Chisos Mountains
Along with the incredibly beautiful canyon, St. Helena, which is the most impressive sight in Big Bend National Park, another pride of the area is the Chisos Mountains. This is the only mountain range in the United States, located entirely within a park. Moreover, the Chisos Mountains are the southern- most mountains of the country, standing proudly in the region of West Texas. Chisos extends over 104 square kilometers along the Rio Grande, in southwestern Texas.
Chisos Mountain range is a natural barrier in the middle of the desert. It is the first thing that covers your sight, when entering through the north entrance of the road US 385. Immediately after the entrance, there is a visitor center, ranger station and a place where you can stretch your tent.
Chisos’ foothills begin about 20 miles from Punta de la Sierra and continue southwest to Panther Junction. The highest point is Emory, reaching 2385 meters above sea level.
Emory is named after William H. Emory, who led an expedition to the study local lands in 1852. To climb the highest peak of the Chisos, there is a well-marked trail with a length of 9 km. At the very top, there is a large population of live ladybugs. You can see solar panels and equipment, radio transmitters and antennae. Another giant chain of Chisos is Casa Grande.
There are two ways to access the Chisos Basin, the visitor center, camping, shopping and recreational facilities located there. It is good to know that some trails and campsites are closed from January to April in order to protect the nesting sites of the local species of birds. Banff National Park and in particular the area of Chisos Mountain range are popular among ornithologists.
Chisos region is where the most developed tourist facilities within the park are located. At other places it is impossible to find a hut or house, designed for tourists. The area is interesting for its cultural and cognitive aspects.
It is believed that the mountain is named after the local Indian tribes, who inhabited these lands for thousands of years. From Indian. "chisos" can be translated as "ghost" or "spirit", but if the name comes from the Castilian word "hechizo", then the name is associated with the word magic.
The tourist base Chisos is located at high altitudes and offers 72 comfortable rooms in which smoking is prohibited. The station is the starting point for many activities in the Park - horseback riding, biking, rafting on the Rio Grande, hiking and climbing the Chisos hills.
