Lookin for some trail info

[Mountain Dew]

Hello All

I looking for some information on one of the trails at Big Bend.  I don't know the name of the trail(s), but here it goes.  I'm looking at Big Bend Trails Illustratated 1990, Revised 2002.

Starting at Mule Ear Overlook I'll take Mules Ears Peak to Smoky Creek trail.  I'll go down stream about 3 to 4 miles.  At this point on the Trails Illustratated map it show a trail heading northwest (N29 06.72 - W103 25.42).  The trail goes to Ross Maxwell drive according to the map.  Just before it gets to the road another trail goes northeast and runs back into the Mules Ears Peak trail.

The are no trail names on the map.  I've looked in Parent's book and other resources but with know luck.  

Any information would be appreciated

Thanks  

Lance

[Picacho]

I'm guessing they are old abandoned roads.  I read somewhere that these old roads are on this map.  I'll check my map when I get home and check it out.

[Robert]

I've got the Geological Survey's map of the park dated 1971. My map is marked with "pack trail" next to one of them. I think it is safe to assume that these are old routes used by pre-NPS ranchers. These routes are not going to be marked and will probably be hard to follow in places. That being said, if you can read a topo map, it would probably make for some good hiking.

[Desertwalker]

Thanks Mountain Dew I had the same question but I had not made the time to post it.  I was out at Mule Ears and Smoky Creek back in November but It was getting late so I didn't hike that far down Smoky Creek to see if I could find the trail to Ross Maxwell. I did look to see if I could find where this loop trail joined up with the Mule Ear Trail but didn't have any luck. From a distance, it did appear that there was what looked like a faint trail on the side of a hill roughly south\southeast of the overlook but that's not where the Trails Illustrated map indicates the trail should be. In any event, if that is part of the northward trail, I didn't see were it connected to the Mule Ears Overlook.

Keep us posted. Thanks again.

[Mark D]

Amazingly I was asking myself the same question today. I just received an order of some topos from USGS a couple days ago and finally had some time to sit down and look at them. Included in them were the Cerro Castellan and Smoky Creek quadrangles. Both maps are dated 1971 and the loop route you describe spans both maps. The trail heading northwest from near Triangulation Station Mountain is shown on the Smoky Creek quad, but is not continued on the Cerro quad. The trail just below the camera symbol on the Trails Illustrated map is not on the Cerro quad either.

[jeffblaylock]

The desert is a slowly healing place. Old roads and trails barely used in 75 years are still fairly easy to spot and follow, for the most part, and probably still adhere to the decades-old maps' descriptions. Take your topos, a compass, a GPS, and some long pants, and you'll have a great time exploring these routes.

[jimbob]

The best way to know if there is still a vestige of a trail is to check the aerial photos (TerraServer, etc.)  If they don’t show up there, they are probably long gone.

[Mountain Dew]

Thanks to all that replied.  I'm always looking for a way to hike a loop instead of out and back.  I confident of my topo skills, but I'm not sure I want to go cross country; I prefer a trail because I usually hike alone.

I'm going to Big Bend this weekend and will probably hike Marufo Vega Saturday and Sunday will be a game time decision, I may hike Mule Ears/Smokey Creek and look for the old trail(s) or hike some of the shorts trails that I never got around to.

Mountain Dew

[jim2]

i asked a ranger about that trail a couple of years ago . she said it was an unmaintained pack trail. she thought it would be largely overgrown and tough to follow. jim2

[SHANEA]

The desert is a slowly healing place.

How right you are Jeff.  There is a super old trail that is a Brazillion years old, ok at least a hundred years old, that can be seen crossing the Rio Grande from Lajitas into Mexico.  It is still visibile from the air/sat today.

[Desertwalker]

I agree with you about preferring a loop. I'm always in a hurry on the return trip on an out and back. I guess I've already taken everything in.