37. Texas - Lonestar State I

37. Texas - Lonestar State I

From New Mexico to Texas - Guadalupe Mountains NP Texas, El Paso, Big Bend, Chihuahua desert, Rio Grande, border of Mexico, Bentsen Rio Grande State Park

From the sprawling deserts of New Mexico, we crossed into Texas, the Lone Star State. Nicknamed for its brief history as an independent republic. It has been a slave state for long time. Texas is a land of contrasts: legendary cowboy culture, large vibrant cities, Tex-Mex feasts, and the iconic hospitality of the South. With its vast landscapes and rich history, it’s a place where oil rigs and rodeos coexist, and where cattle ranches share space with cutting-edge technology hubs.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park
After wrapping up a visit to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, we arrived in Texas just in time for lunch. Our first stop was Guadalupe Mountains National Park, home to the state’s highest peak, Guadalupe Peak (2,700m). The 4-hour hike up and back was challenging, especially with patches of ice and snow on the trail, but the breathtaking views at the summit made it worthwhile. We snapped photos, snacked on crackers, muffins, and beef jerky, and hurried down before darkness fell—sunsets come early this time of year.

Hueco Tanks State Park
Next, we headed to Hueco Tanks State Park, a boulderer’s paradise and a site of rich history. The “huecos” (natural rock basins) collect rainwater, providing a lifeline for desert wildlife and humans alike. Ancient pictographs etched into the granite-like walls tell stories of the past. The rocks, still damp from recent rains, had just reopened for climbing. We met a lively group of Mexican travelers—Bruno, George, Priscilla, and Alejandra. We spent an amazing day scrambling over boulders and bouldering together—the more crash pads, the merrier! Bruno was super cool and absolutely incredible—he effortlessly climbed grades as tough as V13, which is mind-blowing. To be fair, both he and his sister are pros in the field—they own a bouldering gym back in Mexico. The evening ended with a shared dinner at the campsite, under the clear Texan sky, before we set off for El Paso.

El Paso Adventures
In El Paso, we explored Franklin Mountains State Park. The Cow Tech MTB trail challenged us with its rocky, cactus-filled terrain, while the hike up South Franklin Peak offered sweeping views of McKelligon Canyon. The strenuous Ron Coleman trail, with its iconic 40-foot “Window” wall, demanded some all-fours climbing but rewarded us with spectacular vistas. Theo celebrated the day with authentic Texan ribs and baked potatoes—just what he envisioned for a Texan experience. "Big people and cheap gas—this is exactly what he imagined the U.S. to be like. Texas truly has it all."

We squeezed in more biking and climbing at Thunderbird before grabbing a quick bite at Whataburger and heading to Big Bend National Park, a six-hour drive.

Big Bend and the Chihuahua Desert
“El Despoblado,” or “the uninhabited place,” is a term often used to describe the Chihuahua Desert, but Big Bend proves it to be anything but empty. Its rugged beauty inspired 19th-century French traveler Jules Leclerc, who called it “a landscape of strangeness and supreme melancholy.”

We explored trails like the Closed Canyon and the Hoodoos, which border Mexico. The Santa Elena Canyon Trail offered a scenic scramble, ending with a stunning overlook where the cliffs meet the Rio Grande.

The Chimneys Trail took us past volcanic dike formations adorned with ancient pictographs and petroglyphs. Theo tackled the IMBA MTB Epic trail, a grueling 90-kilometer route through the vast desert with great view on the dramatic Flatirons of the Solitario.

The Chihuahua Desert, spanning 200,000 square miles, is the largest and hottest in North America. Despite its harshness, life thrives here. Cacti, limestone formations, and hardy creatures like roadrunners, coyotes, and javelinas (wild boars) defy the odds in this arid environment.

A Few Odd Encounters
At the Amistad National Recreation Area, we enjoyed biking, climbing, and spotting wildlife. A visit to a laundromat, whimsically named “Whishy Whasy,” brought us face-to-face with a quirky Mexican man. He regaled us with tales of his pest control business (a lucrative $1,000 for two hours of work!) and his brother’s ranch where hallucinogenic peyote grows. His vivid, if unsettling, stories included a jail stint after a tequila-fueled bar fight where he stepped a man with a fork.

Culinary Highlights
We treated ourselves to juicy chicken drumsticks from Church’s Texas Chicken, paired with their famous honey-butter biscuits—sweet, flaky, and unforgettable.

Endless Summer in Texas
As November drew to a close, Texas gifted us with 80°F (25°C) sunshine, a reminder of its endless summer. Whether scaling peaks, navigating desert trails, or sharing laughs over Tex-Mex meals, this Lone Star chapter of our journey has been unforgettable.Les mer