April 2025

After a gap of 2-1/2 years I finally got back to Big Bend in April, 2025. Because of the continuing drought, I had fairly low expectations for wildflower photography. That said, I found quite a few plants in bloom and even a few new species. Scenery photography was even more problematic because of various factors, including clouds and a bright moon that precluded Milky Way shots.

I decided to explore the Black Gap Wildlife Management area just east of Big Bend National Park. It is a property of over 100,000 acres bordering the park on the west, the Rio Grande on the south and east for 30 miles and private land to the north. The only access is along RM 2627 starting at US 385, south of Marathon shortly before Persimmon Gap. The road follows the northwest side of the Sierra del Carmen for 26 miles to the Rio Grande, ending at a fenced-off bridge over the river to La Linda, Mexico.

Camping is allowed in any of a couple dozen primitive campsites spread throughout the area, plus an additional number of fishing (FC) shelters along the Rio Grande. There is no potable water nor facilities.

I saw a number of odd-looking structures in the area that are called “guzzlers”. These are rain-fed watering troughs for wildlife, and there are dozens of them indicated on the map below.

This area is open to the public with a permit obtainable through Texas Parks and Wildlife. Although it is open to mountain biking, because of the long distances and heat I opted to explore using my Jeep.

Click here to see the wildflower images in Big Bend and here for more plants from Black Gap WMA.

Itinerary