Christmas Mountains Trail, TX

[jofer]

This isn't much of a trip report because I didn't take many pictures, but we're out in the Big Bend area doing backcountry trails in Big Bend like Black Gap, Old Ore Rd, etc in a few days. As a precursor, today we did the Christmas Mountains Trail just outside the park.

It's an old mining trail with incredible views. You'll need to call ahead into the terlingua ranch lodge to get access, but it's public land managed by the UT university system and access is free.

It's steep, pretty rough, but not terribly long, and not too difficult. The scenery is simply incredible. I don't think I've ever had such stunning views for so relatively little effort.

I didn't take any trail pictures as I was busy driving. There's a rather steep dropoff on one side and it's a bit exposed in places. The passenger is going to be staring straight down a rather large drop on the way up, just FYI.

The sport handled it great. Other than a few loose rocks getting kicked up, we never scraped or struggled with traction.

Forgive the inadvertent advertisement for roof accessories... We're loaded down for a longer trip.

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[LowGun84]

Awesome pictures! Looks like a great trip.

 

[tburner]

Great scenery! I'm looking forward to hearing about your drives through BiBe. I took my Badlands up some of Old Ore Rd from the south back in May. At the time, there were parts farther north of the section I was on that were in pretty rough shape. Surprisingly, Pine Canyon seemed rougher than the section of Old Ore I went on. I want to go back and do River Road eventually....

 

[4jamorgan]

The view looks amazing. I am not sure if it is time for you to replace the tires on your Bronco or it's just the photos that make it look like it is worn out.

 

[jofer]

I am not sure if it is time for you to replace the tires on your Bronco or it's just the photos that make it look like it is worn out.

Those are brand new, actually. Just the dust making them look bald.

 

[jofer]

I took my Badlands up some of Old Ore Rd from the south back in May. At the time, there were parts farther north of the section I was on that were in pretty rough shape. Surprisingly, Pine Canyon seemed rougher than the section of Old Ore I went on.

We just got through doing old ore road today (camped near the middle last night at telephone canyon). It's definitely rough in the middle (north is nothing, and the south end is fine too), and someone at the gas station said it's worse than he'd ever seen it. If you ever want to do it, though, you shouldn't have any major problems with it, so long as you're comfortable offroading in general.

Old Ore road was definitely a ton of fun, and the rough sections were quite rough, but precisely the kind of things the sport actually handles really well, assuming you take reasonable lines. Clearance was tight in a few places, and I definitely stopped to move the occasional rock, but it's quite do-able. Black Gap was much more dicey due to one obstacle (not the steps) with a big drop off on the side that the sport can't take head on due to limited clearance.

River Road West was really rough due to the recent storms, just FYI, but again, the kind of things the sport really handles well: steep climbs out of washes/etc.

I'll post a full write up later, though. We just had a really amazing shower beer after 4 days of camping in the backcountry.

On a side note, we camped at pine canyon #4 a couple of nights ago. It was a magnificent campsite, and the hike at the end of the road is well worth it!

 

[AllTerrain]

This isn't much of a trip report because I didn't take many pictures, but we're out in the Big Bend area doing backcountry trails in Big Bend like Black Gap, Old Ore Rd, etc in a few days. As a precursor, today we did the Christmas Mountains Trail just outside the park.

It's an old mining trail with incredible views. You'll need to call ahead into the terlingua ranch lodge to get access, but it's public land managed by the UT university system and access is free.

It's steep, pretty rough, but not terribly long, and not too difficult. The scenery is simply incredible. I don't think I've ever had such stunning views for so relatively little effort.

I didn't take any trail pictures as I was busy driving. There's a rather steep dropoff on one side and it's a bit exposed in places. The passenger is going to be staring straight down a rather large drop on the way up, just FYI.

The sport handled it great. Other than a few loose rocks getting kicked up, we never scraped or struggled with traction.

Forgive the inadvertent advertisement for roof accessories... We're loaded down for a longer trip.

The more I see rooftop carriers on these the more I'm considering getting one. Especially with those recovery tracks. Best place to put them. Nice set up up there.

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