Hiking the Trail to the Famous Healing Hot Springs of Big Bend
On the Rio Grande
Many of the back roads in Big Bend National Park are labeled as four-wheel drive only. Some of these are two-lane rut roads and the center is piled up high enough that we would drag the bottom of the car.
The road to the Hot Springs says that all vehicles should be able to make it halfway, where there is a small parking area, but then the last half of the trail is iffy. It did not specify 4x4 only, so we continued past the halfway point. The narrow winding road is very, very narrow, and a little rough, but we made it.
The healing waters of these hot springs have drawn travelers to this area for thousands of years. I was excited to see it.
At the end of the long stone lane is a small parking area. The first thing I noticed were ruins of a home on a hill to the right. This rock house was built by Charles Livingston in the 1920s.
As we walk the path to the hot springs, we come upon ruins of the resort built by homesteader J. O. Langford in the early 1900s. In 1927 he built a post office and store.
Langford also built a motor court to accommodate the growing number of travelers visiting his resort.
Only the foundation of the bathhouse at the hot springs remains. I can’t show you a photo of this square foundation because it was filled with people soaking in the hot 105-degree healing waters.
While hiking the trail along the cliffs beside the river, we found a colony of gourd-shaped mud nests on the cliffs. These nests are the homes of Cliff Swallows. I didn’t get any photos of the swallows, just the nests.
We also found six wild horses in the Rio Grande River. They were hiding behind some tall grass. They allowed us to get pretty close to take some photos without being spooked. Someone said they belong to somebody but roam free. We found hoof prints and horse dung all over the place.
If you ever visit Big Bend National Park, don’t miss the Hot Springs in the east.
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