• Sierra del Carmen

    Big Bend

    National Park Texas

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  • PANTHER JUNCTION VISITOR CENTER TEMPORARY CLOSURE

    The Panther Junction Visitor Center will be closed Tuesday May 28 and Wednesday May 29 for needed maintenance. Information, backcountry permits, and entrance fee payments can be taken care of at the Chisos Basin Visitor Center.

Emory Peak Trail Realignment

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Emory Peak Trail Realignment EA (2.87MB PDF)

The National Park Service (NPS) at Big Bend National Park is proposing a major trail realignment of the existing Emory Peak Trail in the high Chisos Mountains. The project would construct 1.19 miles (1.92 kilometers) of new trail to bypass a 0.53 mile (0.85 kilometer) segment of the existing trail, which is poorly designed and heavily eroded. The realignment would start at the Pinnacles Pass, which is approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) south of the Chisos Basin developed area.

The proposed realignment of the Emory Peak trail is needed to address visitor safety risks, resource damage, and an unsustainable trail design. From its junction with the Pinnacles Peak Trail, approximately 0.53 mile (0.85 kilometer) of the existing 0.90 mile (1.45 kilometer) long Emory Peak Trail is poorly designed, climbing straight up drainages and ridge lines. The trail has become heavily damaged by ongoing erosion, leading to resource damage and unsafe hiking conditions.

More information is available on this project at the NPS Park Planning website.

 

FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT—May 15, 2007 (116kb PDF File)

Did You Know?

Southwestern Earless Lizard

Common in Big Bend National Park, the Southwestern Earless Lizard has no external ear openings and is often referred to as the lizard with the pink shirt and green pants. More...