Lost Mine Trl, very scenic!

In the Chisos Mountains in the middle of Big Bend NP, this trail was a beauty as you can see!

Indian Head Springs Trl

This terrific trail really was not about hiking....it was about taking your time to explore all around the boulders looking for petroglyphs, pictographs, grinding stones and tons of scrim!  What a great time we had poking about on this "trail"!  Got a bit earlier start which was a good thing as it got to 88 degrees!

Very easy to get to also as you turn on Indian Head Spgs Rd. from Terlingua to get to the trailhead instead of having to drive into the park several miles down the road:

got some nice early morning pics here!

petroglyphs can be seen at the bottom of the large rock

this appeared to be a favorite writing surface!

for grinding corn, nuts or seeds

Indian Head Spring did actually have a little water!

Mike on the other side of a grinding stone

In this shelter of boulders, you can see a well used grinding stone....

and these red ochre pictographs on the ceiling

Oak Spring Trl and Cattail Falls Trl

Today we hiked up the Oak Spring Trail for some fantastic view of the west park area.  After doing that 1250 elevation change, we stopped for lunch and then did a small hike to Cattail Falls.  Just a trickle now, it was still a miniature garden of eden with some nice cool shade.

Our temperatures here are dramatically different from what we have been experiencing lately;)  Now we have to get up early to hike before it gets too hot!  Todays temp was 83 but yesterday it was 88!  Too hot for afternoon hiking!

Just loved this tree

our destination was up on top of the waterfall area (dry now)

and we're up!  view is looking good!

a flat area about a third of the way up the trail was covered with scrim, bits of chipped rock from making arrowheads

trail to Cattail Falls.....

this butterfly has a great disguise.  note the red eyes showing on the fly in the background

barely visible, Cattail Falls does have flowing water.....

with a nice reflecting pool