Big Bend :: Cerro Castellan

After four nights at Rio Grande Village, I drove to the Castolon area and the Cottonwood Campground, at the south end of Big Bend National Park, on March 1st.

It is a very scenic drive of about 60 miles from Rio Grande Village to Castolon. You nearly circle the Chisos Mountains coming up from the east, passing by on the north, then following them along their western side. To say that the Chisos Mountains dominate the central landscape of the park would be an understatement.

The Chisos Mountains. From the northeast side, 15 miles or so from Rio Grande Village.

The high peak on the left is the South rim. This was taken at on overlook a few miles south of Castolon, using the 7x magnification of the zoom lens. The informational sign at the overlook stated that the South Rim was 16 miles away!

However, Cerro Castellan (also called Castolon Peak) is “the landmark” of the Castolon area, which was a small community whose name is believed to be a corruption of the spelling of Castellan.

The view from about seven miles south of Castolon. The Chisos mountains in the background, Cerro Castellan on the right, and the Rio Grande winding its way through the area.

Cerro Castellan, highlighted by the last rays of the sun at the end of another beautiful day. I stood out in the chilly wind for over an hour waiting and hoping for this moment! It was magnificent and lasted only a few seconds. It was also well worth the time and the cold hands!

Photographs taken on March 1, 2010.