Mule Ears Trail, TX

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK

The Rio Grande River comes down out of Colorado, heads south through New Mexico, and passes through El Paso Texas where it now becomes the border between the United States and Mexico. The river flows 1254 miles in a southeast direction toward the Gulf of Mexico, but before getting there, it turns to the North East, creating a momentary bend in the river; this Is Big Bend National Park. The mountains in this park are a continuation of a mountain range in Mexico that will continue into the US through Guadalupe National Park and New Mexico. The highest point in this park is Emory Peak, at 7800 feet. This park is probably one of the remotest parks in the contiguous United States. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, it has a lot to offer in hiking, camping, and general sightseeing.


MULE EARS TRAILOverview
The Mule Ears are a volcanic rock outcrop on the southwest flank of the Chisos Mountains that look like, you guessed it, mule ears. The Mule Ears are quite prominent along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Road once you pass over Burro Mesa. This 3.6-mile trail starts at the Mule Ears overlook and ends at the junction of the Smokey Creek trail in Smoky Creek. Besides the remarkable views along the trail of the mule ears, the trail also crosses over Mule Ears Spring.

Description
The trailhead for the Mule ears Trail is at a signed parking area along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. The trail starts at the Mule Ears overlook, where there is an excellent view of the mule ears. This trail is easy to follow with about 400 feet of elevation gain over 3 miles. At 2 miles in, the trail crosses Mule Ears Spring which was flowing pretty well when we were here in Early Spring. The cattails and ferns were growing near the spring, and the brush was pretty thick. The remains of an old rock corral are also near the spring.

At about 3 miles, the trail reaches its highest point before making a 300-foot descent into Smokey Creek. If you decide that you don’t need to go down to Smokey creek and make the 300-foot descent, this is a good turnaround point. The Smokey Creek Trail starts at the end of the Mule Ears Trail and heads north, eventually connecting up with the Dodson Trail nine miles later. The point of all this about the Smokey creek Trail is that if you get to the end of the Mule Ears Trail, you have no other option but to return the way you came. There are some great views of the Mule Ears in the area near the junction.

2021-05-22 markthurman53