Parking
Use the shared dirt Marufo Vega / Ore Terminal Trailhead lot on Boquillas Canyon Road; it holds about five vehicles. Cross the road to the signed trail starts.
Overview
About Ore Terminal Trail
Why go
- Follows an unusual historic ore-tramway alignment
- A collapsed tower and rusted cable make the story visible
Heads up
- Long, rocky desert outing with loose footing and repeated climbing
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Big Bend map
Full mapElevation1,877–2,812 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Big Bend alerts
- ClosureWeather-related road closuresDo not use these closed roads; NPS lists the closures as in effect until further notice.Official details
- InfoBoquillas Crossing schedule changeBoquillas Crossing is open Friday through Monday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; NPS says it will not change to winter hours at this time. Check current park conditions before planning a crossing.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Big Bend Tour Guide
Your drive to Ore Terminal Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Big Bend National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Big Bend audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Marufo Vega Trail0:00 / 0:26
“You're nearing the Marufo Vega trailhead, the start of a remote hike through the Dead Horse Mountains with views above the Rio Grande.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Big Bend Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Boquillas Overlook
- Boquillas Canyon
- Boquillas Crossing and Village
- Rio Grande Village Nature Trail
- 110 audio storiesacross Big Bend’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Collared Peccary, White-tailed Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 45 trails, 64 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Ore Terminal Trail
Follow the old tramwayOre Terminal Trail is an 8.
Ore Terminal Trail is an 8.7-mile out-and-back from the shared Marufo Vega trailhead to the old tramway terminal on a ridge above Ernst Valley. It is a long desert walk with an unusual mining-history payoff, not a quick roadside stop. Allow about 4.5 hours. The path is rocky, and loose pebbles make steady footing more important than speed.
Find the right branchUse the shared dirt lot, then cross Boquillas Canyon Road to the signed trail starts.
Use the shared dirt lot, then cross Boquillas Canyon Road to the signed trail starts. The first stretch follows the west side of the Ernst Valley wash, drops into sandy wash, and climbs back onto its east bench. A collapsed tower and rusted cable mark the old ore route. At about 0.9 mile, continue straight with the cable for Ore Terminal; the Marufo Vega route turns right.
What the cable carriedThe tramway brought ore from the Puerto Rico mine in Mexico to its terminal on the ridge above…
The tramway brought ore from the Puerto Rico mine in Mexico to its terminal on the ridge above Ernst Valley. The collapsed tower and rusted cable are still visible along the approach. From the junction, the mapped route follows the old line northwest toward the ridge-top terminal; the endpoint is the turnaround, so return the same way.
Desert logisticsThe shared trailhead lot holds about five vehicles.
The shared trailhead lot holds about five vehicles. The route has loose pebbles and large elevation changes, so hiking poles can help with balance. Choose a cooler day: park guidance recommends hiking when temperatures are below 80°F and carrying 1 liter of water per person for every planned hiking hour. Pets are not allowed on park trails.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Big Bend
377 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
329 sightingsCollared PeccaryMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
500 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
985 sightingsRoadrunnerMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
228 sightingsRavenMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
264 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around noonSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Big Bend. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
