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Points 3-5
3. AlpineAlpine sits among lofty mountains, several of which top 6,000 feet. Rising from the rocky land along Rtes. 118 and 90 are two of the range's most prominent pinnacles -- Paisano Peak and Mt. Ord -- both remnants of ancient volcanic activity. At Marathon the drive turns south on Rte. 385 and winds past the Santiago Mountains into the vast northern Chihuahuan Desert, an expanse of harsh terrain that extends southward from Texas into Mexico.
4. Big Bend National Park
All but two percent of Big Bend National Park is covered by desert and desert grassland. But what makes this place so extraordinary is the contrast between this vast, sere territory (Big Bend is about the size of Rhode Island) and the tiny remainder of the park. Within Big Bend the desert exists side by side with two dramatically different environments --those of the Chisos Mountains, which lie at the heart of the park, and the Rio Grande, which rolls along its southern boundary. The result is a world of astonishing variety with sandy slopes and grassy fields, deep canyons and towering peaks, tiny springs and one of the longest rivers in North America.
No less varied than the park's terrain is its wildlife. About 1,200 species of plants (including more than 60 kinds of cactus) thrive within its 800,000 acres, as well as 75-odd species of mammals, 66 species of reptiles, and more than 400 kinds of birds -- a greater number than are found at any other national park.
As you enter the park at Persimmon Gap (44 miles south of Marathon), it is not uncommon to see mule deer and jackrabbits. To the south looms Big Bend's magnificent centerpiece, the Chisos Mountains, crowned by 7,835-foot Emory Peak. The Chisos Range is forested with Douglas firs, ponderosa pines, and even quaking aspens, isolated here far from their primary ranges. If you arrive in early spring, it's a good idea to take the side road to Dagger Flat. Depending on the timing of recent rainfalls, hundreds of giant dagger yuccas may be in bloom there, each one adorned with clusters of white flowers.
5. Rio Grande Village
At Panther Junction, drive southeast on Hot Springs Road until you reach Dugout Wells, once a ranch and schoolhouse and now a pleasant picnic spot. As the road rambles on toward Rio Grande Village, two of the park's most prominent peaks come into view. Look for aptly named Elephant Tusk off in the distance to the south and, closer to the road, Chilicotal Mountain.
At Rio Grande Village (an excellent spot for bird-watching), a short nature trail loops across the lush floodplain before climbing to a ridge that overlooks the Sierra del Carmen in Mexico and, of course, the endlessly flowing ribbon of the Rio Grande. Here and elsewhere throughout the park, enjoy the dazzling array of vegetation to be found in this living desert -- bluebonnets, fragrant creosote bushes, prickly pear cacti, and the striking sword-shaped leaves of lechuguillas, to name just a few. Returning to Panther Junction, head west on Rte. 118 until you arrive at the turnoff for Basin Drive.
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