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Johnson Lake, GBNP.  ©WanderlustNomad

Mar '25

Christina & I went on our 1st big trip of the year... 4National Parks in 5 days.  We flew into El Paso, and drove to White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, Guadalupe Mountains, and Big Bend...camping the entire trip!

I was a little surprised with how small El Paso airport was for being an Int'l airport. All the same, it was a nice flight, and the adventure started right away.  Upon landing and getting our Turo rental for the week, we went to the store to pick up all the necessities for camping.  While we were in the store , our phones began chiming...something that I've only experienced with an Amber Alert or Presidential Address.  This was for a "National Weather Service: DUST STORM WARNING". We shrugged it off and continued.  Upon walking out to the parking lot we understood why; visibility was low and wind/sand pelted us from every side. Being a Mid-West guy, Im used to blizzards..this was similar but with sand. Like I said, the adventure began.  Luckily it didnt last too long and we were on our way up to White Sands Nat'l Park.  

Once we arrived, we quickly visited the visitor center, and got our souvenirs and stamps, as this is one of the few Nat'l Parks that actually has visiting hours.  We opted to rent a saucer sled to try sledding down the sand dunes....cause why not.  The park was pretty, with one main road to drive down with various points of interest and pull offs to explore. We went down towards the end of the drive, to a spot that looked steeper and had plenty of people sledding.  The views were spectacular, despite the hazy view (due to the sand storm), and I can only assume it would have been 100x better on a crystal clear day. We hiked a short trail, following the little markers poking up thru the sand.  Unlike a trail in the woods or mountains, hiking in the dessert is walking a straight line, trying to see where the next flag/marker is, and walking towards it, and so on. The trail we were on continued on for awhile till you reach a warning sign to stop as live explosive ordnances may be present. The park backs up to a live missile testing range (which can close down the park sometimes as well). We didn't go that far though, as the views were to hazy and we wanted to continue on to set up camp before it got dark. We hiked back to the car, and tried "sledding" down the hill a few times. I  can see how this may be fun for people who never truly sledded before, but as a Mid-Westerner, I grew up sledding down real hills, covered in snow and ice...wayyyy better. But, we still wanted to try sledding down the sand dunes, cause "while in Rome".  All in all, it was a good time and a neat experience, although you definitely do not need to spend a lot of time at WSNP; a couple hours would suffice.

We continued on to our camp for the night, a KOA campground in Alamogordo.  I had never stayed at a KOA before. It was nice, with good amenities, and friendly staff.  The town was a little disappointing though, with everything closing early around there. Time for bed, and I crawled into my new little travel sleeping bag Christina had gotten me for Christmas ( she mocked me for always buying a new sleeping bag every place i go, and donating it when I leave rather than flying with a bag.) So I tried the little sleeping bag, which was quite thin and rolled up very tiny into something a little bigger than my boots.  Needless to say, once the sun goes down the temps drop, and with the wind that night, I was freezing. I got little sleep, and first thing in the AM after packing everything up, I drove to Walmart and bought a real sleeping bag to use for the remainder of the trip. (Sorry Christina) (But I slept so much better next few nights)

Our next destination was a few hours away at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Along the way we stopped at a few places that caught our eyes like CloudCroft in the Lincoln National Forest. There was a perfect pull off for the Trestle Vista, which showcased the Mexican Canyon Trestle Bridge, which is no longer in use, but a portion of it remains as a landmark and is quite the view.  While in the national forest area, its quaint and scenic, but once you exit that area, it quickly turns to a long boring drive again. Eventually we made it to Carlsbad Caverns Nat'l Park. (CCNP)

Carlsbad Caverns is another Nat'l Park that works on specific visitor time, as its not a big open park like others, but rather a stunning visitor center, which houses the entrance to the park (which is all underground). Originally when planning the trip, I debated whether or not to stop here, as it would cut into time we could spend at other parks, but Christina loves caves, and being that it was on our way, we could stop and knock another national park off the list.  Let me tell you, we were glad we opted to stop here! As i stated the visitor center was really neat, with a lot of information, and a giant model of the caverns. Once you opt to go down into the caverns, you have 2 options...1)the natural entrance, which is via the outdoors following a bunch of switchbacks as you descend into the darkness, or 2) an express elevator which would take you done hundreds of feet to the cavern in seconds.  We opted to do the full experience, so we walked the switchbacks observing the giant opening, and mile long trail down 79 stories into the dark. It was awesome. The sheer size of just the walk down into the entrance is about the size of most caverns we have been to...but then it opens up..and it is massive! Inside you follow interconnecting trails totaling up to 4miles. We did the Big Room Loop which was about 1.25miles long, showcasing the main spectacles. Words cant describe the sheer size of this place! Theres a boulder know as IceBerg Rock that broke off the ceiling millions of years ago thats 200,000 tons. Small towns could live in this place.  Another neat thing about Carlsbad Caverns, is its a home to bats part of the year, and they have an annual show when they come out for the season. Rangers present history of the park and bats, at dusk, just before 300,000 bats swarm out of the cavern. Our trip did not happen during this time frame( May-October), but maybe some other time. We finished our hike thru the caverns and opted to take the elevator up to the top. That was way faster and totally cool, as it offers handicap people a chance to see everything as well.  We stopped in the visitor center again for our stamps and mementos at the gift shop before heading out.  

Back on the road just down the road an hour to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, where we set up camp for the night at Pine Springs campground. After setting everything up, we checked out Frijole Ranch which was pretty neat, informative, and innovative. The sunset was beautiful, and we were looking forward to seeing the stars as this is a great park for it, but unfortunately it was cloudy and windy. We did get to see some wild life though, which was cool. In the morning we packed up and headed to the visitor center to get our stamps and mementos, but unfortunately, the time change here is weird, and we didnt want to wait around another hour. The park is right a long the line of Central/Mountain time zone, with the park being in and honoring Mountain time zone, although all the cell towers in the area are Central time zoned, causing confusion not only for us, but a few others waiting outside the building looking at their phones and then the clock on the wall. We figured we would just order our souvenirs online via the Western National Parks Association rather than sit around an hour wasting time. So we continued on our 5hr drive down to Big Bend!

Big Bend was the ultimate destination for this trip, with the others as added bonuses, when planning this vacation. So we wanted as much time as possible allocated to Big Bend.  The 5hr drive there was pretty uneventful, with just big open roads and 75mph speed limits.  But there were some interesting sights along the way.  The first intereesting site was a giant UFO looking thing in the sky that caught our eyes from a distance.  At one oint, we pulled the car over and I got my telephoto lens out to zoom in and see what it was...a giant blimb looking thing...in the middle of nowhere.  Cell service is spotty as well in this area, so were baffled by it until we got closer and could really make out what it was..a giant white unmarked blimp tethered to a building and crane with a landing pad.  As we drove past, we saw signs saying gov't property, and no unauthorized personnel admitted.  Christina looked up the name of it and found out its part of a network of surveillance blimps for border protection. Surreal, but cool. Further down the road, we came to Marfa, a small town I had stumbled on researching for this trip.  I'm always checking AtlasObscura and Roadside America for various oddities and fun "off the regular tourist" finds, and Marfa had a lot to offer.  First, coming up miles before the town, you come across Marfa Prada, an art installation that looks like a Prada store in the middle of nowhere Texas on an empty highway.  We stopped for photos and read about it. Marfa would become an artist town, with various artists moving there and creating their own mark on the world. Further down the highway, you come across the Marfa murals, which were really neat to see...giant cutouts of movie scenes and actors that filmed there (check my photos to see them). In the town of Marfa itself, there's a lot of history;  between the old, but beautiful & historic Hotel Paisano, to the various oddity art installations like Marfa Lights and Marfa Payphone (an old payphone on the corner of downtown, that when you lift the receiver, there's no dial tone, but instead, Taylor Swifts "Shake it Off" on repeat). Its the perfect stop to stretch your legs and see random things in the middle of nowhere on your road to BigBend.

Another hour down the road, we finally enter Marathon, Texas, the entrance to Big Bend.  Now as a key point for anyone going to Big Bend National Park, its very misleading. When they say Marathon is the entrance, it's because this is the last city before entering the park, and seeing anything for an HOUR.  Also last chance to fill up with cheaper gas! We stopped at the gas station and got gas and a drink, and were excited to finally get to Big Bend...or so we thought. Turning onto the road to enter Big Bend, is a LONG 1 hour drive, with little to no traffic.  As we drove in, we watched for wildlife, and appreciated the beautiful views...and lack of people...only 3 cars in one hour of driving. This is why you don't want to run out of gas! 

The scenery is really quite beautiful, and changes quite a bit depending on what side of the park your on. We camped at the Rio Grande Village Campground, which is right by the Mexican boarder and Rio Grande.  It was a nice well maintained campsite, with ample parking and space for RVs, or tents, a little shelter, table, and bear box for food.  The wildlife in the campground was a unique for us. We saw javelinas, wild horses, donkeys, gophers, and cows! All of them just strolling thru the campgrounds without a care in the world. The 1st night there, I stayed up later, and heard/saw the wild horses and donkeys grazing feet from our tent.  Christina shot up after hearing a donkey cry out 2 feet from the tent...quite hilarious. There were some wonderful trails nearby we hiked, including one that went up a hillside giving you a nice view of the park and Mexico.  As I said, the park has various scenery depending where you are.  Here at camp, it was mostly dry, rocky almost dessert like feel to it, except the lush green strip along the Rio Grande.  More towards the middle of the park, near Santa Elena Canyon, it was a lot more lush greenery, being in a valley area. 

We traveled into Mexico for a few hours via the Boquillas Crossing, which is the only legal point of entry in Big Bend to Mexico. After getting a little pep talk from the Boarder Patrol agent, we walked down to the Rio Grande, where we took a small boat across (you can also walk across depending on the season/water level). Once across, you can either walk, ride a mule/horse, or be driven up the hill to Boquillas, a small quaint Mexican village.  I opted to ride a donkey, while Christina picked the horse. In any event, you are given a Mexican guide who stays with you the entire time, showing you around, and making sure you pay your fees upon entering (as its a protected area). We walked the street and saw the various women and children with their homemade trinkets, clothing and blankets for sale. We dined at one of the restaurants in town, and for a few bucks we got food and drink (margaritas were divine). We picked up some souvenirs and headed back. Of course re-entering the US, you go thru the same port, and answer questions, and wait to be re-admitted. Once back in the US, we drove across the park to the other side, where just outside of the park, resides a small ghost town called Terlingua. It has an amazing old cemetery you can walk thru and a really cool old theatre that's now a restaurant, and one of the nicest mercantile gift stores I've visited.

 Now it was time for what was #1 on my to do list in Big Bend...Santa Elena Canyon.  After a quick drive back towards our campground, about 1/2 way thru the park, is the turn off.  As I said, this part of the park is more lush and less dessert feel. After parking, and a very short walk to the trail head, we were on our way. instantly, you see giant rock walls on both sides with a small river running between. We follow the trail as it leads up a few switchbacks on the stone a little ways up the rocky edge. Lots of unique plant life and birds, with little plaques telling you about them along the way. Eventually it opens up and you are greeted with the river, now larger, in front of you, with 1500ft tall rock walls on both sides of you. Christina was amazed. (I've been to the Grand Canyon, and hiked it down to the river and back up, so I experienced similar awe inspiring views before.) To me, it was like Zion's The Narrows, but shallower water.  It was a beautiful sight! We snagged a few photos, and proceeded to enter the water, walking a ways up the canyon. Such peace. Calm. Quiet. Birds chirping and faint voices from kayakers up ahead. We enjoyed this slice of heaven for quite some time before hiking back to the car. On the drive back, we stopped for one last hike of the day, the Lost Mine Trail. This is a gorgeous trail, with easy parking right off a main road. The hike takes you up under canopies of trees and stunning views the entire way. Every clearing you get to, you look out to see giant peaks of the mountains around you. This is a great trail to take either early morning or early evening to catch the sunrise/sunset. Just beautiful picturesque landscapes. We hiked up, getting all the views we could, and keeping out eyes out for tarantulas, mountain lions, and bears. Sadly we didn't see any. As it was getting darker, we got our headlamps out, and opted to stop just shy of the top, to head back before it got too dark to navigate back down.  We only ran into 4 other people on this trail, who were all on their way down as well. It was at this moment it dawned on me how few people you come across at this park. While it is huge, and amazing, the remote location of Big Bend, I think keeps a lot of people from experiencing this majestic wonder. I'd say the Big Bend is like Zion, Grand Canyon, Great Basin and Grandfather Mountain all rolled together; a truly remarkable place that deserves its National Park status. 

Sept '24

I opted to check out Great Basin NP, in Nevada, as I have been wanting to check it out for sometime now (and last year was too late as the campgrounds/scenic drive were closed). So using the last of my vacation days of the year, I planned the trip earlier (Sept rather than Oct) so I could experience more the park has to offer. Ticket bought, car rented, supplies bought, I was on my way! Unfortunately, still didn't work out as planned; but it was a great trip none the less.  

I flew into Las Vegas, as its almost always cheap to fly there, and its great location to drive to MANY national and state parks. I picked up my rental car via Turo, and bought all my supplies and hit the road. Its about 4.5hrs from Vegas to Great Basin National Park, as it is a remote place, surrounded by a lot of nothing. But thats what makes it beautiful. Word to the wise though, fill up with gas any chance you get. from Pioche to Great Basin, theres like 2 stops for gas about 80 miles apart where you can get gas. You do not want to end up in the middle of nowhere Nevada without gas, as majority of places cell reception is spotty to nonexistent. Its a pretty drive though, listening to music and seeing the open road with mountains in the back drop. 

Being a later arrival flying in, I knew I wouldn't make it to the park before nightfall, so I opted to spend the night in Pioche, which is a cute little town that was a huge mining area back in the day. I stayed at the Overland Hotel, (and in room 10) which is said to be a haunted place. No, I didn't see any ghosts or anything like that, but the place definitely has a spooky vibe to it; being old and eerily quite. The room was HUGE though...for a basic room, it was larger than most suites I've stayed in. Walking in, a narrow hallway, splits to 2 bedrooms, left and right. The left bedroom had 2 beds in it, with closets and a tv. I stayed in the room on the right, which had a queen bed, TV, and en-suite bathroom. The bathroom door had the mysterious claw marks I had seen in some YouTube ghost hunter videos about the hotel. Needless to say, it was comfy, and loved everything about the hotel/saloon. I grabbed pics of the place, as well as all the picturesque parts of town, like the famous courthouse, theater, and boothill cemetery (which was super cool to see).

I then checked out Cathedral Gorge, a state park nearby, which is totally underrated. Miller Point lookout showed the wonderous gorge which reminded me of the grand canyon or bryce canyon..but much smaller scale. My favorite part though was the Moon Caves section in the park! Although not that large of an area, it was really cool to navigate the narrow slot canyons and look up. Seeing the sky  thru the thin slit towering above you is always awe inspiring. I also liked how tumble weeds piled up near the entrances of them.  

Next was onto Great Basin National park itself; the reason for the trip. My whole plan was to arrive early, setup camp, hike the alpine lakes and glacier to acclimate myself to the elevation, before sleeping and waking up early morning to hike Wheeler Peak. This was not the case though. Upon checking into the park at the visitor center, and getting my souvenirs, I spoke with a ranger, who all but killed my plans. She informed me while "GBNP is usually a glorious park, I had picked the wrong week of the wrong year to visit." Apparently this was the week they were working on the much needed maintenance of the park. So while scenic drive does close early each year, this year it was earlier, as they contractors were working on all the access points, campgrounds and trailheads by wheeler peak. So all ways up to glacier, and Wheeler Peak, were cut off. Bummer! The mountain climb to Wheeler Peak was my whole dream of GBNP. Luckily, the ranger knew my desire for a strenuous hike, and offered me an alternative...Baker & Johnson Lakes Loop, a 12 mile hike with 3,280ft elevation gain along 2 ridgelines and 2 lakes! 

It was a trek, closer to 13miles and 4,366ft elevation by my watch, but beautiful! Wooded trails, leading to open rocky ridgelines, and a beautiful lake all with the colors of fall starting to pop already . Unreal yellow color twinkling in the breeze. Getting to the 1st lake (Baker Lake)was a hike, but after a short break and refueling, the real trek began. while it was supposedly a mere 1.5miles between the 2 lakes, it was almost all up hill and windy in the exposed hill side. Once at the top of the ridge, I could see down the steep slope to the 2nd lake (Johnson Lake). This was the adrenaline booster which got me going again. I tried to follow the trail (the only section of the hike not well marked) down, and ended up sliding down the hillside in a rockslide to the bottom. The lake was pretty, and I was thankful I made it down unscathed. From there, following the trail I came across some historic ruins of buildings and tramway. The section was referred to as "Living and Making a Living at Johnson Lake." In all my googling of GBNP prior to going, everything always focused on Wheeler Peak, or Lake Stella. I never heard of this destination, but Im glad I did; and now sharing it with you! This area is really cool with a lot of history to read about. Definitely worth a journey when you are here. From here it was just over the midpoint and headed back to the start via this loop trail. Luckily most of the return portion was down hill with just brief periods of climb.  Again thru some open fields and beautiful color forests, it began to get dark quick, as the sun set over the mountainside. The last 2 miles or so I was in pitch dark with just my headlamp to keep me from tripping over the rocks jutting out of the trail. The sky though!! It really is true what they say "Half the Park is After Dark!" GBNP is a dark sky park, meaning you can see the night sky, all the stars and everything with your naked eye, as there is no light pollution. Absolutely stunning views. (I was extra appreciative, as I didn't get that on my Joshua Tree/Death Valley trip cause of cloudy weather). I tried to get some photos with my Canon camera, but couldn't get the settings right; so I had to settle with my cellphone camera, which actually worked pretty well (just really hard to hold it still long enough for the exposure time). Pictures do not do the views justice, but I was pleased with what I could get. All in all, it was a wonderful trip, and hopefully one I will do again (the girlfriend was unable to go with, but wants to see it). Next time, Wheeler Peak though!