POINTS OF INTEREST

McDonald Observatory is located sixteen miles northwest of Fort Davis on Hwy. 118. McDonald Observatory Visitors' Information Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The Visitors' Center is the check-in point for all daytime and evening visitor activities. A one-hour guided tour of some of the telescopes is offered at various times. Star parties with night viewing through the telescopes are also offered. For a recorded message and program times, call 877-984-7827. For reservations/information, call 432-426-3640, or write McDonald Observatory Visitors' Information Center, HC75 Box 1337VC, Fort Davis, TX 79734. Visit www.mcdonaldobservatory.org

Davis Mountains State Park and Indian Lodge State Park are located four miles west of Fort Davis on Hwy. 118. Facilities include camping for tents, full hookups for RVs and showers, as well as an interpretive center, trails for hiking, wildlife viewing areas, and picnic areas. Indian Lodge, located within Davis Mountains State Park, is a historic pueblo-style accommodation with a full-service restaurant and gift shop. For Davis Mountains State Park call432-426-3337, and for Indian Lodge State Park call 432-426-3254.

Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute is located four miles south of Fort Davis on Hwy. 118. The arboretum features a living collection of trees and shrubs from throughout the region, while the greenhouse houses over 240 species of Chihuahuan Desert cacti and succulents that are propagated for research and exhibition. The Visitors' Center contains exhibits on the natural diversity of the Chihuahuan Desert, as well as the Leapin' Lizard Nature Shop. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 432-364-2499, or visit www.cdri.org

Overland Trail Museum, located in the town of Fort Davis two blocks west of the Stone Village Motel, is operated by the Fort Davis Historical Society. The museum displays clothing, pictures, furniture, cooking utensils, and tools of local families. Open March through October, Tuesday and Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.. For information, call 432-426-3161.

Neill Doll Museum is located in the town of Fort Davis, seven blocks west of the Courthouse in the historic Trueheart house, constructed in 1898. Now a National and State Historic Landmark, the home has an extensive collection of antique dolls, furniture, and buggies. The museum is open June 1 through Labor Day. Call 432-426-3969 or 432-426-3838 for hours and off-season arrangements.

Museum of the Big Bend is located off Hwy. 90 east on the Sul Ross University Campus in Apline. The museum has been collecting and displaying artifacts of the Big Bend region for over seventy years. The museum has a Discovery Center for children. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 1p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 432-837-8143, or visit www.sulross.edu/~museum/

Balmorhea State Park is located thirty miles north of Fort Davis on Hwy. 17. The park has a 1.75-acre pool fed by the waters of San Solomon Springs. The water temperature is 74 degrees year round. The park also has a campground and motel accommodations, as well as a picnic area. For information, call 432-375-2370.

Chinati Foundation is twenty-two miles south of Fort Davis on Hwy. 17 in the town of Marfa. This unique museum houses the permanent collection of Donald Judd, John Chamberlain, and other contemporary artists. The museum includes over fifteen buildings of the former army post of Fort D. A. Russell. For information on hours, call 432-729-4362.

Marfa Lights viewing area is twenty miles south of Fort Davis on Hwy. 17, then nine miles east of Marfa on Hwy. 90. Since the 19th century, there have been reports of mysterious lights in the area. The Marfa Lights Festival is held over Labor Day weekend. For information, call the Marfa Chamber of Commerce at 800-650-9696 or 432-729-4942.

Scenic Loop is a 75-mile drive through the Davis Mountains. This tour takes you past Davis Mountains and Indian Lodge State Parks, McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis National Historic Site, Mount Livermore (8,382 feet / 2,780 meters), Sawtooth Mountain (7,746 feet / 2,600 meters), and the Rock Pile. A large picnic area is located in Madera Canyon. For more information, contact the Fort Davis Chamber of Commerce at 800-524-3015, or visit www.fortdavis.com

Big Bend National Park, named for the great turn the Rio Grande River makes at the border of West Texas and Mexico, contains over 800,000 acres. Three scenic highways provide access to the park. From Marathon take US 385, from Alpine take Texas Hwy. 118, and from Presidio take FM 170. Campgrounds are located at Rio Grande Village (also an RV park), Chisos Basin, and Castolon. For more information, call 432-477-2251, write the Superintendent, Big Bend NP, TX 79834, or visit www.nps.gov/bibe

Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River: The Rio Grande has carved three major canyons in Big Bend National Park. The river has 118 miles in the park and 127 miles in the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River downstream from the park. In certain locations, there can be whitewater--dangerous to the novice. For more information, call 432-477-2251, write the Superintendent, Big Bend NP, TX 79834, or visit www.nps.gov/bibe

Big Bend Ranch State Park is a 280,000-acre preserve in the Chihuahuan Desert. The park preserves the rugged mountains, desert canyons, and over twenty-six miles of the Rio Grande River. Activities include hiking, camping, and rafting. Permits and information can be obtained from the Visitor Center at Fort Leaton State Historic Site outside of Presidio, or from the Barton Warnock Environmental Education Center at Lajitas. For more information, write Big Bend Ranch State Park, P.O. Box 1180, Presidio, TX 79845, or call 432- 229-3416.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park preserves the rugged spirit and remote wilderness of the American West. There, in the ancient mountains that tower so majestically into the Texas sky, a visitor can delight in grand views, diverse landscapes and small pleasures. Campgrounds and Visitor Centers are located at the Park Headquarters near Pine Springs, at McKittrick Canyon, and at Dog Canyon. For information, write Guadalupe Mountains National Park, HC60, Box 400, Salt Flat,TX 79847, call 915-828-3251, or visit www.nps.gov/gumo

Fort Leaton State Historic Site features an adobe fortress built by Ben Leaton in 1848, immediately after the Mexican War. Leaton was an Indian trader and was often accused of encouraging Indian raids on settlements in nearby Mexico. The old fort had more than forty rooms; twenty-four of them have been restored. The fort is located four miles east of Presidio on FM 170. For more information, call 432-229-3613.

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