Seminole Canyon State Park, TX
03/21–03/26 | Site 45
We arrived at Seminole Canyon around 5p on the 21st, got settled into our flower-filled campsite, and hung up our mosquito netting for the first time so we could sleep with the sliding door wide open. After camping at Lost Maples (during spring break), Seminole Canyon felt remote, quiet, and peaceful — even though most of the campsites were full.
WEATHER
The weather was perfect for experiencing the West Texas desert — cloudy and misty in the morning, burning off sometime between 1p and 3p each day. We tried to get out and move around during the cloudy times and be back in the shade in the afternoon since the desert offered literally no protection from the sun.
DAY 1 (3/22)
Our first full day there, we biked the West Trail out to see Panther Cave, a cave painting across the Rio Grande only accessible by boat. We then biked a bit of the Canyon Rim Trail, which was beautiful and (as the name suggests) followed the rim of the canyon. Both trails were easy going, very little elevation, with beautiful views surrounding us.
DAY 2 (3/23)
After a slow morning, I went for a 3-hour bird walk by myself while Spencer tied up a few loose ends in the van. It was an incredible experience to walk through the desert landscape alone — I saw only one other person the entire time, the solitude was all-encompassing. When I got back, Spencer had installed the tarp awning, which was crucial for staying cool in the Texas heat!
DAY 3 (3/24)
Spencer went on a bike ride in the morning while I hung out at the campsite and did some work. My parents arrived around 2p and we went on the Fate Bell cave tour to see the cave paintings below the visitor center. After biking and hiking on the rim for several days, it was awesome to be able to get down into the canyon. In the evening, while my parents got their camper settled, Spencer and I made a veggie curry and then after dinner we made a fire and had some amazing clear sky stargazing.
DAY 4 (3/25)
We went on a 4-hour bird walk with my parents. It was a pretty slow pace (lots of birds to see!!) which gave Spencer tons of time to document the ridiculous diversity of wildflowers (see below). When we got back, my parents moved to their campsite and got dinner going — a hearty lentil soup! We had some whiskey for my birthday, and lounged in hammocks at their campsite for a while before going back to ours to prep for our departure the following morning.
FLOWERS
The most magical part of being at Seminole was the wildflower superbloom they were experiencing. There were literally flowers everywhere, and so many different kinds. It made walking through the desert such a magical experience, with tiny glorious discoveries in every square foot of land.
BIRD LIST:
Common Poorwill — Great-horned Owl — Cactus Wren — Hooded Oriole — Great Kiskadee — Barn Swallow — White-throated Swift — Black Vulture — Turkey Vulture — Golden-fronted Woodpecker — Vermillion Flycatcher — Loggerhead Shrike — Northern Rough-winged Swallow — Canyon Wren — Blue-grey Gnatcatcher — Black-tailed Gnatcatcher — Northern Mockingbird — Cedar Waxwing — Cassin’s Sparrow — Black-throated Sparrow — Lark Sparrow — Lark Bunting — Canyon Towhee — Pyrrhuloxia
