The Chisos Mountains are a mountain range located in the Big Bend area of West Texas, United States and contained entirely within Big Bend National Park, the only mountain range in the United States to be fully contained within the boundary of a national park. It is also the southernmost mountain range in the continental United States and is contained within the Chihuahuan desert.

Furthermore, in the US, the Chisos Mountains are the most easterly and most southerly mountains that exceed 7000 feet in elevation.

Chisos possibly comes from the Castilian word hechizos meaning enchantment.

Highest Elevation: 7,825 feet (2,385 m)

Coordinates: 29.2460160, -103.305223

Last Eruption: 34-44 mya

Nearest City: Big Bend National Park

Range: Chisos Mountains is part of the Trans-Pecos Volcanic Field

Age: 34-44 million year old

Emory Peak, 7825 feet

Lost Mine Peak, 7535 feet.

Toll Mountain, 7415 feet.

Casa Grande Peak, 7325 feet.

In the middle of the Chisos Mountains is the Chisos Basis which is encircled by high vertical cliffs of weathered volcanic peaks. The only exception to this basin being completely enclosed is the western side where the low desert plain is visible through a V-shaped gap called The Window.

There is a patio adjacent to the lodge which faces the window and here, good photos can be taken. Too, a short trail from behind the general store leads to a bench with an excellent view of the setting sun on the distant horizon.

In the Basin and Range Region, there is the Madrean Archipelago Ecoregion in which are located many Madrean Sky Islands. These are enclaves of Madrean pine–oak woodlands, found at higher elevations in a complex of small mountain ranges primarily in southern and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. The sky islands are surrounded at lower elevations by the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. However, some of these sky islands can be found in the Northern Sierra Madre Oriental Region located in extreme west Texas.

The sky islands are the northernmost reaches of the Madrean pine–oak woodlands biome, and are so classified as part of the Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests ecoregion, which is an part of the tropical and subtropical coniferous forests biome. The sky islands were isolated from one another and from the larger pine–oak woodlands of the Sierra Madre Occidental to the south by the warming and drying of the climate since the ice ages.

There are approximately 27 Madrean sky islands in the United States, and 15 in northern Mexico.

Davis Mountains and Chisos Mountains

When I leave Lantry, I continue west on US 90 through the long desert stretch and then stop in Marathon, Texas where I gas up and buy some vegetables at the French market. After that, I turn south on US 385 and drive another long desert stretch headed for the national park.

I arrive in the park but it is already after five pm and both the entrance and visitors center are closed so I can not stop for a bumper sticker.

After stopping at Panther Junction visitors center, I continue my drive into the park, turn south at the Basin Junction and follow Green Gulch up into the Chisos Mountains to the Chisos Lodge.

When I arrive in the Chisos Basin, I park in the lodge parking lot, go into the general store but find that they are also sold out of bumper stickers.

Next, I walk up to the gift shop in the lodge but find the same there. While in the lodge, I notice that there is a patio with a grand view of the window, so I walk back to the jammer to get my camera.

I then return to the patio and get ready for the sunset during which I notice a peculiar bird about six inches that is flitting around the parking area so I begin taking photos and trying to id the bird in my book. It is not until later when I go into a visitors center that a volunteer tells me right away that it is a Vermilion Flycatcher.

Then, the sky within the window begins to fill with an orange similar to an apricot. Below, the valley ridges are highlighted in various shades of gray offset with lighter colored fog.

From Fort Davis, I drive 130 miles to Big Bend National Park and upon coming into sight of the Chisos Mountains, I begin to stop often and take photos of the many peaks and other interesting features.

Once in the national park, I stop first at the Basin where there is a store and a visitor center. I am surprised to find an entirely different environment here than I had expected. Yes, this entire area is a desert, however, here in this isolated Basin I find a lot of trees, both conifers and woody dicotous, a small part of the Desert Mountain ecoregion called Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands area. Too, there are many animals in this small green sky island refuge within this huge desert.

One of the workers in the restaurant has told me about a trail that begins behind the store and leads to a superb location to view The Window at sunset. When the sun begins to cast color upon the mountainside, I begin my walk upon what I deem as The Window Trail.

In the middle of the Chisos Mountains is the Chisos Basis which is encircled by the high vertical cliffs of weathered volcanic peaks. The only exception to this basin being completely enclosed is the western side where through a V-shaped gap called The Window, the low desert plain is visible.

A short trail from behind the general store leads to an excellent location to view the setting sun on the distant horizon.

I awake long before daysping and during late October, it doesn′t get light until eight in the morning. I will wait here until sunglow before driving to the river. The sun finally makes a show but because the cold front that blew in last night brought with it a large cloud cover, it is past eight before I get started.

I drive up out of the Basin into the clouds to reach the pass. Then, I drive down from there to the desert floor and out to the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic Riverway at the Boquillas Canyon overlook which does not provide much of a view of the canyon. Because of the lack of a river view, I am not near as impressed with this portion of the park as I was with the Chisos Basin.

Too, the desert here is just that, another desert. I guess to really see the river and the canyons, one must take a river ride and I do not see that happening for me any time soon.

Before I depart from Big Bend national park, I turn south on a wash,drive to the river at another location and then walk along the Rio Grande about a quarter of a mile to the hot springs.