Marufo Vega Trail

[slsutton]

Planning a 2 day trip on the Marufo Vega loop trail through Boquillas Canyon area and I was hoping someone could help me with some questions I had in trying to make the best of the 2 days. I was planning to hike in the first day as far as i coudl without burning myself out, set up camp, then head out next day to do the loop part, spend another night, then leave on third day, so:

Where is a good spot to set up camp for the both nights I'll be camping there? (or would moving site each day be better?)  Any places with good views to do this that aren't a brutal haul with loaded pack?  I've read of the 'splitrock' spot.  Anyone know where exactly this is and why that would be a good choice?  Are there any good locations for campsite a little closer to the trailhead (like about 3 miles in). 

Also, are there any particular spots on this trail that anyone would recommend to spend more time at to soak in or that have the best views?

On a side note: I've read there might be helicopter traffic in and around the border near Rio Grande village due to tighter monitoring of border activity these days.  Anyone know, if this indeed exists, if it is around the Marufo trail area also?


This is my first time on this forum, thanks for any info.

[jeffblaylock]

There are several trip reports from Marufo Vega on this site. One, by me, was from January of this year. Randell's trip report is excellent (Starts on page 4).

Personally, I would spend more time on the south fork. The north fork lacks the dramatic views one would expect to see. The split rock campsite has spectacular views:



The campsite is located at UTM 13 0704683E 3236103N NAD27. It is an obvious cleared area adjacent to a jumble of boulders and is visible for about a quarter mile. The only water source on the trail is the Rio Grande. My group carried an extra gallon of water and cached it near the north-south trail junction.

I doubt there's much helicopter traffic around Boquillas Canyon. Steep cliffs on the Mexican side are an effective border patrol.

[slsutton]

Coordinates, now that's what i call an answer.  thanks. 

btw, if you haven't used Google Earth to explore BB when at home, it's pretty interesting.  You can fly over and into anywhere in the park and zoom and all that.  The South Rim of Chisos and Boquillas Canyon are good ones.  When zooming, I could see the trail in Marufo Vega area.  Good for planning a trip.

[TheWildWestGuy]

The Splitrock campsite sounds like the best place for you to camp.  Great views and above the steep decent to the River.  It's on the South Fork.  Be sure to ask at the Ranger Station when you get permits for one of the page-size maps they give out for free on the Vega Trail.
Normally the only water source is the Rio Grande but after any significant rain you will also find tinajas on the South Fork past the trail junction with the North Fork and you will also find tinajas on the North Fork below the steepest section of trail about 1/2 way up the climb.

During normal (dry) times these tinajas are empty and dry.   They will be better quality and less muddy than the Rio Grande if they are available when you go.

Don't be afraid about drinking out of the Rio Grande as long as you use a filter - several of us have done it without ill effect but if it's flooding or muddy you will need to dig a hole in a sandbar for a little natural-sand-filtering of the muddy water or it will clog your filter.

You probably will not see any other hikers, helicopters, or airplanes on this trip.  There is not much risk of running into illegal aliens, drug smugglers, or anyone else.  You can ask when you get your permits if anyone else has permitted anything for that zone but that only covers overnight backpackers not dayhikers or people in line behind you.

This is a great cool-season hike and is vast, remote, and silent.  Beware the heat of Summer and do this trail during the cool season if at all possible... TWWG

[slsutton]

thanks TWWG. more good info.

Jeff, i'm definitely no expert with GPS and coordinates and all, but i can't seem to match up what you provided with anything around the area of marufo vega trail.  maybe i'm reading it wrong.

[badknees]

Try this if you are having problems with UTM


N29.23903 W102.89441 (decimal degrees)

[jeffblaylock]

Jeff, i'm definitely no expert with GPS and coordinates and all, but i can't seem to match up what you provided with anything around the area of marufo vega trail.  maybe i'm reading it wrong.

First, make sure you're using UTM (universal transverse mercator) instead of Lat-Long (degrees of latitude and longitude). I use UTM because I find it more intuitive when I'm on the trail. I'm not entirely sure what 20 seconds of arc is at a given latitude, but I know what 1,000 meters is -- 10 football fields and a few end zones. UTM grids are uniform at any latitude, and the 1km squares of the grid are small enough to help on location but big enough not to overwhelm the map. Each box is about 0.6 miles.

Anyway, the Split Rock campsite coordinate, UTM 13 0704683E 3236103N NAD27, can be thought of like this:

• UTM 13 signifies the coordinate uses the UTM system, Zone 13 (which covers all of Big Bend). The zones are pretty big. They are necessary because of the eventual distortions one gets by projecting a square grid onto a spherical-ish surface.
• 0704683E is a specific point located 704,683 meters east of the Zone 13 reference point.
• 3236103N is a specific point located 3,236,103 meters north of the Zone 13 reference point.
• NAD 27 is a specific map datum -- one of two principally used in the U.S. today. The other is NAD 83. The difference between the two is typically about 60-75 meters, so you should always know which one your maps and GPS are using. USGS paper quads use NAD 27. Most GPS units default to NAD 83. Geocachers will tell you NAD 83 is more accurate, but for most backpacking, either works just fine.

So, if you're looking at a USGS quad, you might see the UTM grid markers along the side. The northing numbers look like ³²36, while the easting numbers look like ⁷04. The Split Rock camp is located about 300 meters south-southwest of Pt. 2566, an elevation-marked peak very near the ⁷05 easting line and about halfway between the ³²36 and ³²37 northing lines.

The best online site for finding UTM coordinates was Topozone, which is sadly now part of the subscription-only trails.com site.

[slsutton]

yeah, i figured it was some kind of different scale or something.  thanks to both of you.  and i just found out actually that i could (without purchasing upgrade) use any of these scales in google earth, so now i'm doing good.

yes, I recently found out about topozone's switch to subscription. i used to use it.

[slsutton]

If anyone's interested,  I think this (13R  774625 E   3238607 N   across Rio Grande from Marufo Vega trail a ways) might be an ancient vocano, especially when you view it from a side angle.     

[brian67761]

If anyone's interested,  I think this (13R  774625 E   3238607 N   across Rio Grande from Marufo Vega trail a ways) might be an ancient vocano

If I converted the coordinates correctly, you are referring to Cerro Colorado, which is indeed volcanic in origin.  Its elevation is 5843 feet.  According to the web site linked below, "Fluorspar, a source of fluorine for use in steel and chemical manufacture, is mined around the central igneous mass."

http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/debrief/ISS003/featFiles/ISS003-E-5991.htm

[Al]

Here's a Google Earth shot that appears to show the ore extraction process to the right of the screen shot.



Al

[homerboy2u]

Do you two want to go and see it for yourselves?

[Al]

Homero, of course.  The more difficult proposition is pulling it off.

Al

[homerboy2u]

Octuber the 24th...how does that sound?.....Sierra del Carmen: But you have to have a 4x4 vehicle.

[slsutton]

Thanks for confirmation.


It would be interesting going to see it i'm sure.  Won't be in BB until November 27th though.    From gathering info off of other posts (a lot of yours Homero) it seems like in order to visit Del Carmens or this Volcano, I would have to rent a 4x4 somewhere and plan on staying in BB a little longer than usual and probably camping in Mexico and hooking up with someone who has great knowledge and experiences in the area (like you Homero, ha) in order to make the best of the trip.

I would definitely be interested in a Del Carmen or volcano trip at a future time if it is even possible.  By the way, Homero, do you know if the land the volcano is on is private?