Links to all photos and videos from the trip
Day 1 – Nov 30 – Fly to Phoenix/ Tucson
After Siddhi (daughter) dropped me to the airport I took the afternoon flight to Phoenix, AZ. After picking up rental car I drove the 2-hr. drive to Tucson. Tucson is designated as UNESCO City of Gastronomy because the food here tells a story that dates back 4,000 years. The city’s culinary heritage reflects of Mexican and Native American traditions.
While looking up restaurants/ food items I came to know that Chimichanga was invented in Tucson. So, I went to a local favorite restaurant called MI Nidito and had a chimichanga with mixed mango/peach margarita. Both were particularly good, especially the outer covering for the chimichanga was awesome.
Day 2 – Dec 01 – Saguaro NP (AZ)
Next day I reached the entrance to Saguaro National Park (Tucson Mountain District) around sunset. Right near the NP entrance sign, where I typically take a selfie photo, I got some beautiful photos of sunlit Saguaro cactus. Further ahead near the visitor center there is a Desert Discovery Trail which is a short flat trail which goes through the cactuses and other desert features with lot of information boards. It was good to explore this while also getting lot of good photos as the sun was just rising. Then I went on the Bajada loop which is a 6-mile loop rd. My first stop on this loop was Hugh Norris trail. This is a long trail which can take you to Wassen Peak, which is the highest peak in the park. However, I just went a little farther up the hill/ trail as it offered a beautiful view from top of the surroundings.
My next stop on Bajada loop was the Valley view trail. This was a good moderate trail which leads to an overlook from where you get a splendid view of the whole valley full of the Saguaro cactus. Back from the trail I drove further ahead to Signal Hill Trail which leads to some petroglyphs. I could see the petroglyphs which were up a hill from the trail below but as the trail winded up there was a sign which said, ‘Rattlesnake Area.’ I did not want to take any foolish risks, so I just took some pictures from below and returned. After a quick visit to the visitor center to buy a souvenir, reading some info and watch a short movie about the park, my final stop here was the Kings Canyon trail. Again, this trail leads to Wassen Peak, but I just did a smaller loop climbing up a steep hill and coming back down.
It was midafternoon now, so I headed to the East side of the park which is known as the Rincon Mountain District (with the city of Tucson in between the two). I entered the Cactus Forest Drive which is an 8-mile one way loop with many viewpoints. My first stop was Mica View trail which is flat and easy to walk through the cactus forest. I had a picnic lunch before heading on the trail. Nothing too exciting about the trail except I got a bit lost and had to walk through a wash with lose gravel sand before finally coming back on track. My final stop was the Javelina Rocks Overlook. You basically climb up some boulders to get a splendid view of the whole area. It was close to sunset now, so I stopped at the place to catch the beautiful sunset and photos of cactuses against the setting sun.
Overall, this is a small park with the Saguaro cactus being the main attraction. You can just explore the West side and won’t miss much.
Day 3 – Dec 02 – White Sands NP (NM)
Today my destination was White Sands NP in New Mexico, which is near the town of Alamogordo, about 5 hrs. drive from Tucson. I reached there around 11 am. Just before turning into the park there is a Border Protection checkpoint on the highway. I was asked if I was a US citizen and upon saying yes was given ok to go. No document was asked for.
White Sands is not a large park to explore. There is an 8 mi loop road in the park with some scenic points/ trails to explore. After stopping at the visitor center near the entrance my first stop on the loop was the Dunes Nature Trail. This is just 1 mile loop that goes through the white sand dunes with lot of information boards about the dune’s flora and fauna. It’s a good starting point and an easier trail. The sand is much finer and easier to walk than some other sand dunes. Farther on I had a picnic lunch at some cool picnic tables with roof shades, obviously for the hotter days. There is a boardwalk trail for those who don’t walk to get in the sand, but it was closed for repair/ reconstruction. So, I headed to the Alkali Flats trailhead. This is almost a 4.5/5 mi loop trail through the sand dunes. Since I had much time and not much else to do I decided to do the trail. The weather was nice, there were markers on the trail and the walk wasn’t too bad. The trail takes you to the midpoint at or near the alkali flats and where there is warning sign about unexploded munitions. The whole White Sands NP and surrounding area is part of the missile testing range hence the signs. From there you can either turn back same way you came or do a loop. Frankly, it isn’t overly exciting as after a while you see the same dune landscapes. By the time I was near the trailhead end it was sunset time. I watched the sunset from a higher point on the dunes and it was worth it, especially the orange-pinkish hue of sky against the white dunes.
I then headed to my hotel in Alamogordo for the night.
Day 4 – Dec 03 – Carlsbad Caverns NP (NM)
From Alamogordo to Carlsbad Caverns is about 3 hrs. drive and I arrived at the Caverns around 10.30 am. This park requires a timed entry reservation which I already had. I had also booked a tour for King’s Palace cave tour starting at noon. Since I had time before the tour I decided to explore the caves entering through the Natural entrance. During bat season when the bats live in the caves this is place where they leave and enter the cave. However, at this time they had all migrated, so I didn’t see any bats. Through the natural entrance you go quite a distance winding down below (about 750 ft deep or 75 floors down) while looking at some cool formations which ends in the Big Room. It is better to go down and then take the elevator coming up rather than hike up that steep path. On the way I saw some cool formations like Whale’s Mouth and Iceberg Rock.
The Kings Palace tour takes you through an area which can only be accessed with a guided tour. This was a wonderful place and the formations in the huge area known as Kings Place and other chambers like Queen’s chamber were worth the tour. Our guide was giving his tour for the first time (with other senior one as observer) and he did an impressive job. There were some interesting pieces of information like when Brad Pitt visited with his entourage, one of the persons broke a formation and it had to be glued back. There is also a formation know as Eternal Kiss which is two upward and downward formations almost touching each other with just a slight gap to push a paper through. They also do blackout for couple of minutes to give an experience of earlier cave explorers. After the King’s Palace tour, I explored the Big Hall on my own. This is one of the largest cave areas anywhere with some excellent formations. My total steps for that day were 13,434 or >6 miles and considering that 80-90 % was underground you can get an idea of how much there is to explore in these caverns.
That evening, I stayed in Carlsbad and chilled out for dinner at the excellent Guadalupe Brewery.
Day 5 – Dec 04 – Guadalupe NP (TX)
From Carlsbad to Guadalupe National Park, TX is just about 2 hrs. drive. Since I was coming from the North I first went to the McKittrick Canyon visitor center which was closed for the season. So, I headed to the Pine Springs Canyon visitor center to the south. After browsing through the center and getting a souvenir I headed to the trailhead. Hiking is the major activity to do in this park. At 8,751 feet, Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas. This is one of the most popular hikes in the park, hence I decided to do that hike.
This is a strenuous appr. 9 mi out and back hike with a total ascent of 3000 ft. Majority of the ascent is in the first 2-2.5 miles so that is difficult. Depending on your fitness level it can be any duration from 4 to 8 hrs. It took me a total of little under 7 hrs. but that includes not just rest breaks but also photo/video breaks. I encountered only a few people on the trail. Apart from the steep ascent in beginning the hike isn’t that difficult except for some rock scramble near the top. At the peak there is short metal tower structure with some inscriptions including one from the postal office. The views are great and luckily it was a bright day so I could see far out in distance. The hike down was quick and faster, but you need to be careful of loose gravel which can easily lead to a slipped or twisted foot.
From there I drove south on to my lodging in the small town of Van Horn which would be closer to my next major destination of Big Bend National Park.
Day 6 – Dec 05 – Big Bend NP (TX)
Big Bend is a large park hence I had almost 3 days allocated to explore the different sections. I left Van Horn early morning and drove towards Big Bend covering distance of 200 mi/ 4 hrs. On the first day I was going to explore the Ross Maxwell Scenic loop.
Upon entering the park my first stop on the loop was the Sotol Vista Overlook. From this overlook you get panoramic views of the park and can get a glimpse of the Santa Elena canyon as well in the distance. The day was clear, and weather was nice and sunny, so the views were good. My next stop was the Lower Burro Mesa Pour off. This is a short 1 mi hike walking through a large canyon which ends in the base of the Burro Mesa. Part of the walk in the canyon is sand and gravel due to the pour offs during the rains. This is a decent hike for a beginner or non-hiker but there are much exciting hikes in the park for the more experienced and enthusiastic hikers.
From there I proceeded to Mule Ear Viewpoint from where you can see two adjoining rock formations protruding upwards at some distance and aptly named Mule Ears. There is 4 mi hike if you want to get a closer view, but I decided to skip this hike and proceeded to next stop of Tuff Canyon overlook. This is more like a stroll leading to a viewing platform from where you can see the Tuff Canyon winding down below. Again, it’s all dry except when it rains. One thing to mention is the purple cactuses I saw all over in this region. They have big spikes and some of the leaves or extensions are heart shaped. First I thought the purple color is some kind of transformation to normal green cactus due to drought or dry conditions but after looking it up I realize it is a different variety of the prickly pear cactus with purple pigmentation.
From there I headed on to the Santa Elena Canyon. I had seen a few photos online of this, but it turned out to be quite a surprise and an exciting feature. As you get closer to the canyon you see more vegetation obviously due to the Rio Grande River which also is the reason for the canyon’s existence. I parked at the trail entrance and walked the short, easy trail towards the canyon. Closer to the canyon the view gets spectacular with the massive canyon walls rising tall and the Rio Grande winding and coming through it. The Rio Grande forms natural boundary between USA and Mexico so the canyon walls on either side are part of either country. Where the river comes out of the canyon there were some very shallow areas from where you can literally walk through ankle-deep water to cross over into Mexico. I didn’t dare do it even though there were no border security or park personnel there. Later I looked up and realized that this area, for one thing is very remote and hard (especially in the brutal summers here) for anyone to crossover and of course there must be heavy electronic surveillance all over.
On the USA side you can enter the canyon climbing up some steps and then hiking along the river through the canyon itself. I walked along as far as you can go from where you see the canyon opening on the other side and took a ton of photos. Standing inside the canyon really gives you a feeling of how tiny you are against the mighty backdrops of nature. I had similar feeling while doing the Narrows hike in Zion National Park.
Back on the trail head I ate my packed lunch and headed to the small village/ town of Terlingua where I was staying in a place called Little Dipper Casita. It was a small one room cabin with a bed and small table, a shared open kitchen area outside and a rustic shared bathroom made of tin sheets and curtain as door for privacy. There really aren’t much lodging options in the vicinity and being a solo traveler all I needed was a place to sleep and cleanup without spending a lot. This place fitted well with those needs, was also close to the park entrance and I was fine spending 3 nights here.
Day 7 – Dec 06 – Big Bend NP (TX)
The next morning, I was going to explore the Chisos Basin area. There are many great hikes in this area from what I had read. I left early and as I got closer I could see the uniqueness of the area. Unlike the other area of the park, which is mostly desert, the Chisos Basin is a lush, densely forested mountainous area. As I got closer I was driving through very heavy fog and the visibility was just a few feet so could not see much of the surrounding area. But occasionally I could see glimpse of mountains, covered in wet green forests. It’s like an oasis in the desert.
I parked near the Chisos Basin visitor center and got some information, maps, and a souvenir. There are many hikes which start from here and I decided to do the Windows Trail which is a 6 mi moderately strenuous hike. Initially the trail winds down onto a flat valley like region. You hike through this towards a canyon area. Once inside the canyon you are basically climbing up and down through rocky area and gravel/ sand ultimately reaching the Window. This is basically a rectangular opening in the canyon with a rocky base, two sides and open top, beyond which there is a sheer drop down. It’s a cool photo op site. Luckily, there was a couple who came through after I reached, and we were happy enough to take each other’s photos. From there I hiked back to the visitor center parking lot and ate my lunch. I wanted to do the nearby Lost Mine trail, but the parking lot is small and was full, so I decided to go to the Boquilas Border Crossing next. It wasn’t on my list of things to do but considering I had time and opportunity I decided to do it. I had read online lot of information so had a brief idea of what to expect.
It was 2 pm when I entered the Border crossing checkpoint where they just check if you have proper documentation to come back. I had 2 hrs. to return before it closes or chose to stay over which I had no intention of doing. From the checkpoint you just take a short walk to the river. There wasn’t much water in the river, and I could have walked over to the other side if I didn’t mind getting my feet wet and muddy. Hence I decided to take the boat for $5 to cross over maybe 20-25 feet of the river width where the boatman walks and pulls rather than row the boat to the other side. From there you have an option to hire a mule or ride a pickup to go to the Boquilas village. I decided to walk over as it just about half mile. The feeling you get seeing horse riders and mules going along on the path is that of entering some western movie of the old days.
The Boquilas village itself is nothing much except a row of shops and hotels. Since I already had my lunch I just had a beer at one, strolled a bit and then turned back. At the US checkpoint the park ranger checked the passport and asked to talk remotely with an agent who asked a few basic questions and gave an ok. And that was it, I had visited Mexico on foot! Then I proceeded to the nearby Boquilas Canyon overlook which gives a view of another canyon, the river and surrounding area. I skipped the hike to the canyon having had my fill earlier. Instead I visited the nearby Hot Springs area. This place has a natural hot spring right next to the river where they have built a soaking area. It felt quite good having a good soak in the hot water from the spring in the natural surroundings. I had company of other visitors but it was worth it.
Day 8 – Dec 07 – Big Bend NP (TX)
The next day I made an early start to go to the Lost Mine Trail. Again, driving through the fog, I arrived at the trailhead which had just one car there. There were signs of bears and given the foggy, spooky atmosphere I decided to wait until a few more hikers arrived to begin hiking on the trail. After a few more cars arrived, and people went on the trail I also began the hike. The hike is not too hard, going mostly through dense forest to the top of the mountain. Once you reach the top though, the views are spectacular. Initially everything was surrounded in thick fog, and I could only see partial mountain peaks and forests floating on the clouds. As the sun started coming up though it cleared up some and I could see more. I left after spending couple of hours at the top. It remined me of Gulzar’s words “Barfili Sardiyon me, Kisi Bhi Pahad Par, Vadi Me Gunjati Hui Khamoshiyan Sune” (In the cold winters, on some mountain, listening to the silence echoing through the valleys).
The hike down was easy. By this time, I had done mostly everything that I intended to do in this park and my only other option was to do another hike or go back to the cabin and rest up which is what I did.
Day 9 – Dec 08 – Drive to Santa Fe
This day was nothing special. Just a long 10-11 hr. drive to Santa Fe. The only exciting/ thrilling thing was high winds through the plains of New Mexico for a long stretch which raised some minor dust storms. The wind was considerable which probably occurs frequently here since there isn’t much in terms of mountains, trees, or other vegetation on the long flat plains. I reached Santa Fe in the late afternoon. It got darker by the time I settled in so there wasn’t much to do. I just ate at the hotel restaurant bar called Social Kitchen+Bar and had my fill of New Mexico Green Chile poppers which were quite tasty with blue corn tortilla chips.
Day 10 – Dec 09 – Santa Fe (NM)
The next morning, I left early to visit Bandelier National Monument. It’s about an hours’ drive out of Santa Fe. This is a good hiking place to explore the ancestral Pueblo living area from centuries ago with cliff dwellings, petroglyphs and other features of their daily life living in harmony with nature. There was hardly anyone around, weather sunny with a bit of chill and it was very peaceful and serene. I spent couple of hours there and then left back for Sante Fe. From my hotel I took the free shuttle to the downtown to explore a bit. The whole area with its Pueblo style architecture makes you feel in a different place altogether. I visited the Georgia O’Keeffe museum with her beautiful paintings. Also visited the nearby cathedral. But it was too chilly to spend time outside, so I returned to the hotel. Later in the evening I went to a nearby restaurant names La Choza for dinner and enjoyed some local delicacies.
Day 11/12 – Dec 10/11 – Petrified Forest NP (AZ)
This was my last sightseeing day. Plan was to drive back from Santa Fe to Phoenix and on the way stop to visit the Petrified Forest National Park which is just off the highway exit. I arrived at the park around noon. The park is on either side with a North and South section with the highway cutting through in the middle. There is a 28-mile main park rd. from where you can visit most viewpoints and short hikes. Some of the places I stopped by was the Painted Forest Visitor Center, Tiponi Viewpoint, Newspaper Rock, Blue Mesa trail, Jasper Forest overlook, Crystal Forest, and Giant Logs trail. The highlight here is of course the ancient geography and petrified logs scattered all over the park. The Blue Mesa trail was my favorite as it winded through small hills/ mounds which are more brownish/purplish than blue and there are these petrified logs of varied sizes all over. This isn’t a park that you would go exclusively to see from far but worth a visit if you are in the vicinity.
I left the park after watching a great sunset and reached Phoenix late night. Next day I had an early flight back home to Detroit. In this trip I had covered 6 National parks and was halfway through my national park counts visits.
