Big Bend Ranch State Park

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Big Bend Ranch State Park

Details: Published on Saturday, 18 July 2009 18:18

The beauty and charm of Big Bend Ranch State Park, captured in a single photo collection--that is what you can look forward to in this gallery. Join this group and add your own photos!

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Guale Mesa - <span>I never tire of photographing this area. Breathtaking -- every day! Photographed from Guale 2 campsite ~ Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas. </span>

The Last Flower Show - <span>Spring is fading and most of the prickly pear are past their prime now. But they are still lovely. Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas.</span>

Closed Canyon - <span>One of the most accessible walks in the park, Closed Canyon ranges from 10 to 15 feet wide and up to 150 feet deep. Exiting requires technical climbing skills, so most visitors enter and leave the same way. How far down you can walk depends on recent rains, but the entire walk is usually
less than a mile and a half. </span>

The Teepees - <span>"The Teepees" were built in the 60's as part of Lady Bird Johnson's highway beautification project. Though built in the 60's, they are definitely 50's in spirit. "The Teepees" are east of "The Big Hill" on FM 170, the scenic highway between Predidio and Terlingua, Texas. The photograph was taken before dawn which is what causes the dramatic color pallette. </span>

The Mighty Rio Grande - <span>While scrambling around on precipitous hillsides before dawn this morning I spotted this scene. I had to use a long lens and crop quite a bit, and wait for sunrise, but I got what I wanted. Grassy Banks campground, Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas.</span>

Moonlight ~ Colorado Canyon - <span>Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas.The light had been disappointing all day, but the sky started clearing after sundown and the moon came up. Time to try a night photo with my new camera.It's a little noisy, but I think it's pretty. </span>

Ipomopsis havardii - <span>Just a closeup of this exotic-looking blossom. I still think it looks like an orchid! </span>

Javelina Bush - <span>The Javelina Bush, Microrhamnus ericoides, is a small common shrub in West Texas. It's normally quite nondescript, but this year it is blooming more vigorously than I've ever seen before and it is strikingly beautiful.Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas</span>

Contrabando set, Big Bend Ranch State Park - <span>Movie set along the banks of the Rio Grande</span>

Pott's Mammillaria - <span>This is one of our area's earliest-blooming cacti, though it is quickly overshadowed by the more spectacular Claret Cup which follows closely. I just saw a little face here and thought it was cute! </span>

Fendler Bladderpod (Lesquerella fendleri) - <span>I'm posting first wildflower sightings to the Big Bend Ranch Facebook page this year to help visitors plan their visits. If you have first sighting pix, please share them with me -- I'll get them onto the park's Facebook page. </span>

Nerisyrenia camporum (Bicolored Mustard) - <span>This is one of our earliest wildflowers in the Big Bend region. It's blooming in the mountains now, so spring is here!</span>

Los Hermanos Campsite - <span>I was working at this campsite yesterday and took this picture just before sunrise. Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas</span>

The Flatirons - <span>I was working on Madrid Falls road the other day and took this photo of The Flatirons. Sometimes a daytime photo is not bad ...</span>

Graybeard Cactus - <span>This rare and lovely cactus grows here in the Big Bend Ranch State Park and nowhere else. Sadly, nearly all the juveniles were killed in last year's severe freeze and drought. There remain many healthy adults, so hopefully they will reseed and increase their numbers. </span>

Walking in Beauty - <span>A lone hiker pauses for a little beauty break.</span>

We Were Unwelcome - <span>While hiking in the Solitario today we encountered this critter. He had a nice spot in the sun and out of the wind, and he let us know in no uncertain terms that we were not welcome!</span>

Home Sweet Home - <span>After 2.5 years, it's still hard to believe I live here. Sauceda Ranch, Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas.</span>

Blazing Amarillos - <span>Haze in the atmosphere can make for intensely red sunsets. Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas. Photographed in the Las Quevas Amarillas area -- site of continuous Paleo-Indian occupation for almost 10,000 years. The area has reliable water, many fine rock shelters and abundant game for hunter-gatherers. </span>

Solitario rim sill, Left-hand Shutup, the Solitario, BBRSP - <span>As you exit the interior of the Solitario complex and move to the outer rim area, you encounter some of the early stage intrusive sills which helped to form the original Solitario laccolith. This particular sill is located at the entrance to the left-hand shut up, on the eastern flank of the Solitario. Its particularly noteworthy because of its near perfect columnar jointing pattern.For more info on the geology of the Solitario see the following:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solitariowww.nbmg.unr.edu/staff/henry/HenryEtSolitarioGSAB97.pdfcorry.ws/CorryBook-10.htm#pgfId-1021093www.lib.utexas.edu/books/landscapes/detail_viewer.php?wor... </span>

Campsite, Guale-2, Big Bend Ranch state park - <span>Its a roof top tent. It unfolds from the top and you sleep off the ground.</span>

Islands in the Sky, from Guale Mesa - <span>This was the scene on Thanksgiving morning from the Guale mesa trailhead at Tapado canyon. Three Dike Hill sits in the lower left foreground. Mexico off on the other side of the clouds. From Big Bend Ranch state park, Texas.</span>

Sierra de la Guitarra, from the Guale-2 campsite, BBRSP - <span>The signature view from the Guale-2 campsite in BBRSP. I came to the conclusion that the view here would be better in the summer months because the sun would set at a higher latitude, and therefore put more golden light on this view. Only one problem. Its 110 degrees in the summertime right about at this spot.The light here does reminds me of Palo Duro canyon. A great place to lay back, look at the clouds, stare at the stars, or view a solar eclipse.</span>

Big Sky from Guale-2 - <span>One of the things I love most about BBRSP are the big skies. This shot was taken in the early evening, looking north from the Guale-2 campsite. Original image in IR, color corrected in Capture NX2.</span>

Solitario at sunset - <span>After our thanksgiving dinner at Sauceda we took a short drive to the top of Fresno canyon to view the late afternoon light on the Solitario complex. This was taken in IR and converted to black and white. From Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas.</span>

Winter in the Chihuahuan - <span>Upper Guale Mesa - Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas.</span>

Contrabando Canyon - <span>Taken just off Texas Highway 170 near the entrance to the Fresno Ranch, now part of the Big Bend Ranch State park. </span>

Las Cuevas Amarillas - <span>Sometimes earth and sky sing together.Las Cuevas Amarillas -- Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas.</span>

Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas - <span>Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas. Rest stop along the River Road. </span>

Skeet Canyon - <span>It's a wonderful rainy day, so naturally I went for a walk. Took the little pocket point-n-shoot along, and got this nice shot for my "effort."</span>

Tapado Canyon - <span>I don't often take pictures with longer-than-normal lens settings, and this was an "oh well, what the heck?" picture anyway. I was surprised at what I got. Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas.</span>

Winter Rain - <span>A rare winter rain has brought water to the creeks. Very unusual sight! </span>

Tufted Cottonflower (Guilleminea densa) - <span>This little "weed" grows in the parking lot in front. I've always thought it was kinda pretty, but the other day I got out the macro, got down on my hands and knees, and photographed it. Imagine my surprise when, on the computer, I discovered those tiny flowers in the lower right corner! Beautiful up close!</span>

Unidentified Moth - <span>I've been completely overwhelmed by something I volunteered to do lately, and haven't taken many pictures. But this beautiful moth showed up on the front porch today, and it is just so beautiful ...</span>

There are some views you just can't take in all at once. Like a dazzling sunset or breathtaking field of wildflowers—you just can't appreciate such beauty in the moment, a moment that is often over before you realize it, the forms and colors of that marvelous vista already fading in your memory. Perhaps it was with the goal of preserving such scenes that the first camera was invented, a goal that you may still share when you visit a place as beautiful as Big Bend and the surrounding area. Why not take a look through our new and improved photo galleries to see what amazing sights have been preserved by astounded visitors and appreciative locals? When you see the mountains, plains, flora, and fauna displayed in those images, you'll be glad the gallery contributors took their camera along.

Birding in Big Bend

Among the many activities available in Big Bend National Park that highlight the region's diversity of wildlife, birding can be enjoyable and promising. Big Bend engulfs a vast area, bounded by the the rushing Rio Grande valley to the south, containing high peaks in the Chisos Mountains, and boasting both desert and forest climates between the two. It embodies the very diversity that makes America great, providing countless opportunities to spot more than 450 birds in one area.

Your Big Year is Here

What are your new year's resolutions for 2012? Did you keep your resolutions for 2011? While the top resolutions each year include losing weight, learning something new, traveling, or getting out of debt, here's a new challenge you can take on this year: spot all the bird species in Big Bend National Park.

Big Bend Video Collections

Big Bend has some of the most spectacular scenery in Texas, if not the entire US. Our big sky country rivals any other state and our night skies are as dark as anywhere for excellent star gazing. The beautiful light and great scenery make for a photographer’s paradise.

Trails and Wildlife

There are many things you may love to do in Big Bend National Park in the heat of summer, but running or jogging is probably not one of them. With 90+ degree temperatures, there simply is no such thing as a nice July run in West Texas. With the dry weather we've had this year, you have truly hostile workout conditions. That all changes this time of year, though, as temperatures drop and the sun gives us a break for a few months. What a great time to get out on some trails in Big Bend!

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