Definitely big country for an Iowa boy!

 

Thanks for the report. My wife and I are planning a trip out there in a few weeks. I was wondering how challenging black gap was. I'm relatively new to off roading and we don't have many rocks around here. Do you think Black Gap is doable for a novice or should I try something else first? Thanks for your help.

 

I've been to Big Bend many times, posted several trip reports. Black Gap is easily doable by a novice in a stock 4wd. Take it easy, use low range on the stairs, no problems.

David

 

Definitely doable. There are plenty of YouTube videos out there that take you down the road so you can see what you are getting into. I never had to get into low range and was in two wheel drive more than half of the time. The views are incredible!

 

That's good to hear. Did you air down before and if so what psi were you running?

 

I've seen some of those videos and the trail/views look awesome. Do you recall how long it takes from beginning to end? It doesn't look like Black Gap is that long but I figured I'd ask.

 

I usually air down to about 20psi running the trails at Big Bend. There is no traction requirement (trail can easily be run w/o airing down), but the lowere pressure makes for a more comfortable ride.

David