Travelin' Man

Beat the summer heat: A Texas hiking retreat in the Davis Mountains

Open woodland in the Davis Mountains
Photo by Stephan Lorenz
The surrounding desert may be dry, but the Davis Mountains harbor plenty ofcreeks.
Photo by Stephan Lorenz
Tracks and trails offer access to this unique wilderness.
Photo by Stephan Lorenz
Tracks are evidence of the plentiful wildlife flourishing in the DavisMountains.
Photo by Stephan Lorenz
View of Mt. Livermore, the highest peak in the Davis Mountains
Photo by Stephan Lorenz

The Davis Mountains in West Texas offer a cool retreat during the summer months. The temperatures here still induce sweating during any hike, but the heat is much drier, a breeze more common, and the landscape lusher.

I stood in Tobe Canyon, beneath a leafy canopy of oaks and madrones, surrounded by a profuse growth of wildflowers and verdant grasses. A clear stream tumbled past and I could see its origin higher up towards the cliffs of the canyon mouth, where a small waterfall spilled from a gap in the mountains. The scorching flats of the Chihuahuan Desert surrounding these mountains, as the crow flies just a few miles distant, might as well have been in another state.

Wildlife was abundant, with birds obviously flocking to this oasis and lizards scurrying between sun flecks, on the ground. I continued up the steepening slope, no trail, feet rustling the fallen leaves. At a concrete basin surrounding a spring, I paused. I could have filled my bottle here. The water pouring from these pristine mountains has to be some of the cleanest in the state.

Retracing my steps, I moved from the canyon into open woodlands of pinyon and juniper. Rank growth lined streams, hemmed by gentle slopes. Even though recent fires have affected much of the forest, the landscape remains verdant. In the distance I could see the granite top of Mt. Livermore, at 8,382 feet the highest summit in the range.

The Drive

About an hour south of Interstate 10, following twisting Highway 17, the Davis Mountains rise in a beautifully remote corner of the state. Only the small town of Fort Davis, which has accommodations, a gas station, one grocery store, and possibly two restaurants as well as scattered ranches and homes dot the slopes. The closest town that is significantly larger, Ft. Stockton, is nearly 100 miles away. From Houston, plan on an eight- to nine-hour drive, thus this is a destination for a very long weekend.

The long approaches to the sights of the Davis Mountains keep visitors to a pleasant minimum. In addition, the higher elevations and unique canyons are protected within the Davis Mountains Preserve managed by the Nature Conservancy of Texas. Access to the preserve is restricted to organized groups and certain open days and weekends. Check the calendar for opportunities. During my two-day stay, the few dozen visitors scattered quickly in the morning, leaving plenty of room for solitude.

Pitch a Tent

The preserve offers limited camping, which is free during open weekends. I pitched my tent at the edge of a grassy flat, affording views of the highest peaks to the south. Owls called at dusk and quails croaked at dawn. Another overnight option is the nearby Davis Mountains State Park, which is open year-round and offers a CCC-built Indian lodge, lots of developed campsites, hiking trails.

At night, I was treated to the famous night sky of the Davis Mountains. Due to the isolation, light pollution is at a minimum. The spectacle of stars is best enjoyed at the nearby McDonald Observatory. Run by the University of Texas, the observatory offers regular star parties.

Explore

In the morning, I joined some friends in the requisite high clearance vehicle, which is a must to tackle the rough roads that lead into the preserve and to hiking trails. We stopped at several canyons and hiked. Since we didn’t come across any of the black bears or mountain lions that roam this wilderness, we enjoyed plenty of rare flora and fauna. In the afternoon, a phalanx of dark clouds marched in from the west and we packed up early before the creek crossing rose too high for our vehicle.

I grabbed a calendar and a map of hiking trails from the well-stocked McIvor Conservation Center, ready to plan for a return trip in October. Before leaving, I spent a couple of minutes taking in the view and watching the busy hummingbird feeders. One by one, cars pulled out of the gravel parking lot and eventually I followed suit.

Nearby Attractions

If visiting the preserve for just one day, there are plenty of other sights. It is possible to picnic at Lawrence E. Wood area, visit the state park, or spend a day exploring Ft. Davis National Historic Site 25 miles southeast from the preserve in Fort Davis.

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Preservation efforts

South Texas mission makes list of America’s most endangered historic places

Facebook/Friends of the Ruidosa Church

El Corazon Sagrado de la Iglesia de Jesus in Ruidosa, Texas is considered an endangered place.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A historic South Texas mission joins the Stonewall National Monument, the President's House Site, and the Women's Rights National Historic Park among 11 sites on this year's annual list of the most endangered historic places in the United States compiled by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The 2026 list, announced Wednesday, May 20, marks America's 250th anniversary with the foundational principle that everyone is created equal as the theme, said Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the nonprofit organization. The 11 sites offer examples of how, over time, Americans have fought against injustice and for equality, she said.

“We wanted to think about those ideas, especially this notion that all human beings are created equal and find places, sometimes unsung places ... that not all Americans routinely think about," Quillen told The Associated Press.

The sites are spread across the United States — from New York and California on the East and West Coasts, to Alabama and Texas in the South, to Michigan in the Midwest and the Four Corners of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah in the Rocky Mountain West.

At least three of the sites — Stonewall, the El Corazon church in Texas, and President's House in Philadelphia — have been endangered by Trump administration actions.

“We want to save these places," Quillen said, “not just because the bricks and mortar is important but because the stories these places hold are important."

For the first time since the list debuted in 1988, each site on the 2026 list will receive a one-time $25,000 grant to help highlight their connections to the principle that all people are created equal and address the threats they face.

The 11 sites are:

Ruidosa, Texas: El Corazon Sagrado de la Iglesia de Jesus
The more than century-old adobe church served as a refuge and place of worship for Mexican and Mexican American farming communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border along the Rio Grande River. Vacant since the 1950s, the structure has benefited from continued restoration provided by the nonprofit Friends of the Ruidosa Church but remains threatened by proposed construction of a U.S. border wall that could come within a few hundred yards of the property. (The nonprofit has posted an official statement and more information about the border wall here.) Ruidosa is in far west Texas, roughly 35 miles northwest of Presidio and 46 miles southwest of Marfa, near the rugged Chinati Mountains.

A historic photograph of El Corazon Sagrado de la Iglesia de Jesus.Facebook/Friends of the Ruidosa Church

Montgomery, Alabama: Ben Moore Hotel
The hotel was a refuge for Black people living under laws that enforced racial separation in the South. Prolonged vacancy has caused structural deterioration and the historic Centennial Hill neighborhood surrounding it faces pressure from development. The hotel housed key players from the Civil Rights Movement, including the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy. The Conservation Fund announced in November that it would help preserve the hotel.

Modoc County, California: Tule Lake Segregation Center
Initially known as the Tule Lake War Relocation Center, it was set up as a camp but later became a segregation center where Japanese Americans who were thought to be disloyal to the United States were imprisoned. The site is now a national monument managed by the National Park Service. Only 37 acres of the 1,100-acre site is protected. Most of it is at risk of permanent alteration from a proposed nearby construction project.

California: Angel Island Immigration Station
It was the largest immigration port on the West Coast between 1910 and 1940, particularly for immigrants from Asia and the Pacific. Hundreds of thousands were processed, detained and/or interrogated there because of their race. The station currently is threatened by physical, environmental, political and economic factors. Additional funding is needed for structural repairs and programming to increase awareness.

Somerset, Massachusetts: Swansea Friends Meeting House
Recognized as the oldest surviving Quaker meeting house in the state, it was built in 1701 to serve as a refuge by a congregation fleeing religious persecution and looking for a safe place to worship. The building has been closed for years and needs significant rehabilitation.

Michigan: Detroit Association of Women's Clubs
Founded in 1921, the association was one of the first Black organizations in Detroit to own their headquarters building, which was purchased in 1941. But the building has been closed since 2024, when water pipes burst and damaged the interior. Money is needed to help the association reopen the building.

New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah: Greater Chaco Cultural Landscape
The landscape is an ancestral homeland sustained for over a millennium by the Pueblo and Hopi people, but is threatened by changes to federal land policy that could open up significant portions to oil and gas development. Permanent protections and tribal consultation are needed to protect its cultural integrity.

Seneca Falls, New York: Women's Rights National Historical Park
The park tells the story of the first Women's Rights Convention, held in Seneca Falls, in July 1848. It faces a deferred maintenance backlog of over $10 million. Additional funding and support are needed to help preserve the park as a place to teach visitors about the history of women's rights.

New York: Stonewall National Monument
The first and only U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ+ history was the subject of administration actions that saw the rainbow Pride flag removed from its flagpole earlier this year before it was restored. The National Park Service had removed the flag in February, citing federal guidance that limited the agency to displaying only the American, Interior Department and POW/MIA flags. But the administration reversed course in April as it agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by advocacy and historic preservation groups that sought to block the flag's removal at the Manhattan site.

After Trump returned to office, he ended diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and many references to transgender people were excised from the Stonewall monument’s website and materials. The Republican administration similarly has put national parks, museums and landmarks under a messaging microscope, aiming to remove or alter materials that it says are “divisive or partisan” or “inappropriately disparage Americans.”

Philadelphia: The President's House Site
The administration abruptly removed exhibits on the lives of nine people enslaved at the site in the 1790s under George Washington, the first U.S. president, who lived there when Philadelphia served as the nation's capital. The exhibits were taken down as part of a broad effort by the administration to remove from federal properties information it deems “disparaging” to Americans. The issue is currently the subject of litigation between the city and federal government.

Heath Springs, South Carolina: Hanging Rock Revolutionary War Battlefield
The Battle of Hanging Rock was a key battle in the Southern Campaigns of the Revolutionary War and is considered a Patriot victory that helped boost morale and ultimately weaken British control in South Carolina. Only portions of the core battlefield are protected and open to the public, with the area anticipating population growth and increasing development pressures.