Cattail Canyon
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| | Difficulty:4B IV (v4a2 VI) Raps:9, max ↨410ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:Optional 20 miles Vehicle:Passenger Rock type:Basalt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Oct, Nov, Feb, Mar
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29.2461, -103.3316
29.2684, -103.3022
29.2787, -103.3643
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WaterflowIntroduction[edit]
This is the most remote, unknown, and technically difficult part of Big Bend National Park. The canyon drops 2,500 feet in few miles, with a number of significant pour-offs, often with cold, wet rock and freezing pools to swim through. It could easily be called the most rugged canyon in Texas.
Caution The risks with this canyon are significant, reserving descents for those who are experienced, well prepared and have an appropriate level of fitness. This canyon is long and committing in unforgiving terrain. The NPS actively discourages canyoners from attempting this canyon, for good reason.
While multiple escape routes out of Cattail Canyon exist, they lead to rugged and remote areas without trails or water and rough, broken and undulating terrain that significantly slows travel. If there is any question about the team’s experience or skills, consider building canyoneering skills in other canyons before attempting this objective.
Start the hike from the middle of the basin early (4am or sooner) to allow the most in-canyon daylight.
Approach[edit]
Set a car shuttle at (29.27866, -103.36433), a short distance up Oak Spring Rd across from the Sam Nail Ranch along Ross Maxwell Scenic Dr.
YMMV It would be advantageous to set the shuttle vehicle the night before, perhaps with a note on the dashboard.
Drive 20 miles around the North to the drive into the Chisos Basin. Park near (29.26839, -103.30216) at the Laguna Meadows Trailhead or at the Chisos Basin Visitor Center.
Hike south on the Laguna Meadow trail up to the basin rim, turning west and heading for Laguna West Campsite No. 3. Continue West into the Cattail Main Fork drainage. It's a total of about 5 miles to the old stock dam.
Descent[edit]
Lance Snead wrote "We built a rock-pile anchor for 125' rappel, did a body belay rappel, swam through freezing pools of water, and rappelled the highest pouroff/waterfall in Texas called Bryan's Falls which is a whopping 425 feet high! It was an incredible experience in a truly magnificent place. I am thankful and humbled to be able to take part in it. Hats off to my partners John Fraser and Mike Quinones, two Austin Firefighters. Their experience and resourcefulness made the trip a success, I was just simply along for the ride, and a ride it was. Thanks guys!"
Approach from Chisos Lodge Area to R1 = 6 miles total via the Laguna Meadows trail to Laguna WEST Campsite No. 3. From this campsite it’s approximately 1 mile to the old stock dam (dry in February 2025) and approximately 1-mile down canyon from the stock dam to R1.
- R1: 75-ft. Fiddled a tree 100’ past the main drop LDC to avoid the water filled pool at the bottom of R1.
DC – 40-ft. At the bottom of R1 is a 40-ft slab downclimb that some will choose to rappel from a nearby tree. Followed by another slab DC.
- R2: 70-ft. Fiddled a small dead tree DCR. A better anchor should be found.
- R3: 70-ft. Fiddled from a deadman constructed in the watercourse.
R3 and R4 are back-to-back.
- R4: 20-ft. While the rappel is only 20-ft, we used 100-ft of rope and fiddled from a large rock horn on the left side of the watercourse. This can be downclimbed in dry conditions.
- R5: Bryan’s Falls – 410-ft. This is the BIG one. Fiddled from a tree on the left side of the watercourse. By extending the anchor with 20-30’ of webbing, a 400-ft rope will work.
CAUTION – There is unavoidable poison ivy/oak at the bottom of R5 and R6. It’s thick and everywhere.
- R6: 200-ft. for a two-stage rappel past an avoidable pothole. It looks bigger than 200-ft. from the top. Fiddled from a single existing bolt located 50-ft back from the vertical pour off, placed in a large boulder on the left side of the water course.
A long unremarkable section follows R6. The canyon between R6 and R7 transitions from narrow to open with large boulders, breakdown and annoying trees, shrubs, and pointy prickly things. The canyon narrows again near R7 and becomes more scenic.
- R7: 100-ft. for a two-stage rappel off a cluster of small trees. The pool at the bottom is avoidable, but a few hundred feet further down canyon is the first mandatory swim.
- R8: 120-ft. Fiddled from a single existing bolt on the left canyon wall. The pool at the bottom of this rappel was the second mandatory swim, but could be avoided with skilled climbing above the water line on the left wall.
R8 and R9 are back-to-back.
- R9: 120-ft. Fiddled from a tree on the right. This is Cattail Falls and was lightly flowing. The pool was waist deep at the bottom of this rappel.
Exit[edit]
Follow the Cattail Falls trail for 1 mile to the junction with the Oak Spring Road. Hike to the shuttle car about 1.5 miles west on Oak Springs Road. Oak Spring Road was closed near the junction with Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive.
Without a car shuttle, plan to add 4-5 miles of hiking, 1,200-ft of gain and 2-3 hours for the exit.
Red tape[edit]
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
- 28 mins Video by Lance Snead
2025 Feb 06: Frank Shea, Wayne Herrick & Rob Demis completed the canyon in 14 hours using a car shuttle. We started at 4:30 AM and spent four hours hiking from the Chisos Lodge area on the Laguna Meadow Trail to reach the first rappel, carrying three ropes, the longest being 400-ft, in addition to 500-ft of pullcord, fiddle sticks, webbing and other assorted gear. Our exit hike took one hour from the bottom of the last rappel (Cattail Falls) to the shuttle car. Total time in the canyon was nine hours from the first rappel to the bottom of the last rappel, moving at a comfortable pace. Total distance car to car was about 12 miles.
The canyon is surprisingly fun, good quality, picturesque and unique as it is carved in the basalt layer of the old volcano, which provides a smooth floor and the first 5-ft to 20-ft of the walls tend to be scalloped, creating shallows pools and potholes. Above this smooth carved layer the canyon walls consist of steep angle broken and loose material. The watercourse is surprisingly good quality solid rock for the majority of the canyon.
One of the goals was to gather better information to post here for use by the very few other parties that might do this canyon, NPS Rangers and Search and Rescue (SAR). Despite the number of rescues in the Main Fork of Cattail, detailed and consistent information for this canyon was sparse, specifically for the rope length of Bryan’s Falls. The rope used on this descent was known and accurately measured before the trip.
There was no flowing water until the final rappel. We were told this was a low water period. While there were shallow, water-filled potholes scattered throughout the canyon, we managed to avoid all of the water in the canyon until after rappel 7. There were two mandatory swims and waist deep wading after rappel 7. We did not carry wetsuits through the canyon.
Background[edit]
Both the upper and lower parts of Cattail Canyon were known slightly by early ranchers, but no knowledge of the demanding middle part existed until John Sellers began to explore the canyon in 1977. He attempted again in 1983 but failed with 465 feet of rope and a large amount of technical climbing gear. He tried again in December 1984 with Bryan Bock and 765 feet of rope. Sellers was successful but Brock died on the attempt. His body was found hanging about 170 feet down a 425-foot pour-off.
Two experienced vertical cavers - Gary Schindel (later NSS President from San Antonio) and John Cradit (San Marcos) were stranded in the canyon for several days in May 2004 and required a difficult rescue.
See Death in Big Bend by Park Service Ranger Laurence Parent. Brock p. 99-119, Schindel and Cradit p.176-183.
After their rescue, a 3-day Search and Rescue (SAR) training trip by the Park Service attempted to understand the canyon and prepare for a future rescue. That became the most notorious SAR "training" trip in Park Service history. A 500-foot rope was not long enough! Nine Rangers spend three days tortuous days getting through the canyon. They all hope that they never have to rescue someone who is injured in the canyon.
