How to Hike the Outer Mountain Loop Big Bend National Park
Overview
The OML is a hiking trail in BBNP. It is around 34 miles in length with about 6000 ft of total elevation gain. Because it is a loop you can start from a few different locations and you can go either clockwise or counter clockwise. There is potential to more miles by adding other famous trails Emory Peak and the South and East Rim. Many are suprised to hear that you will hike peaks of over 7000ft during this hike. Because of its desert location this trail is famous for is isolation in the desert environment and the potential for absolutely brutal weather. Hiking the OML is only recommended in the winter months. I hiked in december and it was still over 80 degrees.
Permits
When I first started looking into hiking the OML I was dissapointed because all the designated camp site permits were booked in the uppper chisos mountains. These sites are at elevation and most have great views. These sites howerver get booked very early and unless you plan way in advance or you get lucky it will be hard to camp in these sites on short notice. Luckily most of the hike is in the lower dessert where backcoutry permits in non designated camp sites can be had only by visiting the park the day prior. So if you are like me and dont like planning things out months in advanced you can still acomplish this hike. I booked one night in the juniper canyon area and one in the blue creek canyon area (the park ranger just needs to know the general area you want to camp.
Water
