Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Big Bend, Grapevine Hills Trail - 2/09/15

Our last adventure here at Big Bend National Park was to hike the Grapevine Hills Trail to Balanced Rock today. The trailhead is 6.4 miles down Grapevine Hills Road. Traveling west on Rte 118, turn right onto Grapevine Hills Road (about 3 miles from Panther Junction and a short distance past the left turn to Chisos Basin).

Most of the road is unpaved but the final mile is a primitive road (and was slow-going for us in the Mini Cooper). This is when we wish we had a Jeep!  Regardless, we arrived at the parking area where the trail starts without a problem. If it's raining, and you don't have 4-wheel drive, wait for another day to drive here.

The trail is 2.2 miles round trip. The initial .85 miles of the trail follows a sandy wash through a boulder field.


There are crazy rock formations on both sides of the wash.




My hiking companion.

The last .25 mile is a steep climb that leads up to the large balanced rock formation.

Yep, that's the trail. Fortunately, it is well marked.


The reward at the end of the trail is the amazing balanced rock.

Hercules...one hand!

No, the picture is not photoshopped, it is an illusion. The rock is actually a good 6-8 feet above his hand.

It is fascinating how wind and water have caused this rock formation to naturally occur. It is quite a sight to behold. We spent some time at the end of the trail exploring the area. As you may surmise, there is a nice breeze up here.
From balanced rock. 
The return hike.



We loved this place. It is an easy trail (although quite hot even in February) except for the last part. And the road is a little rough for the final mile, but we were glad that we saw the unusual rock formations here.

Check out the Big Bend website for more information on hiking trails in the park.

Website:  www.nps.gov/bibe

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