Text from National Park Service news release, condensed by Paula Dittrick, TMNCPC blog master. Photo and map from NPS.
The National Park Service plans a new hiking trail near Panther Junction Visitor Center, but the trail tentatively will not open until 2022. The Lone Mountain Trail will circumnavigate the base of Lone Mountain, north of park headquarters.
After a long drive to Big Bend, many visitors want a hike upon reaching Panther Junction Visitor Center but no trails exist there yet.
“The new trail will offer a moderately challenging 3-mile loop through the Chihuahuan Desert,” NPS said in a news release. A loop, starting and ending at Panther Junction, will offer views of the Chisos, Rosillos, and Dead Horse Mountains and volcanic features of Lone Mountain.
Initially, NPS considered a 10-mile, multi-use trail that would have allowed mountain biking, but the biking option was dropped. Big Bend Ranch State Park and Lajitas Resort offer 135 miles of mountain biking trails. Big Bend’s 181 miles of unpaved 2-wheel and 4-wheel drive roads are open to bicycle use.
Construction of the new trail is planned for 2022. Initially, no additional parking area or facilities are planned, but if usage warrants it, NPS will consider alternative parking or trailhead configurations at a future date, the agency said.