Backpacking the Outer Mountain Loop | BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK

Cameron Hall
Cameron Hall
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Published 2024-01-21
This is a trip around the Outer Mountain Loop of Big Bend National Park in January of 2024. I tackled this hike with ‎@tangenttrails . We hit a major cold front on the first day of what turned out to be a 3 day/2 night loop. The overall milage for the trip was about 34/35 miles.

I tried to add in a lot of info and tips to help you with planning your OML hike. If you have any questions, I'd love you to leave a comment.

You'll hear me mention problems with my water filter throughout the video. I am since convinced that the cause of my problems was that although I backflushed my filter after my last trip, my filter element was dry going into this trip and it took several tries at wetting it and flushing the filter to get it to actually flow. Lesson learned.

Be sure and check out @tangenttrails video of this same trip. He's a great hiking partner and I enjoyed this hike together. Be sure and subscribe to his channel while you're there.
   • Backpacking Big Bend | Winter 2024  

This was my second time to hike the OML. The last time I did it was a much different trip in February of 2018. Here are the two videos from that trip:
Part 1
   • Big Bend Outer Mountain Loop - Ultral...  
Part 2
   • Big Bend Outer Mountain Loop - Ultral...  
All Comments (21)
  • @Owlet.The.Explorer
    Absolutely stunning! What an epic journey through Big Bend National Park! 🌄🏕 23:49 :hand-pink-waving: New Friend Her
  • @BluecollarBackcountry
    Poor Ethan couldn't find his Motts that day. Hahahaha Years ago a ranger told me yearly trail maintenance crews use the old cabin while they were in Big Bend. The corrals were for a mule team that brought up supplies and were taken back down while the crews worked. Not trying to sound like a knowitall but flushing your water filter at home will stop up the filaments because of the minerals in our tapwater when it dries. Soaking it in a solution of vinegar and distilled water can sometimes dissolve the minerals that stop it up. I know you had to appreciate good equipment staying the night in temps like that. Great video and man I miss Big Bend. Just can't do it anymore so thanks for sharing this adventure and stirring up old memories. ✌
  • @TravisT432
    Awesome video Cameron, glad you & Jerry were able to hit the trail! That first night up on the rim looked rough. I had filter troubles on my Truchas trip & panicked so hard that I didn't think about the aquamira tabs I keep in my first aid kit. Luckily it started flowing after soaking for awhile. I'm always amazed how zapped I am after hiking in the desert, in comfortable weather. I need to hit Marufo Vega before it warms up. Thanks for sharing, amigo!
  • @tangenttrails
    Excellent video, Cameron. I guess we really did get ourselves in a wild situation that first day. I’ve never been that cold on a trip and I was surprised how much the weather zapped my strength right out of me. I was exhausted by the second day’s end. I’ll be back next season to finish up the Blue Creek and probably do both the south and east rim again and go down the Pinnacles trail. Thanks for inviting me along.✌️
  • @JustinMcKinneyhiker
    I really enjoyed your video Cameron !! Those cold temps and wind looked brutal. It's those kind of conditions that are the ultimate test of an ultra light gear set up. Those views out there are spectacular !! Thanks for sharing !!
  • @GeezerAdventures
    Enjoyed following along! Great job and a great test of your winter gear…. You hike a lot faster than these old folks do!
  • @nathanhollis9298
    That’s a tough hike for sure. Might have to go back and try that lollipop route because laguna meadows is my favorite part of the park and I’d get to see it twice. I gave up on the sawyer squeeze because of the same issues you had. I’d test it before I left and then it wouldn’t work when I needed it to. Thank goodness for hiking buddies and redundancy but switched to the befree for hopefully better results.
  • @TheAdventuresofEli
    Bro! That trip was wild 😅 so cold! 🥶 And that wind was nuts.. just that alone would make one exhausted, especially just trying to stay warm. Sorry i couldn’t make the trip this time, hope to hit up Big Bend later this year when its a little warmer 😂 Excellent Video Sir!
  • @OneMansOdyssey
    Great hike! Those bad weather days can be really demoralizing, especially if they're cold. At least you were dry 😬
  • @gogerwi
    Nice job Cameron, good to see you back in action. Any equipment changes next time?
  • @davecat1458
    Love it. I thought I was crazy getting up at 2am to get to our Terlingua Ranch getaway...when are you going to go up Casa Grande?
  • @TheNotLostNomad
    Wow, you guys had some weather! good job powering through those conditions and great job capturing your trip! I'm planning on dong the OML in March...Im curious what conditions I'll see.
  • @RussellPecot
    Excellent video! Girlfriend and I camped at East Rim 4 a couple years ago and the views were incredible. We both took pictures at the same spot you stopped.
  • @rray4708
    Awesome video! Thank you for sharing.
  • @rodoutdoors
    That seemed so cold out there with the wind. Those views look awesome though. Great video. It's cool you guys did this together.
  • @potatothorn
    glad you were able to tolerate the cold because you sure brought us some great views ! so much to see out there and so relaxing to watch you hike the big desert from home on a cloudy morning... we went rain hiking yesterday, taking it easy today// this is over an hour of awesome, thanks for taking us along on this huge hike.
  • @westtexashiker7962
    Great video, thanks for taking us along. Looked like a tough trip, sometimes the fun is easier to see in hindsight.