Name: Ernst Tinaja
Rating: 4.5

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Family Friendly This route is a short outing that leads to a beautiful tinaja surrounded by limestone rock, which makes for the perfect hands on lesson about Big Bend's natural ecosystem.

It is a several mile drive on a primitive lane dirt road so take caution if it has recently rained. On a normal day, the drive can be made by a non 4WD vehicle.

Overview

A short hike through an exciting canyon to a naturally-carved, rock pool. Be careful on the slick rock surfaces especially when near the tinaja.

Description

A well-marked trailhead is located five miles down Old Ore Road from the southern end of Big Bend. From there, a short hike on a sandy wash leads to an emerald tinaja surrounded by limestone walls. The tinaja is easily accessible and holds water all year round. It is not recommended to swim here as the water is quite cold and the walls are very slippery. Be careful near the edge. Numerous animals have fallen in over the years and been unable to get back out.

It is just under a mile from the trailhead to the largest tinaja. You can continue on from there but it will require some scrambling over large boulders. There are several other smaller tinaja along the way that do not always have water.

Once over all the boulders, you emerge on the other side of the canyon on a desert plateau with incredible scenic views. The second half of the trail is probably not well-suited for young children as the bouldering is quite challenging in some areas.