Backpacking in the Quemada

[Homer Wilson]

Hey everyone,

My friend and I are planning on going to Big Bend in early October and are trying to figure out a good two night backpacking trip.  We've already done a lot of hiking in the Chisos (the rims, Casa Grande, Blue Creek, etc) as well as some hikes around the ore terminal, so we were thinking it might be nice to try something through the Quemada.  I would love to do the Outer Mountain Loop, but I just don't think we'll have time, especially when factoring in time to cache water on the front end.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  Thanks!

[elhombre]

A couple of questions.  Will you have two cars or one?  Are either of the cars ready to drive around  on the dirt roads?  Are you prepared enough to carry all your water?  Finally, is this your first backpacking trip ever?

[Homer Wilson]

Elhombre,
We could arrange for two cars if it made things easier for us in the park, one of which could be an SUV, but not one I would really trust to drive anything but a well maintained dirt road. Based on past experience, we can carry enough water for a two night trip (a little over 2 gallons per person), but if caching water was easy, I certainly wouldn't be opposed.  This would be my 4th backpacking trip (third for my friend).  My previous backpacking excursions were to the Guadalups Mountains, Big Bend (the rims), and most recently, the Grand Canyon (N Kaibab trail). 
Thanks for your help!

[Robert]

Homer, probably the two best trailheads to get access into the Quemadas are at the Blue Creek Ranch overlook and Mule Ears overlook.

There have been a lot of threads and trip reports posted on hiking in the Quemadas so if you do some searching on this forum you will find a wealth of information. 

You have several options:
1) From Blue Creek hike out the Dodson trail to Fresno Creek. Make a basecamp here. On your second day you could hike to the east end of the Dodson trail (at the junction of the Juniper Canyon trail) and return or hike down the Elephant Tusk trail and return. Another option would be to just hike down Fresno Creek (some overlap with the ET trail) to what Quicksilver calls the "Waterworks". Then hike out on day three.
2) Hike out the Mule Ears trail to Smoky Creek. Hike up Smoky Creek to just above the spring at the Black Rock Canyon. Make a basecamp. Second day do some exploring. You could continue up the Smoky Creek trail to where it crosses around the north side of Sugarloaf Mountain and either continue up trail or follow the wash downstream on the east side of Sugarloaf to the big pouroff and return or cut cross country across the south side of Sugarloaf to your camp. Then hike out on day three.
3) If you have two cars you can start at Blue Creek, hike Dodson trail to Smoky Creek, down Smoky Creek to Mule Ears and exit the Mule Ears trail.

Just be aware the the trails in this area are not well marked and some of the trails are marked incorrectly on maps (see Laurence Parent's book, "Hiking Big Bend National Park" on the Smoky Creek trail). However, reading through the trip reports and Laurence's book should help in your preparation. Good map reading skills and compass/GPS/topo maps are necessary.

A couple of links:
http://www.bigbendchat.com/portal/forum/hiking-the-desert/upper-smokey-creek/
http://www.bigbendchat.com/portal/forum/your-trip-reports/et-trailhead-to-fresno-pools-%28waterworks%29-return-via-fresno-creek/msg88853/#msg88853
http://www.bigbendchat.com/portal/forum/your-trip-reports/spring-break-trip-report-314-321/msg54165/#msg54165

[jeffblaylock]

With 2 days and limited water carrying ability, I'd recommend setting up a base camp on the escarpment overlooking Smoky Creek, about 2.5 miles down the Mule Ears Spring trail. From there you can explore the desert as day hikes. The escarpment is close enough to the trailhead that you could go back and get more water.

[Geezer]

For my taste, it's still too hot to hike in the Sierra Quemada -- not for nothing are they called Quemada! Also, route finding in the Smoky Creek drainage can be very tricky. Lots of similar looking watercourses. Once in a while, someone dies in this part of the park. But if you want to try it, Jeff's idea of camping on the ridge near Mule Ears is not bad. Mule Ears spring may be running and could be a point of re-hydration.

Geezer

[jeffblaylock]

For my taste, it's still too hot to hike in the Sierra Quemada -- not for nothing are they called Quemada! Also, route finding in the Smoky Creek drainage can be very tricky. Lots of similar looking watercourses. Once in a while, someone dies in this part of the park. But if you want to try it, Jeff's idea of camping on the ridge near Mule Ears is not bad. Mule Ears spring may be running and could be a point of re-hydration.

Geezer

One of the benefits of camping near the Mule Ears Peaks is your ability to see them from many different places in the drainage. Even if you've lost the trail, you can find your camp.

As for the heat, I agree early October can be hot, but it also be pleasant. Check the weather, and pay attention to the midday heat. There is very little shade in any part of the Quemada, so there is no escape from the hot sun, regardless of how much water you are carrying.