Burro Mesa Pouroff Trail, Big Bend National Park, Texas

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Burro Mesa Pouroff Trail, Big Bend National Park

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Big Bend National Park > The Southwest > Hiking > Burro Mesa Pouroff Trail

Burro Mesa Pouroff

The Burro Mesa Pouroff trail is a short, easy hike to an unusual canyon feature, in desert terrain half way along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive - the access road to the southwest areas of Big Bend National Park. Shortly after the road descends from the foothills of the Chisos Mountains after Sotol Vista Overlook into the flatter land below, a short side road forks north for 1.5 miles to the trailhead. From here, a well-used 0.5 mile path winds through a sandy area with cacti and bushes then follows the course of a dry streambed to the base of a high, vertical cliff, where the occasional flood waters pour down from a narrow slit in the rock, about 40 feet above. The stream has carved a smooth channel in the cliff face, exposing pretty colours and strata, and the location is quite photogenic.

Location: Map of Big Bend National Park.

Surroundings: A separate, rather longer trail beginning 5 miles further north along the main road follows the stream (Javelina Wash) downwards, ending just above the dryfall; there is no easy way to link the two paths. A few hundred meters west of the pouroff is a similar, but less high feature which is also quite easily reached by scrambling up a rocky streambed. A round trip to either location takes only 30-40 minutes. Overall, this area is also notable for the interesting forms of the surrounding eroded cliffs and the abundance of collared lizards, a species with distinctive blue coloration.

Side canyon

Sandstone cliffs

Burro Mesa Pouroff

Well marked trail over sandy ground and along a dry wash to the base of an unclimbable dryfall at the edge of sheer cliffs

Length: 0.5 miles

Elevation change: 50 feet

Difficulty: Easy

Type: One way

Usage: Medium

Season: Fall, winter, spring

Trailhead: End of a paved side road forking off Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive; 29.233951,-103.407336

Rating (1-5):

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