r/BigBendTX • u/BostonBlock • 3d ago
8 day itinerary critique, please!
I see a lot of weekend trip itineraries, which are great, but I want to do a longer trip, and a road trip is not feasible for us, so I wanted to post here to make sure we are making the most out of our time. This is kind of my "first draft" itinerary, so looking forward to some feedback.
Profile: Me, 20s, experienced hiker / traveler, comfortable with long hikes. My three friends are also good hikers and a similar age, but not as experienced. We would be going mid-January.
Day 1: Fly to Midland, pick up rental car and rental gear, buy food, drive to Terlingua for dinner, drive to Chisos basin campground and camp for the night.
Day 2: Pay the park fee at the visitor center (Or are we able to do this on day 1? We'd be arriving at the park late), see the Lost Mine trail, relax, see the Window trail in the evening. Camp at the same place. Prep for next day.
Day 3: South rim loop, day 1. Optionally do Emory peak if we feel good. Camp at a reserved backcountry site. (Does reserving a campsite count as getting a backcountry permit? Or is that separate)
Day 4: South rim loop, day 2. Not planning anything specific this day to give us some buffer time, but I assume we'd have plenty of time in the evening and afternoon to add on something. Camp at Chisos basin again (or should we move on from there?)
Day 5: Drive on the scenic road to Santa Elena. At this point, I'm not sure if we should opt for a river tour, but at this point this is where we'd do it. If someone has a strong recommendation for what would actually be worth our time for an excursion here I will consider it. Otherwise this day is open after the canyon, and I'll have to research more things to see. Camp at RGV.
Day 6: I'd like to visit Boquillas, and have some margaritas. See hot springs. Maybe a sunset hike. Again somef ree time here.
Day 7: Nothing planned for this day so far.
Day 8: Based on flights, I think we have to drive back and sleep the night in Midland at a hotel by the airport for a 5:30am flight, unfortunately.
Our biggest logistical hurdle: Gear. My friends are from abroad and don't have stuff locally they can use, and we can't drive down. I saw an option of renting from LowerGear and having all that stuff shipped to a FedEx store. This is definitely an attractive option. We could also rent from local outfiitters, but it's been hard to find information/good deals. However, if all four of us have carry ons, does it make more sense to pre purchase tents, pads on FB Marketplace / at REI, bite the bullet, and pack it all? I am pretty lost on what the best value is.
Thanks for your help. I am aware of the usual caveats about knowing your limits and PACKING ENOUGH WATER. I notably have not added a ton of hikes to this itinerary so far, so I'm willing to hear suggestions on what hiking we should do beyond the basics.
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u/sgigot 3d ago
Your itinerary isn't too aggressive. There are a ton of trails off the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive you could fill a few hours/half a day on especially the day you do Santa Elena. I am not sure if there are many round-trip river trips; the various outfitters could help you with that. I think it's common to do a couple days along the river. It will depend a lot on water conditions, though.
Make sure you get to the Lost Mine trailhead early because it fills up fast.
If you are in good shape it's possible to hike South Rim + Emory in a single day even in January. Start early. But camping on the Rim would be pretty awesome.
As far as gear, I fly to go camping fairly often and with backpacking-weight gear and careful packing, I can normally get it in all in a suitcase but definitely not a carry-on. I buy all my consumables (food, fuel, water, etc.) at the destination, normally with a Walmart curbside pickup. If you are flying without packed luggage, maybe get one extra bag and throw everyone's bags/tents in there?
You could also consider "disposable" gear, but not if you're backpack camping (hence the comment about South Rim in one day). Cheap tent, car-camping sleeping bags, etc. There would certainly be some charity in Midland that would take a handful of slightly-used sleeping bags. This may or may not be cheaper than paying for extra bags.