Presa Canyon Tour at Seminole Canyon State Park 

PLUS - new this year - Canoe trip to PANTHER CAVE

I have done the Presa Canyon hike the past three years and it remains one of the BEST hikes I've done with HCO - even better than most of the hikes at Big Bend. This year we are combining this trip with a canoe trip on the Sunday morning to see the famous PANTHER CAVE which is only accessible by water. John Dukes (HCO Event Leader) is co-leading this hike with me, Andy Higgins.

PRESA CANYON TOUR:

The Presa Canyon Tour is an all-day guided hike (8:30am to 5:00pm) through the lower canyons to view Indian rock art sites rock paintings from up to 6,000 years ago.  These rock art sites are closed to the public EXCEPT for the 4 annual guided tours.  This is a very rugged off-trail hike for the entire day.  There likely will be knee to waist-deep water crossings, so in addition to your hiking shoes, you'll want to bring a pair of sandals or water shoes for that.

Cool things about this trip:

• Ancient rock art (and you don't have to go to France to see it)
• Milky Way stars on cloudless nights
• Frosty desert mornings
• Green desert plants -  if there have been recent rains
• 60 - 80+ ft sheer vertical canyon walls; unlike any other hike 

It will be rugged, and the canyon walls will trap and amplify the sun's heat.  A chilly morning turns hot quickly in the desert.  Also, we'll walk on solid rock much of the way, and fight through brush thickets at places.  My heavy Gore-Tex proved snag resistant.   

Only about 80 people a year are taken on tours to see these rock paintings.  Hope you are one of the lucky few. 

PANTHER CAVE CANOE TRIP:

We’ll  drive a few miles over to the put-in and head on down Lake Amistad to Panther Cave, a protected site only accessible by water.  (Famous for it’s massive red panther drawing.)  It’s 7 miles each way, so it’ll be quite a hard paddle.  But we’ve arranged with our boat rental company for them to tow half of us down to the site and the other half back.  5 to 7 canoes and kayaks being towed behind a little boat engine won’t be fast going, but it’s bound to be interesting.  (How many HCO trips have canoes being towed in a line??)

If we have the time, there’s one additional site along the way that we may take a quick look at.

Because of the EXTREME remoteness and danger (cell phones don’t work and a hospital is quite a drive) you can’t go on this part of the trip UNLESS you are a strong swimmer and have experience either canoeing or kayaking.

We have to be AT the put-in around 7:45 am, and you should plan on being on the water for 6 hours (4 hours of your own paddling), so bring plenty of water, snacks, and sunscreen.  Plan on having lunch at Panther cave. 

GENERAL TRIP INFORMATION:

Getting there: we'll meet Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. at I35 and William Cannon and take I35 to San Antonio, then US90 west to Del Rio.  Seminole Canyon State Park is another 45 miles west of Del Rio.

We will camp both Friday night and Saturday nights and travel back to Austin on Sunday afternoon - trip normally takes about 5-6 hours driving so I suggest people car pool.

I have booked 6 campsites at the park for the weekend which should be enough space - the cost of the event includes camping costs. Cost also includes Presa Canyon tour and Panther Cave Canoe tour (with canoe hire). This is a COMBINED trip, so if you want to do one or the other tour, you pay for the whole thing and turn up for the one you want to do..... I would heartily recommend that you do both as it's a long way to go to do just one of these activities.

Not included in the total cost is the park admittance (It's a State Park, so it's $3 per person or simply get a State Park pass and entry is free for the carload). 

BRING CASH PLEASE!  ATMs don't grow in the desert.

No Refunds after 3/1/10