Beautiful, rugged remote spot for a fabulous vacation. We hiked 52 miles over terrain varying from desert wilderness along the Rio Grande river to the unique Chisos mountains. The South rim is known as the classic hike of Texas covering 12 .6 miles and 2000 ft of elevation. We capped the week summitting Emory Peak, the highest point in the park. The first day out on the way to the landmark Window we ran across a Mexican Black Bear and her cub. Fortunately she ambled away and we passed with no incident. We saw many birds including peregrine falcons, red tailed Hawks, and numerous Mexican Jay's and roadrunners. All in all incredible week in a place that has the least amount of light pollution in the lower 48. Would love to return in the spring when the waterfalls are flowing and the desert is in bloom!