The goal of this Tortuga Trip is to spend more time exploring National Forest Lands, and we had three great days in the Guadalupe Ranger District to kick off the first backcountry exploration of the trip that have set the bar high for the rest of the trip!
After the climb to Guadalupe Peak (the highest point in Texas) was complete and the stiffness of the effort was creeping in a few hours into the later afternoon, a decision had to be made. Stay in the national park for another night and rest, or drive to Carlsbad with sore and achy muscles and seek advice from the Forest Ranger on the next phase of the trip, our jumping off point into the national forests at Lincoln National Forest.
Up to this point, the no-utility RV parking spot at Guadalupe National Park (Pine Springs) was virtually empty, until the early afternoon. All of a sudden, new visitors showed up, and because of the 90-plus degree heat, one by one, they decided to stay inside their rigs and start their auxiliary generators. After the third one fired up, the decision was made… time to leave and head off to Carlsbad.
The Ranger station would be closed by the time we arrived, so accommodations had to be made. Several phone calls later it was clear that the RV sites in Carlsbad were full, but the Tortuga found the one last spot at Carlsbad RV park on the southern boundary of the city.
For those that have not RV-ed or needed a rare RV spot with utilities while traveling Texas – be advised! Most sites are full (especially on weekends)! On the east side of the state there is very little public land, so everyone goes to state parks. It is difficult to find an empty spot at a state park on a weekend 6 months in advance. Because weekend spots are so valuable people will reserve a spot and not go just to maintain an option even though they lose $20. (The Tortuga has virtually redesigned the state park reservation/cancellation system many, many times.)
As you travel west in Texas, you will find plenty of RV spaces but they are not really parks. They are work camps. People from all over the world have travelled to Texas to work the oil fields. Some sites are just rather desolate utilities in the ground while others have all the bells and whistles (pool, cable tv, wi-fi, shower facilities).
Well, Carlsbad RV was one of the better desert RV parks and had one spot left so we slid in to allow all systems to be charged.
Early the next day, off to the National Forest Ranger Station. The National Forests are so cool. They are nothing like the National Park Service, which has a noble but increasingly crowded mission to draw people into the country’s natural wonders. The Forest Service is more about preserving vast amounts of lands and resources, not necessarily accommodating people, and definitely not doing too much hand-holding for recreational activities… Perfect for the Tortuga. That being said, the National Forests still produce (NB: sometimes not perfectly accurate) maps, maintain hiking and multi-use trails, and give you information about how to explore – you just have to do a bit more digging and looking to find out about it.
Once at the Headquarters for the Guadalupe Mountain section of the Lincoln National Forest, we were greeted by Dennis.
In less than 30 minutes he gave the Tortuga great insights on road conditions, camping sites, and all of the favorite places he goes when he is not saving people doing stupid stuff like hiking in flip flops and with no water up rocky, hot trails in the middle of summer. The Tortuga commiserated that we had seen people hiking up Guadalupe Peak in the heat of the afternoon (while we were hiking down) with poor shoes, no sun protection, and definitely not enough water. The Tortuga is a gear head, if you haven’t noticed, so for better or worse, spends a lot of time on the trail shaking heads at unprepared people. (Note: people who are dehydrated get confused and spook easily, and Dennis ends up having to chase people down canyons who need help but are running and hiding from him.)
It is always good to see people that are passionate about what they are doing and Dennis’ advice turned out to be spectacular. You never know who you are going to meet in ranger offices, but in the Tortuga’s experience stopping at ranger stations to talk about conditions and get advice is a key and usually very rewarding part of any journey.
The plan for the rest of the day was hatched – to go to Sitting Bull Falls, swim and soak tired Tortuga hiking legs in the cold water, then find our way into the southern portion of the Lincoln National Forest and find a hopefully secluded place to camp.
30 miles of straight desert driving later led us to a road that slalomed up to a steep-walled canyon. The end of the road was a parking lot and picnic pavilions that were made by the CCC right after the depression (and cleaned up several times recently following repeated flood and fire damage). Dennis told us about two secret (well, seldom used pools) just a mile hike away, and the Tortuga started up another rather steep and rocky trail, wondering if the previous day’s sore muscles from Guadalupe Peak would like another trail like this or not. Well, half way up the hill heavy storm clouds and lightening in the distance gave the Tortuga an excuse to head back down and just take it easy at the main falls site. One mile more should not present a clear and present danger; and rest, while sometime difficult to do when so many things are one mile more within reach, is always the better decision after a big day.
As the overcast sky rumbled and a few rain drops fell, the Tortuga headed down the paved trail to the main Sitting Bull Falls overlook and swimming area. Much to the Tortuga’s surprise it was an amazing a desert oasis. Water was cascading down well over 150 feet to the canyon floor to form clear cold ponds. Dennis said the pools had healing powers and after soaking for 90 minutes in the desert paradise the Tortuga ALMOST forgot the 10-mile more hike up Guadalupe Peak the previous day.
After a quick rinse off and some lunch the Tortuga headed down Forest Road 540 towards “Five Point Vista” to find a spot for the night. This gravel but well maintained county road was like a Tortuga super highway, and had stunning views with gorgeous turn-out vista spots all along the road suitable for roadside dispersed camping. The Tortuga settled into “Javelina Vista” and enjoyed a beautiful sunset and a feeling of the trip really getting started. On the road that day, the Tortuga only encountered 3 people on ATVs heading down, the last people the Tortuga would spot for the next three days.
The next day the Tortuga headed north up Forest Road 67, a rougher road but still easy driving for the Tortuga. The surprised and spooked cows told us that the road doesn’t see much traffic. Our original goal was the “Freezeout Canyon” area, recommended by Dennis as a good spot to explore and hike around since there’s a convergence of several trails and paths. After scouting out a few spots in the vicinity in the quickly rising early afternoon heat, the Tortuga decided the spot might be better for a winter (not summer) afternoon and headed up the road to find a spot on the Guadalupe Rim where the chance of a constant cooling breeze would be greater. A few miles down the road Tortuga found the evening’s spot, a gorgeous (if not level) overlook where we could gaze in admiration at our work conquering Guadalupe Peak and the wide, low valley before us. After setting up camp, a welcome afternoon of tinkering and relaxing followed, all while watching pop up desert thunderstorms on the horizon chase all around the site without actually hitting us.
The evening ended with a spectacular lighting show and light rain, and a good night’s sleep wondering what the next day will bring, planning to exit the Guadalupe District portion and head into the Sacramento up towards Cloudcroft. The Tortuga loved the Guadalupe District, especially how the only signs of human life in several days were a few dim headlights far on the horizon and lights of Dell City in the distance – perfect.