Casa Grande Peak and Lost Mine Peak in Big Bend National Park, TX

Hike Casa Grande Peak and Lost Mine Peak Big Bend National Park, TX

Class 3 8.3 miles 3900 gain 4-6 hrs Out + Back Feb 25, 2022
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

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After wrapping up Emory Peak and downing my regular dose of too much caffeine, I was feeling excellent and wanted to add another hike onto my day. I knew there were routes to both Casa Grande Peak and Lost Mine Peak, so this felt like a pretty safe option. I didn't realize I'd have a notable amount of bushwhacking that slowed me down a lot on the way to Lost Mine Peak, resulting in my return to the car after dark. The Lost Mine Trail is a popular hike in Big Bend National Park and it wuld serve as a good access point for reaching these peaks, but its terminus is at a gorgeous overlook, not any summit. I started along this trail after luckily snagging a parking spot at the undersized pull-out.

My initial plan was to head up to Lost Mine Peak first so that I could descend from Casa Grande Peak's steep descent route, but with the potential for dark I decided I'd rather be on the trail for the way back. Ultimately it really didn't matter which peak I did first because Casa Grande Peak was quite steep from both my ascent and descent routes. I was really happy to learn that the peak has a social trail so well-carved that it might as well be an official trail at this point. Anyway, a few minutes after starting along the Lost Mine Trail I noticed a cairn on the right, which would serve as the route up to Casa Grande Peak's east ridge. It was a very easy to follow social trail, but the going was steep. It wasn't even all that loose somehow (with a couple of short exceptions, of course). I was actually happy I ascended this way, since the east ridge of Casa Grande Peak (my descent) was more loose.

Once I reached the east ridge of Casa Grande Peak, I merged with the more obvious ridgeline social trail which continued just as steeply toward the base of the peak's foreboding cliff band protecting the summit area. There was some very steep scree and a section that's been eroded to the point where it's not fun in any way, but it's short-lived. The social trail continues through a notch formed by two small rock outcroppings and emerges on the south side of Casa Grande Peak's summit, never exceeding Class 2. A quick walk to the summit and I had some excellent views, especially toward Lost Mine Peak to the east. There's also a slightly lower point north of the summit area that has a really cool perspective down into Chisos Basin and it's worth the slight effort to check it out.

I backtracked along Casa Grande Peak's east ridge, following the obvious social trail all the way until it merged with the official Lost Mine Trail. I took this excessively switchbacking trail all the way to its end, where I was treated to more outstanding views. While the end of the trail is anticlimactic in terms of summiting anything, I chose to hang out for a bit to take in the views from the cliff top that marked the official trail turn-around point. The Chisos Mountains are delightful.

Next up would be Peak 7082 on my way to Lost Mine Peak. To reach these two peaks I backtracked along the Lost Mine Trail and left it when I reached the spot where it started to descend, heading north into the brush instead. I passed a bunch of nasty toilet paper littered just off the trail and then continued through some mildly unpleasant bushwhacking as I made my way to Peak 7082's summit. This undertaking wasn't too bad, but I was honestly very surprised that no social trail existed at all, especially after experiencing Casa Grande Peak and its nearly official-looking trail. Peak 7082 has a false summit that is labeled incorrectly on maps as the high point, while the true high point requires a short dip to the north and then reascent on Class 2 scree up a gully to gain the summit. It's a bit of a brushy undertaking, but worth it for the extra peak, and also to see the excellent perspective toward Lost Mine Peak's colorful pinnacles/cliffs. My understanding was that Peak 7082 could be a soft-ranked peak, but according to my GPS it is a bit over 300 feet of prominence.

I bushwhacked down Peak 7082's southern slope to its saddle with Lost Mine Peak and started up the somewhat unpleasant brushy slope that would be scary in the hotter months due to the potential for snakes. I basically hugged a major rock outcropping for a few hundred feet as I ascended the slope, kicking thorny branches out of my way for 15 minutes or so, and then the peak's summit block came into view. There are twin points that characterize the summit, but the western one is higher. To reach the summit, a Class 3 chute ascends to the notch separating the two high points, but this chute is hard to locate because it's hidden by a rock fin. I actually ascended a Class 4 crack on the eastern (lower) summit block and only noticed the chute after seeing it from above, but I excluded this from my attached map. The chute is on the left side of the fin and leads up to the notch (Class 2+). From the notch, a short Class 3 climb on big boulders stacked together like legos took me to the summit and its gorgeous sunset views of Big Bend National Park.

I backtracked along the southern base of Peak 7082, the occasional animal trail helping a little through the brush. Once on the Lost Mine Trail, I jogged quickly back to my car, the last person on the trail for the day.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Casa Grande Peak
7325 ft
565 rise
2
Peak 7082
7082 ft
304 rise
3
Lost Mine Peak
7535 ft
1415 rise

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Starting along the Lost Mine Trail.
Starting along the Lost Mine Trail.
Shortly after starting, I left the Lost Mine Trail and took this social trail leading up to Casa Grande Peak, seen above.
Shortly after starting, I left the Lost Mine Trail and took this social trail leading up to Casa Grande Peak, seen above.
View back down at the steep ascent.
View back down at the steep ascent.
Higher up.
Higher up.
Approaching the east ridge of Casa Grande Peak.
Approaching the east ridge of Casa Grande Peak.
Along the east ridge of Casa Grande Peak, heading to its base. You can see the peak ahead.
Along the east ridge of Casa Grande Peak, heading to its base. You can see the peak ahead.
Steep scree.
Steep scree.
View back at the steep eastern ridge ascent.
View back at the steep eastern ridge ascent.
Up to a notch formed by two rock outcroppings.
Up to a notch formed by two rock outcroppings.
Last bit to the summit.
Last bit to the summit.
Casa Grande Peak, view south toward Toll and Emory. I came up from the far left in this photo.
Casa Grande Peak, view south toward Toll and Emory. I came up from the far left in this photo.
Close-up toward Emory Peak (right) and Toll Mountain (left).
Close-up toward Emory Peak (right) and Toll Mountain (left).
View toward Lost Mine Peak, center. Crown Mountain visible on the right.
View toward Lost Mine Peak, center. Crown Mountain visible on the right.
Quick jaunt to the northern summit of Casa Grande Peak.
Quick jaunt to the northern summit of Casa Grande Peak.
View down toward the trailhead (bottom center) and the entrance road into Chisos Basin.
View down toward the trailhead (bottom center) and the entrance road into Chisos Basin.
Close-up into Chisos Basin, Carter Peak on the left and Vernon Bailey on the right.
Close-up into Chisos Basin, Carter Peak on the left and Vernon Bailey on the right.
Back along the eastern ridge of Casa Grande Peak on my way to Lost Mine Peak.
Back along the eastern ridge of Casa Grande Peak on my way to Lost Mine Peak.
View back up at some steep descending on the east ridge.
View back up at some steep descending on the east ridge.
Nice social trail.
Nice social trail.
Some side-hilling on the good social trail in order to merge with the Lost Mine Trail.
Some side-hilling on the good social trail in order to merge with the Lost Mine Trail.
Back on the Lost Mine Trail, view back toward the east ridge of Casa Grande Peak.
Back on the Lost Mine Trail, view back toward the east ridge of Casa Grande Peak.
Starting up the tame Lost Mine Trail.
Starting up the tame Lost Mine Trail.
View back toward Casa Grande Peak.
View back toward Casa Grande Peak.
Ascending along the Lost Mine Trail.
Ascending along the Lost Mine Trail.
Image 24 from gallery
Excessive switchbacks on the Lost Mine Trail.
Excessive switchbacks on the Lost Mine Trail.
Image 26 from gallery
At the end of the Lost Mine Trail, where there are great views but no peak.
At the end of the Lost Mine Trail, where there are great views but no peak.
Close-up toward Crown Mountain and Crown Mountain West.
Close-up toward Crown Mountain and Crown Mountain West.
Close-up toward Peak 7082 (left) and Lost Mine Peak (right).
Close-up toward Peak 7082 (left) and Lost Mine Peak (right).
Photo from 2014 when I did the Lost Mine Trail: a cool rainy shot of the colorful cliffs on Lost Mine Peak's west slopes.
Photo from 2014 when I did the Lost Mine Trail: a cool rainy shot of the colorful cliffs on Lost Mine Peak's west slopes.
View toward Casa Grande Peak from the end of the Lost Mine Trail.
View toward Casa Grande Peak from the end of the Lost Mine Trail.
Onward to Peak 7082 (left). Some bushwhacking required.
Onward to Peak 7082 (left). Some bushwhacking required.
At the false summit of Peak 7082, view toward the true summit.
At the false summit of Peak 7082, view toward the true summit.
After a short dip, this Class 2 slope leads to the true summit.
After a short dip, this Class 2 slope leads to the true summit.
Close-up toward Lost Mine Peak from Peak 7082.
Close-up toward Lost Mine Peak from Peak 7082.
Coming down from Peak 7082 and starting up the slope to Lost Mine Peak.
Coming down from Peak 7082 and starting up the slope to Lost Mine Peak.
View back toward Peak 7082.
View back toward Peak 7082.
I hugged the rock outcrop on the left, a bit of unpleasant brush to deal with.
I hugged the rock outcrop on the left, a bit of unpleasant brush to deal with.
View back, Casa Grande Peak visible top center.
View back, Casa Grande Peak visible top center.
Lost Mine Peak ahead as I near the top of the slope.
Lost Mine Peak ahead as I near the top of the slope.
Image 41 from gallery
Lost Mine Peak. The rock fin in the dead center of this photo is hiding a nice Class 2/3 chute, just to its left.
Lost Mine Peak. The rock fin in the dead center of this photo is hiding a nice Class 2/3 chute, just to its left.
Starting up the chute.
Starting up the chute.
View back down the chute from the notch separating the two summit blocks.
View back down the chute from the notch separating the two summit blocks.
A shot from above (via my mess-up), which gave a nice perspective of the Class 3 scramble to the summit. The chute is seen bottom left.
A shot from above (via my mess-up), which gave a nice perspective of the Class 3 scramble to the summit. The chute is seen bottom left.
Class 3 up fun boulders to reach the summit of Lost Mine Peak.
Class 3 up fun boulders to reach the summit of Lost Mine Peak.
View down the Class 3 scramble.
View down the Class 3 scramble.
Lost Mine Peak summit, view southeast. Casas Grande Peak and Emory Peak on the left, Vernon Bailey and Carter top center, Peak 7082 center.
Lost Mine Peak summit, view southeast. Casas Grande Peak and Emory Peak on the left, Vernon Bailey and Carter top center, Peak 7082 center.
Crown and Crown West.
Crown and Crown West.
Panther, Wright, and Pummel.
Panther, Wright, and Pummel.
Lost Mine Peak summit, view south. Elephant Tusk visible in the distance.
Lost Mine Peak summit, view south. Elephant Tusk visible in the distance.

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Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I’m not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!