The Mule Ears peaks rise high above the Chihuahuan Desert.
The peaks are the result of varying erosion of volcanic rock layers. The Mule Ears represent a tower of harder volcanic rock exposed after the softer “tuff” (volcanic ash) eroded from around it.
Tuff Canyon is a relatively small canyon carved by Blue Creek as it drains from the Chisos Mountains into the Rio Grande.
You can see part of the Chisos Mountains in the background at right.
Santa Elena Canyon is one of the three major canyons through which the Rio Grande River flows in Big Bend National Park.
You can see the large gash that is Santa Elena Canyon for at least a dozen miles on a clear day as you drive south in Big Bend National Park toward the Rio Grande River.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built the Lost Mine Trail between 1940-1942 for the new Big Bend National Park, which was officially established in 1944.
Theresa gazes at the towering East Rim of the Chisos Mountains.
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