We continued our September 2021 visit to Big Bend National Park with a hike on the Lost Mine Trail. The trailhead is located near Panther Pass on the Chisos Basin access road. Paved perpendicular parking for about a dozen passenger vehicles and parallel parking for a couple of RVs is located on the south side of the road (left side heading toward the basin. Even on a mid-week day, the limited parking fills up quickly, in our case before 10 AM. I can't imagine the congestion that must occur during the peak season.
The park service rates the 2.4-mile one-way hike as moderate, even though it climbs over 1100 feet for an average of over 8.5%. We only hiked to the saddle between Casa Grande Peak and Lost Mine Peak, a distance of about 0.8 miles with an elevation change of about 330 feet for an average grade of almost 8%. At the saddle are a couple of benches situated to provide awesome views of Casa Grande Peak, Toll Mountain, Juniper Canyon, and Crown Mountain.
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| Topographic map with route highlighted |
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| Elevation profile |
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| Trailhead |
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| Casa Grande Peak |
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| Typical trail conditions |
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| Well maintained "bridge" section of the trail |
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| Prickly Pear (possibly Opuntia chisosensis) |
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| Scarlet Bouvardia (Bouvardia ternifolia) |
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| Typical rock and gravel trail surface |
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| A closer look at Casa Grande Peak |
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| Pulliam Bluff, Panther Pass, and the head of Green Gulch |
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| Prickly pear under the junipers |
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| Lost Mine Peak |
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| Lots of wooden stairs |
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| Bench about ½ mile up the trail |
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| Threadleaf Phlox (Phlox mesolueuca) |
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| Another view of Casa Grande Peak |
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| Climbing toward the saddle |
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| Two benches at the saddle |
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Townsend Point and Juniper Canyon
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View south toward Mexico
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Toll Mountain (7415')
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| A final look at Juniper Canyon |
An entry fee of $30 per vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, or $15 per person is valid for seven consecutive days at Big Bend National Park. Other fee payment options include the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($80 for a lifetime), Access Pass (free with a documented disability), and Military Annual Pass (free for active-duty personnel). Also available is a Big Bend National Park Annual Park Pass for $55.
The Big Bend National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm.
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