Bruja Canyon

Bruja Canyon is one of the only canyons in Texas, and as the only other canyon, Cattail, remains uncompleted and extremely difficult, is virtually the only canyon in Texas. Being hundreds of miles from the next nearest canyons (in southern Arizona), Bruja is unique, exotic, and one-of-a-kind. The desert ecosystem is pristine here, with plants and animals not found in other canyoneering regions of the southwest. The canyon is seldom known, seldom done, and seldom documented. Several rangers in Big Bend have never heard of it, and another ranger could only comment 'I've heard people go there with ropes'. Bruja Canyon is different, remote, and beautiful. The rainy season here is July-October. Summers are absurdly hot, even by SW standards, so the only wet, reasonably cool month is October. Spring has good weather, but the canyon could be completely dry. I recommend October as the best month. Dangers abound in this canyon. Aside from the remote nature, Big Bend is filled which centipedes, millipedes, tarantulas, snakes, bees, wasps, tarantula hawks, and rope-cutting sharp rock, in quantities unseen in UT or AZ. At least one person in your group should be an experienced canyoneer, with all members being at least solid hikers, and some competency in both rock climbing and canyoneering. Using the approach described, which is by far the shortest approach, requires a class V free climb for a full pitch, for which this canyon receives an R rating.

From your car/campsite at Terlingua Abajo, follow Terlingua Creek north for fifteen minutes. Branch off NW up a wash, and follow this for 15 minutes. Soon you will come to a plain of firm-packed silt/sand/mud stretching for over two miles to the mouth of Bruja. Follow this to the canyon. Once near the mouth of Bruja, you will need to complete a class V rock climb on the SE-facing wall on the north side of the canyon. Look carefully, and you will see a blue webbing anchor tied about 100 feet up. The first person must free climb an entire pitch of 5.0-5.2 limestone to the anchor. Rock shoes are not needed. If you can top-rope a 5.7, you should be fine on this climb. If sketched out, downclimbing should be easy enough. Once at the anchor, set a belay for your partners. After completing the rock climb, continue hacking up the hill until it levels out and becomes a shelf. Stay close to the rim of the canyon, and you will eventually find a faint trail. Follow this for 15 minutes, carefully searching for the first place to downclimb into the canyon. When you see the first area dropping into the canyon that is not sheer cliff, zig-zag down the slope carefully, doing several class III moves through sharp plants, until you are on the canyon floor.

Once in the canyon, head down through smooth white boulders for 15 minutes. Eventually you will come to a stunning view of a series of rappels and potholes in a white hallway. R1: 100 feet. Natural anchor off of two chockstones. Two stages. 30 feet into a pothole, cross the pothole, and another 20 feet into a second pothole. R2: 35 feet into a larger, darker pothole. Natural anchor off a small arch. You cannot see the pothole exit from the rappel. R3: Meat anchor then downclimb over a huge boulder chockstone. If skinny (80 kg or less) you can downclimb a crack and go under the boulder. Be careful, an angry bat lives under this boulder and could scratch or bite. Downclimb the final slot, keep left to negotiate the house-sized boulders, and return to your approach route. The potholes here should never be true keeper potholes, but conditions change. To be safe, be sure to know how to tie your rope to your bag to throw a potshot, and never pull your rappel rope until one member is out of the pothole. The main pothole danger is bees. In several potholes, over 100 bees were swarming each exit, despite no hives being in the canyon. Lots and lots of splashing scared most away. Do not do this canyon if you are allergic to bees. If you insist, please bring an epi-pen and show your partners how to use it. We did not get stung, despite being in close proximity to hundreds of bees for over an hour in the pothole section.