Chisos Mountains

Chisos Mountains
Chisos Mountains
	The Chisos Mountains as photographed facing southeast
Highest point
Peak	Emory Peak
Elevation	7,825 ft (2,385 m)
Coordinates	29°14′45″N103°18′14″W / 29.24583°N 103.30389°W
Geography
	Chisos Mountains
Country	United States
State	Texas
Range coordinates	29°16′N103°18′W / 29.267°N 103.300°W

Last updated January 20, 2025

South rim sunset (left) and approaching rain (right)

The Chisos Mountains, also known as the Chisos, are a mountain range located in the Big Bend area of the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, United States.^[1] The mountain system covers 40 square miles (104 square km) and is contained entirely within the boundaries of Big Bend National Park, making it the only mountain range in the United States fully contained within a national park.^[1]^[2] The Chisos Mountains are the southernmost mountain range in the mainland United States.

Location

The Chisos Mountains are located in Big Bend National Park. The range of mountains extends twenty miles from Punta de la Sierra in the southwest to Panther Junction in the northeast. An extensive trail system and permit-required backcountry campsites are maintained by Big Bend National Park for its visitors.^[4] The Northeast Rim and Southeast Rim trails are closed from February 1 through May 31 along with some of the backcountry campsites along these trails to protect the local peregrine falcon population.^[4]

The mountain area is partly forested (recovering from logging and overgrazing prior to the area's inclusion in the National Park System in the 1930s), and surrounded by the Chihuahuan Desert. The nearby towns include Study Butte, Terlingua, Fort Stockton, 135 miles north, Alpine, 105 mi (169 km) northwest and Presidio, about 100 mi (160 km) west. Two Mexican towns (Boquillas and Santa Elena) border the park; and cross-border access was reopened in 2011.^[5]

Etymology

One of the multiple possibilities of the origin of the name is the option that it stems from hechizos, a Castilian word meaning "enchantment". Another possibility is the option that the word originated from chisos, a Native American word meaning "ghost" or "spirit".^[2]

Peaks

Emory Peak 7,835 ft (2,388 m)^[1]
Townsend Point 7,574 ft (2,309 m)^[6]
Lost Mine Peak 7,535 ft (2,297 m)^[1]
Toll Mountain 7,415 ft (2,260 m)^[1]
Casa Grande Peak 7,325 ft (2,233 m)^[1]

Climate

Elevation: 5,300 feet (1,615 m)^[7]

Climate data for Chisos Basin, Texas (Aug 1, 1943–Mar 31, 2013)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	82 (28)	84 (29)	96 (36)	96 (36)	99 (37)	103 (39)	102 (39)	99 (37)	97 (36)	94 (34)	89 (32)	87 (31)	103 (39)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	58.3 (14.6)	61.8 (16.6)	68.7 (20.4)	76.3 (24.6)	82.8 (28.2)	86.8 (30.4)	84.8 (29.3)	83.7 (28.7)	79.5 (26.4)	73.8 (23.2)	65.2 (18.4)	59.4 (15.2)	73.4 (23.0)
Daily mean °F (°C)	47.6 (8.7)	50.4 (10.2)	56.4 (13.6)	63.9 (17.7)	70.7 (21.5)	75.1 (23.9)	74.2 (23.4)	73.2 (22.9)	69.0 (20.6)	62.9 (17.2)	54.2 (12.3)	48.7 (9.3)	62.2 (16.8)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	36.9 (2.7)	39.1 (3.9)	44.1 (6.7)	51.5 (10.8)	58.5 (14.7)	63.3 (17.4)	63.7 (17.6)	62.7 (17.1)	58.6 (14.8)	51.9 (11.1)	43.2 (6.2)	37.9 (3.3)	51.0 (10.6)
Record low °F (°C)	−3 (−19)	1 (−17)	12 (−11)	25 (−4)	37 (3)	45 (7)	53 (12)	52 (11)	34 (1)	19 (−7)	13 (−11)	4 (−16)	−3 (−19)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.68 (17)	0.58 (15)	0.41 (10)	0.62 (16)	1.59 (40)	2.21 (56)	3.39 (86)	3.12 (79)	2.48 (63)	1.51 (38)	0.57 (14)	0.51 (13)	17.67 (449)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	0.8 (2.0)	0.5 (1.3)	0.1 (0.25)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.4 (1.0)	0.3 (0.76)	2.1 (5.3)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.001 in)	3.59	2.99	2.22	2.74	4.51	7.30	9.60	8.88	7.64	4.77	2.90	2.83	60.19
Source: Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute ^[8]

Wildlife

Ornithology
- Birds of the Chisos Mountains include 81 total known species that live within six different plant associations.^[9] The six plant associations along with the number of known species within them include: the Arroyo-Mesquite-Acacia Association (31 species), the Lechuguilla-Creosotebush-Cactus Association (13 species), the Sotol-Grass Association (32 species), the Deciduous Woodland Association (42 species), the Pinyon-Juniper-Oak Association (32 Species), and the Cypress-Pine-Oak Association (24 species).^[9]
Myrmecology
- Ants of the Chisos Mountains include 81 total known species within 29 different genera.^[10]

Flora

Quercus tardifolia is an evergreen tree with gray bark and reddish-brown twigs. The common name is Chisos Mountains oak which refers to where the species was rediscovered. This species was thought to be extinct when in May 2022, a specimen was found.^[11]^[12]

Related Research Articles

Brewster County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in West Texas and its county seat is Alpine. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region, and borders Mexico. Brewster County is the largest county by area in the state - at 6,192 square miles (16,040 km²) it is over three times the size of the state of Delaware, and more than 500 square miles (1,300 km²) bigger than Connecticut.

Big Bend National Park is a national park of the United States located in West Texas, bordering Mexico. The park has national significance as the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States, and was named after a large bend in the Rio Grande/Río Bravo. The park protects more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56 species of reptiles, and 75 species of mammals. Additional park activities include scenic drives, programs led by Big Bend park rangers, and stargazing.

The Chihuahuan Desert is a desert ecoregion designation covering parts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It occupies much of far West Texas, the middle to lower Rio Grande Valley and the lower Pecos Valley in New Mexico, and a portion of southeastern Arizona, as well as the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau. It is bordered on the west by the Sonoran Desert, the Colorado Plateau, and the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, along with northwestern lowlands of the Sierra Madre Oriental range. Its largest, continual expanse is located in Mexico, covering a large portion of the state of Chihuahua, along with portions of Coahuila, north-eastern Durango, the extreme northern part of Zacatecas, and small western portions of Nuevo León. With an area of about 501,896 km² (193,783 sq mi), it is the largest hot desert in North America. The desert is fairly young, existing for only 8000 years.

Emory Peak, located in Big Bend National Park, is the highest peak in the Chisos Mountains and the highest in Brewster County. The peak is named for William H. Emory, the chief surveyor of the U.S. Boundary Survey team of 1852. From the Chisos Basin the peak appears to be a minor ridge, while the summit of Casa Grande, one mile closer, seems to be much taller. From the west, Emory Peak is clearly visible as a point slightly higher than most of the mountain range.

Boquillas was a small settlement in Texas, United States, located on the northern banks of the Rio Grande. It was located within Brewster County, five miles (8 km) northeast of San Vicente. The place existed to service the mining operations at Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico, just across the Rio Grande.

The Sierra del Carmen, also called the Sierra Maderas del Carmen, is a northern finger of the Sierra Madre Oriental in the state of Coahuila, Mexico. The Sierra begins at the Rio Grande at Big Bend National Park and extends southeast for about 72 kilometres (45 mi), reaching a maximum elevation of 2,720 metres (8,920 ft). Part of the Sierra del Carmen is protected in the Maderas del Carmen Biosphere Reserve as part of a bi-national effort to conserve a large portion of the Chihuahua Desert in Mexico and Texas.

Crown Mountain is a 7,155-foot-elevation (2,181-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Lost Mine Peak is a 7,547-foot-elevation (2,300-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Vernon Bailey Peak is a 6,672-foot-elevation (2,034-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Toll Mountain is a 7,409-foot-elevation (2,258-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Townsend Point is a 7,574-foot-elevation (2,309-meter) mountain summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Mule Ear Peaks are two summits in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Trap Mountain is a 4,122-foot-elevation (1,256-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Goat Mountain is a 4,619-foot-elevation (1,408-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Cerro Castellan is a 3,294-foot-elevation (1,004-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Panther Peak is a 6,418-foot-elevation (1,956-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Tule Mountain is a 3,825-foot-elevation (1,166-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Elephant Tusk is a 5,254-foot-elevation (1,601-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Wright Mountain is a 6,031-foot-elevation (1,838-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

Kit Mountain is a 3,822-foot-elevation (1,165-meter) summit in Brewster County, Texas, United States.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kohout, Martin Donell. "Chisos Mountains". Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 2013-07-02.
1 2 "Chisos Mountains". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
↑ Straight, William H. (May 1996). Stratigraphy and paleontology of the cretaceous-tertiary boundary, Big Bend National Park, Texas (Thesis thesis). Texas Tech University.
1 2 "Chisos Mountains Backcountry Campsites" (PDF). National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
↑ David Elkowitz (February 18, 2011). "Proposal to Open Boquillas Crossing". National Park Service. Retrieved 2013-07-02.
↑ "Townsend Point, Texas". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
↑ "US COOP Station Map". Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
↑ "CHISOS BASIN, TEXAS (411715), Period of Record Monthly Climate Summary". Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
1 2 Wauer, Roland H. (July 23, 1971). "Ecological Distribution of Birds of the Chisos Mountains, Texas". The Southwestern Naturalist. 16 (1): 1–29. doi:10.2307/3670095. JSTOR 3670095.
↑ Van Pelt, Arnold (May 20, 1983). "Ants of the Chisos Mountains, Texas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". The Southwestern Naturalist. 28 (2): 137–142. doi:10.2307/3671381. JSTOR 3671381.
↑ SciTechDaily. "Clinging to Life: Scientists Rediscover Oak Tree Thought To Be Extinct." The Morton Arboretum July 7, 2022
↑ Morgan, Jack (2023-07-24). "Texas oak tree thought to be extinct discovered in Big Bend National Park". KUT Radio - Austin. Retrieved 2023-07-25.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[handbook-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kohout, Martin Donell. "Chisos Mountains". Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 2013-07-02.

[:2-2] 1 2 "Chisos Mountains". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. Retrieved September 15, 2016.

[3] Straight, William H. (May 1996). Stratigraphy and paleontology of the cretaceous-tertiary boundary, Big Bend National Park, Texas (Thesis thesis). Texas Tech University.

[:1-4] 1 2 "Chisos Mountains Backcountry Campsites" (PDF). National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved September 15, 2016.

[5] David Elkowitz (February 18, 2011). "Proposal to Open Boquillas Crossing". National Park Service. Retrieved 2013-07-02.

[peakbagger-6] "Townsend Point, Texas". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-11-06.

[US_COOP_Stations-7] "US COOP Station Map". Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.

[ChBWeather-8] "CHISOS BASIN, TEXAS (411715), Period of Record Monthly Climate Summary". Western Regional Climate Center, Desert Research Institute. Retrieved May 7, 2015.

[:0-9] 1 2 Wauer, Roland H. (July 23, 1971). "Ecological Distribution of Birds of the Chisos Mountains, Texas". The Southwestern Naturalist. 16 (1): 1–29. doi:10.2307/3670095. JSTOR 3670095.

[10] Van Pelt, Arnold (May 20, 1983). "Ants of the Chisos Mountains, Texas (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)". The Southwestern Naturalist. 28 (2): 137–142. doi:10.2307/3671381. JSTOR 3671381.

[11] SciTechDaily. "Clinging to Life: Scientists Rediscover Oak Tree Thought To Be Extinct." The Morton Arboretum July 7, 2022

[12] Morgan, Jack (2023-07-24). "Texas oak tree thought to be extinct discovered in Big Bend National Park". KUT Radio - Austin. Retrieved 2023-07-25.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

v t e Mountains of Texas
Chisos Mountains	Emory Peak Townsend Point Lost Mine Peak Toll Mountain Crown Mountain Casa Grande Peak
Franklin Mountains	North Franklin Mountain
Guadalupe Mountains	Bartlett Peak Bush Mountain El Capitan Guadalupe Peak Hunter Peak Shumard Peak
Hueco Mountains	Cerro Alto Mountain
Llano Uplift	Packsaddle Mountain
Others	Enchanted Rock Bachelor Peak Bare Butte Beach Mountains Carpenter Mountain Castle Peak Chalk Mountains Chinati Mountains Christmas Mountains Cusseta Mountain Davis Mountains Delaware Mountains Double Mountains Granite Mountain Greenwood Mountain Hairy Knob Las Moras Mountain Needle Peak (Brewster County) Needle Peak (Presidio County) Palo Pinto Mountains Rattlesnake Point Round Top Mountain Santiago Peak Sierra del Carmen Sierra Diablo Sierra Vieja Slipdown Mountain Tackett Mountain