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Submission
Accessibility is not guaranteed. High-clearance vehicle needed to access Fresno Vista Campsite. Contact Big Bend Ranch State Park for more information.
Take plenty of water especially if hot that day. I only had 1 liter and it was not enough on cloudy day at 70 degrees F
Just off highway FM-170, a little beyond and to the right of the parking lot at the start of the West Main Trail in Big Bend Ranch State Park, this scenic overlook is a short, easily accessible walk along a flat footpath atop a rocky, cactus-strewn desert plateau. The path is not too long and there's no chance of getting lost here, as visibility extends far out in all directions, including southwards across towards the mountains in Mexico and east, north, and west deep into the State Park. Striking vistas of the surrounding canyons and mountains of Big Bend Ranch State Park, including Contrabando, Fresno and, on the distant northern horizon, the rim of the ancient collapsed volcanic dome called El Solitario.
My favorite place in Texas hands down. A million times better than Big Bend NP in my opinion, the panoramic views of Contrabando Trail West here are unchallenged. Fresno Creek/Fresno Divide is what I chose for the cover of my book "TEXAS BADLANDS: The Black and White Journey," (available on Amazon) and featured in Chapter 4 "The Other Side of Nowhere."
Furthermore this is the best hike in Texas!!! Follow the trail down the divide and break left into Fresno Creek for an amazing hike through the creek canyon walls, rock formations, and ruins all the way to the Buena Serte Flotation Mill and Wit-Roy Mine under the Flatiron Mountains. I saw Aoudads and wild Burros at the apex of the creek where water collects in a pool. You wont regret it!!!
