Lajitas, Texas

 

Lajitas, Texas is a border town located between Big Bend National park and Big Bend Ranch State Park.  Dominated by Lajitas Peak, it once was a thriving community supported by folks on both sides of the Rio Grande.  After falling on hard times after the mining boom was over, it lay dormant for many years.  Sometime in the nineties, a couple of fellows bought the townsite and surrounding lands to develop a resort community.  The bulldozed roads way back up the canyon.

They surveyed sites and marked each one with a high pole designating the lot number.  Most are on the ground now.

This was lot 13.

As you can see from the picture, they didn’t sell many homesites, but they did develop a fine resort hotel, golf course, and rv park. Maverick r v park is a great place to stay while exploring either Big Bend or Big Bend Ranch.  Most of the designed roads have deteriorated into trails, which access lots of great hiking directly from the r v park.

Not far South of town is Closed Canyon, Part of the state park.  A small slot canyon.

First thing I noticed was the mountain lion lair.

 

A nice cool walk which leads to the Rio Grande.

I didn’t make it all the way, though.  After negotiating a number of these little pouroffs, I came upon one I wasn’t sure I could get back up, being by myself.  Better safe than sorry.

After accessing the backcountry of Lajitas and doing Closed Canyon, it was time for supper.  No place better than the Starlight Theatre in Terlinqua.  Two for one burgers, and Big Bend brews.

Local art of the “Badlands”.

 

Followed by a nice ride back home. 

It’s tough….jc