2.4 miles round trip | ½ day hike candidate: Yes, easy
About: I spent years and years passing this hike up. Don’t make the same mistake I did, I know consider this a short treasure anyone can make time to fit into their Big Bend itinerary. This is a beautiful hike.
I’ve done the Upper and Lower Burro Mesa Pour-Off trails many times. I’d recommend doing this and those too for a perfect Burro Mesa trifecta. This would be easy to fit into a day.
The hike starts by rounding some hills which continues to follow the natural water flow from the pour-off trails. The creek beds remain dry unless it rains. You pass intriguing geography along the way as well as plenty of cactus and ocotillos.
The end is punctuated with a water-carved stone reservoir, known as a tinaja in these parts, and the familiar signs of a spring below (cottonwood and willows).
The tinaja was full when we went. I am not sure if it always its, the area did have a good rain a couple days before we hiked it. But here at the end, the scenery descends rapidly for a dramatic view that extends all the way to Santa Elena.
Pros: Very scenic
Cons: Great trail, I love it, but I guess it’s just a bit on the short side to get a 5-star rating? I may change this.
Tips: Great place to catch a sunset. I happened upon this trail as a last-minute decision to hike it at the end of the day. We hit that end of the trail during the golden hour where the sun starts getting low on the horizon casting a golden hue and dramatic contrasting shadows on the terrain. The photo results were stunning.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½
