We tried to hike a Davis Mountain park trail, but couldn’t sign in for it as the office was closed for a meeting. We decided to drive 19 miles up the road, past the McDonald Observatory, to this trail which is owned by The Nature Conservancy as part of the Davis Mountains Preserve. This is a moderate, 2.4-mile loop at 6000 feet that goes up to an overlook, past Chico Tank, an old watering hole and livestock area left over from when this was part of a ranch, then back to the parking area. That all works if you don’t get lost. We followed a trail after Chico Tank, until it ended in the currently-dry Madera Creek, which is wide and clearly holds lots of water in the rainy season. Rather than wander around or backtrack, we headed to the road, went under a fence and walked the highway back to the parking lot. Our trek was closer to three miles when we were finished.

I really loved the bark on the alligator juniper trees; it’s very distinctive.

There was a sign that talked about the invasive feral pigs and the native Javelinas. Javelinas are generally smaller and more shy than the pigs, and they have a distinctive “collar” stripe and look tailless. The pigs are a big problem in Texas, and hunting them is allowed and encouraged. Pigs root for food, and are destructive to the desert habitat, whereas the Javelina belong here.