Flight to Big Bend Ranch State Park GPS: 29°28.18'N 103°56.20'W Elevation: 4250' March 2009 by Tom Penick Email:   tom@tomzap.com Main Index Big Bend Ranch State Park Lajitas, Texas Flight to Huatulco Flight to Manzanillo Flight to Oaxaca Flight to Puerto Escondido Flight Planning: Airnav Flight Planning: Globalair About • Home • Search What's New?

Our Piper Arrow Big Bend Ranch airport, from the east

Background

Ever since Lajitas, Texas, was lost to the rich and pompous, we have been looking for an out-of-the-way retreat where the remote beauty of the Big Bend area could be enjoyed yet be accessible by small airplane. Big Bend Ranch State Park, with its 5500' paved airstrip seemed like a good candidate. The park is located west of Big Bend National Park in west Texas. I called the park, 432-358-4444, and reserved 2 nights at the Big House.

The Big House is the old ranch house of what used to be a private working ranch. The house was built in the early 1900s and has 3 rooms that rent for $100 a night. That seems a little pricey but I can appreciate what it must take to operate a 3-room hotel in such a remote location, and of course it's still less expensive than staying at Lajitas. The park also has a bunkhouse with separate quarters for men and women for $35/night. Meals are available at the bunkhouse, with arrangements made in advance, for $25/day. That IS a good deal.

The Airport

The information here is dated March 2009 and may not be current. Please verify airport data elsewhere such as AirNav.com and give the Big Bend Ranch State Park a call before flying in.

Runway 8/26 is asphalt, 5500 x 80 feet, and is in good condition (with a few weeds poking through). There are about 10 tie-downs at the west end; bring your own ropes. The wind sock is also at the west end. The wind in this area is most often out of the west so you will usually use runway 26. It is not lighted and there is no fuel available. There are mountains in the area but no significant obstructions nearby. The runway is almost a mile from the ranch but they will come out and pick you up. Just call before arrival and fly over the ranch before you land. AirNav.com reports 50 operations a year (1985). A park employee said they have someone fly in about once every week or two and there are a couple of fly-ins annually when there are many planes at the same time.

The airport was built by a former owner and is maintained by the park.

The Flight to Big Bend Ranch

We flew from Georgetown to Ozona to refuel. From Ozona to Big Bend Ranch it's only an hour and 20 minutes so we would have enough fuel to return to Ozona on the way back. When we arrived at Ozona, there was an overcast so I called Houston Center for a local IFR clearance. Although I could hear Houston, they could not hear us (we were at 6000') so we backtracked for 20 miles until we found an opening in the clouds and returned beneath the overcast and landed VFR. I called the airport from 8 miles out and was answered by the attendant who was actually at her home. I told her that we would be wanting fuel so she drove out to meet us, arriving just as we walked up to the building. She was a very friendly lady, we refueled, I called the ranch and got the local weather from Cindy at the bunkhouse (windy but no clouds), and we were on our way.

See Enroute to Big Bend Ranch State Park.

Navigating to the ranch by GPS was easy. The private airstrip (3TE3) was not in our Garmin database so I added a user waypoint named 3TE3. If you don't have a GPS you'd better be up on your pilotage skills. There is no radar service, no ATC, few VORs, no ADFs, and few airports with fuel. If you see a river with water in it, it's probably the Rio Grande; cross it and you're in Mexico. The flight from Ozona to the ranch was spectacular. The region possesses dramatic geological features and many are best appreciated from the air.

Upon arrival, we flew low around the ranch before landing. A park employee arrived shortly and took us to the office for check-in and then to the Big House.

At Big Bend Ranch

We were only booked for two nights, just enough time to check the place out and explore the surroundings. There was no cell phone service but there are several wireless networks on the ranch for internet access. On the first night, the Big House filled up with two couples besides ourselves. There was no one staying in the bunkhouse but it had been busy the week before with the Spring Break crowd. There was a nature trail behind the bunkhouse, Sauceda Nature Trail, about a mile long, and we explored it that afternoon. The other guests arrived by car. We quickly became friends and enjoyed the first evening meal of chicken fried steak at the bunkhouse (served at 6 pm).

See The Big House.

See Sauceda Nature Trail.

See Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch... Just some photos around Sauceda.

We were up early the following day and headed to the bunkhouse for breakfast which is served from 7:30 to 8:00 am. After breakfast we headed off for another walk down a creek bed out in front of the ranch compound which we had seen from the air. The flat terrain quickly turned into a rocky canyon with pools of water, a few trees and many birds.

See A Walk Down the Creek.

Back at the ranch, we were the only guests receiving lunch at the bunkhouse, which was served at 12 noon.

After lunch, we walked 1.3 miles west down the road to the trailhead for Cinco Tenajas.

See Walk to Cinco Tenajas.

The trail is only 0.9 mile long and leads to an overlook where you can see down into the canyon where the tenajas are located. Then the trail leads down the hill where you can walk down the creek bed to the tenajas. We were pretty tired on the walk back to the ranch headquarters. We saw only one car on the road on our way to the trailhead and none on the way back. We walked 6.5 miles today.

See Cinco Tenajas.

The Return Flight

There was weather brewing in central Texas so we left fairly early. A park employee gave us a ride to the airport. On the way out, we flew east over the Solitario. The Solitario is a collapsed volcanic dome that has weathered into a jagged rocky landscape but retains its circular profile. After a few photographs, we proceeded toward Ozona. We found Ozona overcast so continued to San Angelo where I got a local IFR clearance and we landed and refueled. I filed IFR to Georgetown, which only took 1:10 due to a strong tailwind.

A video of the Takeoff from Big Bend Ranch Airport.

A video of Skimming through the Cloud Tops IFR between San Angelo and Georgetown.

Conclusions

We found Big Bend Ranch State Park to be a great place to fly in to. If you drive, the road is long and bumpy and not well-traveled. Check your spare (locals may carry 2 or 3), fill up with gas, and carry water and food. The park should appeal to those who enjoy the outdoors and don't need a lot of amenities. The ranch would be a good place to hold a family reunion or other type of retreat. The facilities could accommodate a group of 30 or so. The Big House had electric heaters and a fireplace in every room. There was no air conditioning so I expect it gets hot in the summer. In March we needed neither heat nor AC as the 18" thick adobe walls kept the house at a constant temperature. We stayed busy by taking walks and lots of photos. Other activities are available like horseback riding and tours. The park also organizes special events periodically. Check their web site for details. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/ There is no store at the park so double check that you bring everything that you need.

The area has breathtaking beauty but it is not pristine. Ranching in the Big Bend turned a vast grassland into a vast desert. The higher elevations were once pine forests, harvested for local building materials. It doesn't seem likely that there will be a recovery. The park continues to run cattle on the property, though in small numbers. A semiannual cattle drive (one is in April) is one of the activities offered to guests. The geological features are more durable. Evidence of volcanic activity is everywhere. Mountains and mesas of dark stone line the horizon and contrast strikingly with the sky and clouds. The nighttime sky is also an impressive sight due to the dry air, altitude, and absence of light pollution.