Lost Mine Trail - Big Bend National Park

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.

Topographic map with route highlighted

Elevation profile

Trailhead

Casa Grande Peak

Typical trail conditions

Well maintained "bridge" section of the trail

Prickly Pear (possibly Opuntia chisosensis)

Scarlet Bouvardia (Bouvardia ternifolia)

Typical rock and gravel trail surface

A closer look at Casa Grande Peak

Pulliam Bluff, Panther Pass, and the head of Green Gulch

Prickly pear under the junipers

Lost Mine Peak

Lots of wooden stairs

Bench about ½ mile up the trail

Threadleaf Phlox (Phlox mesolueuca)

Another view of Casa Grande Peak

Climbing toward the saddle

Two benches at the saddle

Townsend Point and Juniper Canyon

View south toward Mexico

Toll Mountain (7415')

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.