Emory Peak Day Hike Big Bend National Park (Texas)

Trip Destination: Emory Peak Chisos Mountains Big Bend National Park
Trip Date: Mid November 2014
Trip Distance: 10.4 miles round trip

Big Bend National park boasts diversity in three different ecosystems. The Rio Grande forms the southern border of the park as well as the US/Mexico border. The Big Bend of the Rio Grande shares towering canyons, abundant birding opportunity, and interesting border culture. The Chihuahan Desert offers it's own beauty. With unique desert plants, animals and terrain there is great opportunity for adventure, especially in the winter months. Probably my favorite part of the diverse ecosystem is the High Chisos Mountains. The Chisos mountains form an "Island in the Sky" sticking out of the desert. The mountain range is completely contained within the park's boarders. This is the only mountain range in the country that is entirely inside a national park.

In an effort to get some of the men of our church together, I planned a camping and hiking trip to Big Bend National Park in mid November. It turned out that west Texas would receive our first freeze the week the trip was scheduled. I thought there might be some fall out with a group of "Texans" who aren't as accustomed to cold weather, but it turned out to be a beautiful weekend with highs in the  70s. Personally, if it had been a little warmer it would have been too warm. We loaded up in the pickups and drove the twenty miles from Rio Grande village to the trail head.

The whole group in the Chisos Basin Lodge
Before heading up the trail.

The trail head starts just behind the store in the Chisos Basin Lodge Parking Lot. We separated with two in the group who weren't up for the strenuous hike up a peak. This left me with the three "young bucks," all of which were or are collegiate athletes. Let's just say, I assumed my position in the back as we headed up the trail.

Starting up Pinnacles trail.

The trail begins through desert plants and exposure to the sun. The more you climb, the taller the trees are and the more shade on the trail.Remember any time you are hiking in this climate to bring plenty of water. The National Park suggests one gallon per person for each day you are hiking.

Shortly after the trail begins you come to a fork where you can go left or right. Both directions form the South Rim loop. This is another great trip for a long day or a single night backpacking trip (I will be doing a report from an overnight trip on the south rim). Follow the sign for Pinnacles trail. This will take you to emory peak.

Taking my position in the back.

The hike begins to go up pretty quickly. There are many switchbacks that help to gain a more gradual elevation. This part of the hike can be very taxing. However, it is also rewarding as you move up and see the environment change. The desert plants begin to diminish and the vegetation thickens. The cacti turn to large shady pines.

The Window through some trees on the way up

The views along the trail are amazing! Several places open up to spectacular views of the window down below. On the ascent I look for every excuse to stop and take a break! Great views are my favorite excuses.

Some fall color

We were on the trail at the end of peak for fall colors, but we still found several places like the one above that had some beautiful fall foliage. Having been to Big Bend now in every season except summer, fall is definitely the best.

About a mile from the summit you will come to a fork in the trail with a sign to the right for Emory Peak. There are a couple of bear boxes where you can stash your packs so you don't have to carry them up the steep final ascent to the top. This was especially helpful on my first summit a year before when we were backpacking the south loop. It would have been very difficult to climb the peak with our heavy overnight packs. The final mile is a pretty steady uphill climb, but there are many rewarding views of boot canyon like this one above.

The summit of emory is on the group of rocks to the right. The summit has a couple of towers on the top. In my opinion this takes away from the aesthetic appeal and natural environment, but the views are spectacular nonetheless. The final stretch is a class 2-3 scramble up the rocks on top. There are a few route options that will determine the difficulty of the scramble. An easier route than the one shown in the picture below is found just around the rock to the right of my buddy. I have done both but the older I get, the easier the route I choose.

Final Scramble to the Summit

View from the summit of Emory Peak

When we reached the summit there was one other couple from east Texas who was celebrating their hike with a bottle of wine. We visited with them for a few minutes and they snapped a picture of us and we returned the favor. Then they headed back down, leaving the summit all to us. We enjoyed the views, took pictures, took advantage of the cell service and called our families to let them know we were having a good time and ate a snack. The others decided they needed to flex and do some fitness exercises on the summit, so i thought I would get a little head-start back down. When I got down the scramble there were about ten people planning their routes up (I'm glad we timed it the way we did). We decided to run the trails back down, which made for an exciting, fast trip back to the car.

The group enjoying the summit

When we reached the parking lot, the other two in our party were no where to be found. After waiting about 30 minutes we decided to head over to the hot-springs for a nice soak. Later we found out they had taken the trail down to the window.

Emory Peak is a great day-hike. Be sure to start early in the morning as the desert can get pretty brutal in the heat of the day. Follow the recommended amount of water suggested by the park as well. Now that I have moved to Alabama, who knows when or if I will make it back to Big Bend. I hope one day I will, it is definitely an amazing place to visit!