Big Bend National Park Old Ore Road

The Old Ore Road cuts a lonely path through Big Bend’s backcountry, following the historic route mercury miners used to haul cinnabar ore from the Mariscal Mine to Terlingua. This 26-mile dirt track winds through classic Chihuahuan Desert terrain—ocotillo forests, limestone ridges, and arroyos that flash flood without warning. The road passes the ruins of Mariscal Mine around mile 14, where rusted machinery and concrete foundations tell the story of a boom-and-bust operation that ran hot in the early 1900s.

This is moderate backcountry driving that demands respect—loose limestone rock, wash crossings, and zero cell service for hours. Any high-clearance vehicle can handle it in dry conditions, but summer heat is brutal and flash floods turn arroyos into death traps during monsoon season. November through March offers the best weather for this route. You’ll earn solitude, killer desert sunsets, and a glimpse of the Rio Grande at road’s end near Mariscal Canyon.