Photos of Balanced Rock, Big Bend National Park
About Balanced Rock, Big Bend National Park
Balanced Rock is a huge slab of stone resting across two boulders at the end of the Grapevine Hills Trail in Big Bend National Park. It sits out in open desert north of the Chisos Mountains. Rounded boulders fill the whole valley here, left behind by magma that pushed up under the surface, hardened, and has slowly been worn smooth by the weather. The rocks sit at the end of Grapevine Hills Trail, roughly 3.5km in and back along a well marked trail with the last few hundred metres climbing through the rocks. The balanced slab creates a window that lets the sunrise light come straight through it. Plus, in season, the Milky Way rises overhead if you are patient enough to experiment with astrophotography. Getting low lets you put some of the bright blue sky in the opening or you can back up and Nugent Mountain lands in the frame behind. The road into the trailhead can be quite rough and the park service says not to attempt it in a passenger car, minivan or RV. Since this area sits within the national park there is an entrance fee and there is camping quite close by if you want to stay shoot the dark sky. If you don't want to camp, you can easily go at first light and you'll likely have it to yourself. (Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA)
