BBRSP Cat Spring Road

Trail Overview

Cat Spring is a 4WD High Clearance Unmaintained Road that offers two water springs along its way. Cat Spring and Chupadero Spring. This road is primarily a two-track and is not maintained. Nature is reclaiming the road back, and very seldom is it ever driven. The ruins at the Chupadero Spring hold interesting history that deserves a deeper dive. This drive is not technical, but tire and suspension damage can occur from the washes and rocks. Rock stacking may be necessary due to erosion and loss of the road. Some off-camber while traversing the hillsides is to be expected. Cottonwood trees surround the two spring locations and tower above the rest of the surrounding vegetation.

Photos of BBRSP Cat Spring Road

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Difficulty

While this road is not a technical drive, it is in the most rugged area of the park and the furthest away from any outside help. The park officials are not able to access as often as they would like due to the distance from HQ and the lack of any communications. Consider this when choosing to explore the Cienega.

History

From TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE. Roads To Nowhere. Chupadero is the site of extensive cattle pens--a remnant of the days as late as the 1970s when there was abundant stock in these pastures and an active cattle operation. The adobe is the ruins of a "getaway" house built around 1936 by the S.S. (Ted) Harper's. The spring was surrounded by great cottonwoods and the still spectacular velvet ash. We think that a severe storm hit the site and tore half of the ash away, and lightning likely struck and set fire to the cottonwood whose charred skeletons remain.

Technical Rating

BBRSP Cat Spring Road can be accessed by the following ride types:

• High-Clearance 4x4
• SUV