Big Bend National Park: Rio Grande Village, Texas - July 27th to 31st, 2023
This is the second of three posts on Big Bend National Park. Rio Grande Village is in the southeast side of the park, along the Rio Grande River. Extreme heat was still the largest obstacle to work around when planning out our days. Again, we worked around the weather and explored most of the area.
On the drive down to Rio Grande Village from Chisos Basin, we stopped at the Panther Junction Visitor Center. There are several visitor centers in the park, but only Chisos Basin and Panther Junction centers are open during the summer, their off-season. The Panther Junction Visitor Center is the one that shows the park film. We gladly sat in the air conditioning and enjoyed the show. We normally watch the national park films as they are usually pretty entertaining and provide quite a bit of information about the park.
The only other stop we made, as we crossed the hot, Chihuahuan Desert, was the Rio Grande Overlook, just past the tunnel. We were hoping there was a view of the river, but it was just a view of the Rio Grande Village. Not that great of a view. Of course, the 110 degree weather might have had something to do with our opinion.
It was hot when we checked in to the Rio Grande Village RV Park. There are two campgrounds in Rio Grande Village, the RV park with full hookups, and the Campground, with no hookups. We originally reserved a site with no hookups, but switched it to the full hookups a couple of weeks prior, when we saw the high temperatures in the forecast. The RV park is nothing special. It is a hot, black asphalt parking lot. There is a grassy area adjacent to the curb where you park your rig, complete with a picnic table. Cottonwood trees shade the picnic tables part of the day, but do nothing for the RV’s parked in their sites.
We quickly set up, connected to electricity, and turned on the air conditioner. We put our awning out part way to try to shade Red Tail (our Winnebago EKKO) from the hot sun. In addition to the front window shades, we put up the insulating curtain, since the front cab area is not insulated and it will give the air conditioner less space to try to cool off. As the sun got a little lower in the sky, the awning no longer shaded our rig. We could feel the heat radiating from that wall. However, our awning would not go out any further, so we’ll have to fix that, the next day, when the temperatures are cooler in the morning.
It took a while for Red Tail to cool down. Until the sun set, the temperature inside Red Tail only got down to about 84 degrees, even though we had the AC set to 77.
To help us cool down, we walked over to the store and bought a pint of ice cream. It was Blue Bunny, not Blue Bell, but it was sweet and cold and refreshing. Then we hung out in the bedroom area, as it was the coolest part of Red Tail. There was no cell signal, neither AT&T nor Verizon. However, Aramark did provide free wifi, but it was rather slow and unreliable. Sometimes it took a while to connect, but it was better than nothing.
Friday morning we explored the Daniel’s Ranch area. When we woke up at 7 am, it was only 75 degrees outside. Nice! Especially since we thought the forecast called for a low of only 80. On Keith’s way back from the restroom that morning, a bobcat was crossing the parking lot. After snapping a couple of quick photos, he hurried back to Red Tail to let Ann know. She dropped what she was doing, grabbed her camera and was able to rush back to see the bobcat for herself. How cool is that!
We started walking down the road towards Daniel’s Ranch by 8:15 am. Keith still had his morning coffee in his hand, but we didn’t want to waste the cool morning temperatures.
Along the road are cottonwood trees. These were planted by the ranchers in the 1920’s and 30’s. They diverted water from the Rio Grande River to irrigate them. The park service still irrigates them with river water. The trees provide a haven for a numerous variety of birds. A small section of trees is closed off due to black hawks nesting in the area.
At the end of the road is an adobe building that was Daniel’s farmhouse. The pump system for irrigating the cottonwoods is nearby at the river.
An illegal souvenir stand was setup in the parking area, with a container accepting payment on the honor system. If you purchase those items, it is considered contraband and may be seized by law enforcement. If you want to purchase items like those, consider crossing over to Boquillas and bringing the items legally through the Port of Entry. Passports for U.S. citizens are required for crossing the border. We, unfortunately, did not bring our passports, so we were not able to make that crossing.
The trailhead for the Hot Springs Canyon Rim Trail is next to Daniel’s Ranch. We didn’t want to hike as far as the Hot Springs in the heat, but it was only about a third of a mile up to the Rio Grande Overlook. Don’t confuse this Rio Grande Overlook with the overlook we stopped at on our drive to Rio Grande Village the day before, which is also called Rio Grande Overlook. The overlook along the Hot Springs trail is much better. It has a lovely view up river, lined with steep canyon walls. Going up there in the morning meant the sun was at our backs as we looked at the canyon views.
A man on horseback was wading through the river, then disappeared into the trees on the southern bank. A few minutes later, he reappeared alongside the river, continuing downstream. It looked like he was on a well-established trail on the Mexican side of the river.
By the time we returned to our campsite, we had gone 2.5 miles with an elevation gain of 249 feet in just under two hours. It wasn’t long enough of a hike for us to count it as a hike for our 52 Hike Challenge, according to our self-imposed rules.
The awning, which wouldn’t fully extend the day before, had no problem extending when we got back from our hike. Perhaps our awning just didn’t like the heat. Temperatures still felt pretty pleasant, in the 80’s or perhaps 90’s, we don’t actually know since our outdoor temperature sensor was currently in the sun. Our outdoor temperature sensor (paid link), which we originally mounted under the rig with tape, was not staying on. So we just set it outside in the shade when we set up camp. We need to figure out a better solution before we accidentally leave it somewhere.
The afternoon was spent mostly inside Red Tail in the AC, but we did get out in the afternoon to walk over to the store a couple of times, once for cold cans of Dr. Pepper and again for ice cream. After dinner, as the temperatures started to cool and the wind picked up, we walked over to the other campground to check it out. Yes, the sites there are in a better setting, with plenty of spacing between sites. If only there were electrical hookups over there! There was only one person camped over there, braving the heat in a tent.
Saturday we got another early start. This time we walked over to the Rio Grande Nature Trail that started over at the other campground. It was a pretty neat trail. It starts out on a boardwalk through a marshy area, with cattails towering over our heads.
A spur took us down to the Rio Grande River, where we could walk along the shore and skip some stones over to Mexico. There are ancient depressions or holes in the rocks where people ground grains by hand, thousands of years ago. Another spur off the loop trail took us up to a rocky hill, with views out along the river in both directions. More illegal souvenir stands were along the trail.
After covering 3.7 miles with an elevation gain of 230 feet, we returned to our camp site in two hours and 20 minutes. It was hike number 38 of our 52 Hike Challenge for 2023.
For a change, the temperatures were still comfortable enough in the shade, that we sat outside under the cottonwood trees for a while. The butterflies in the patch of flowers next to us kept us entertained. A pair of coyotes wandered across the parking lot. Birds visited the trees above us.
About an hour before sunset, we walked back over to the overlook along the Rio Grande Nature Trail. It was a great place to watch the sun set. It dipped down behind the canyon near Daniel’s Ranch, with the light reflecting off of the water of the river. The wind coming up the slope from the river was strong. We had to keep our hats cinched tight so they didn’t blow away. The wind kept us cool.
As we were walking back through the campground in the twilight, bats darted around, just above our heads. It was a very neat experience.
We were tired of getting up early, so we didn’t set an alarm and slept in a little bit. Keith woke up a little bit before 8 am and started walking over to the restroom. A pair of javelinas greeted him. After snapping a couple of photos, he went back to Red Tail and woke Ann up so she could see the javelinas. She threw on a pair of shoes, no socks, grabbed her camera, and was out the door, in her pajamas, in time to catch the javelinas. She didn’t mind the rude awakening for a new wildlife encounter. She also didn’t mind being seen in her PJ’s for such an experience, either. There weren’t many people around to see her anyways, as there was only one other camper in the RV park and the store employees were just starting to arrive.
Javelinas (pronounced “ha-vuh-lee-nuhz”) look similar to pigs, but are peccaries, a close relative of swine. They are omnivores found in the southwestern part of North America as well as Central and South America. They generally live in groups, called squadrons, of six to nine members. However, we only saw two of them together. They are also called skunk pigs because they have scent glands that produce an odor similar to skunks. But we did not notice any foul odors.
While we were enjoying our breakfast outside, a bobcat circled around the campground. He gave us a show by catching a large prey animal and carrying it off in order to eat his breakfast in private. We were amazed at how small a bobcat is. The one we saw stood no taller than the seats on the picnic tables, about 18 inches.
After a quick breakfast, we drove over to the Boquillas Canyon Trail. We thought about riding our e-bikes over there. The trailhead is only about five miles from our camp site. It is not a flat road to get there, but nothing we couldn’t have handled on our e-bikes. However, our main concern was the heat. What if we had mechanical problems with our bikes and had to walk them back? Could we carry enough water on us to make that hot walk on black pavement back to camp? OK, we’ll drive over.
On the drive over, we passed the road to the border crossing, an overlook, and the trailhead to the Marufo Vega Trail. We didn’t bring our passports, so we couldn’t visit the town of Boquillas in Mexico. We’ll catch the overlook on the way back. The Marufo Vega Trail is the one where two people perished just weeks before we got there. Marufo Vega is 13.5 miles long with an elevation gain of 2660 feet. We wouldn’t even want to do that long and strenuous of a trail on a cool day, let alone in extreme heat, with no shade or water sources along the trail. It was 119 degrees that tragic day.
The Boquillas Canyon Trailhead was still in shade when we arrived at about 9 am. After climbing over a short ridge, the trail descends into a steep canyon, following alongside the Rio Grande River. It doesn’t go very far, about three quarters of a mile, before the shoreline gets too narrow for a trail. We probably could have gotten a little bit further, but it was getting a little sketchy and we were probably already past the official end of the trail, so we turned around.
In total we went 1.6 miles with an elevation gain of 394 feet in just a little over an hour. It was too short to count it as a hike for our 52 Hike Challenge, but it was still a fun little trail.
On the way back, we stopped at the Boquillas Overlook. Along with a view of the town and a view of the entrance to Boquillas Canyon, was a large spread of illegal souvenirs. It was entertaining just to walk around and see all of the colorful items, such as walking sticks, bowls, figurines, and hats.
We spent the afternoon doing chores. Three loads of laundry and sweeping out Red Tail were the main items on our list that were way overdue. In the evening, a thunderstorm rolled through, but it produced no rain, just thunder and wind. It did cool things down, but just ever so slightly. The air conditioner kicked off and the Hughes Watchdog reported a Line 1 Voltage Error, meaning it detected either a high or low voltage. The Watchdog allows the power to turn back on after 90 seconds, if the voltage has stabilized in the safe range. A lightning strike nearby must have caused a power surge. Thankfully, we were able to turn the AC right back on.
The weather cleared up just in time to walk over to the Rio Grande Nature Trail overlook for the sun set. This time the wind wasn’t quite so strong at the overlook and there were not quite as many bats out, but it was still quite enjoyable.
Monday was a travel day, but a short one. It was just about an hour’s drive from the Rio Grande RV Campground in Big Bend National Park to BJ’s RV Park in Terlingua. So we were in no hurry and slept in.
A mare and her foal greeted us right outside Red Tail. They were grazing in the grass and flowers right next to our camp site. At first we thought they might be wild horses, but they didn’t seem to be bothered by our presence. The horses gradually meandered further down the road. As we were eating breakfast, a man on horseback came riding by and fetched the two strays. They must have gotten loose and crossed the river from Mexico. He roped the mare and led her back. The foal, of course, followed its mother, rather reluctantly though.
We dumped and filled our tanks, then packed up. On our way to Terlingua, we decided to take a short detour up to Chisos Basin again and have lunch at the lodge’s restaurant. We arrived a little after 11 am, but the restaurant didn’t open for lunch until 1 pm. That’s OK, we didn’t mind hanging out in the cooler temperatures of the Chisos Mountains. Ann pulled out her laptop and worked on a blog post for a little while. Keith got caught up on social media. Part of the time we just sat out on the patio, admiring the view and enjoying the cool breeze.
Lunch was pretty tasty. Ann had a burger while Keith had the French dip sandwich. Not gourmet food, but very satisfying.
We enjoyed camping at Rio Grande Village, despite the heat. Staying inside the park allowed us to see so much more wildlife than just a quick day visit would have. It was our first encounter with bobcats and javelinas, an experience we will treasure for quite some time.
Check out our related video: Big Bend National Park: Rio Grande Village, Texas
(Ann)