A hiking trail will be built around Lone Mountain in Big Bend National Park/NPS file

Big Bend National Park in Texas will be building a hiking trail near Panther Junction where there long had been discussions to build a multi-use trail open to mountain biking, Superintendent Bob Krumenaker announced Wednesday.

The National Park Service began planning for a trail in this area in 2010, when it published an Environmental Assessment for a new trail-based recreational opportunity. The original decision, documented in a Finding of No Significant Impact in 2012, was to build a 10-mile multi-use trail, which would allow mountain bike use.

That proved to be a highly controversial issue. At the time, the rationale for the mountain bike trail was based, in part, on the lack of mountain biking options in the Big Bend area.

Now, however, park staff note that since 2008 "nearby Big Bend Ranch State Park has opened over 115 miles of trails which allow mountain biking. (There are a total of 238 miles of trails open to mountain bikes in BBRSP.) The Lajitas Resort now has almost 21 miles of single track in their trail system, just west of the Big Bend boundary. Big Bend’s 191 miles of unpaved 2-wheel and 4-wheel drive roads have also been open to bicycle use all along and while they are not single-track, they provide outstanding backcountry bicycling opportunities."

The new 3-mile-long Lone Mountain Trail will circumnavigate the base of Lone Mountain, an imposing feature just north of park headquarters at Panther Junction. The path will travel through the Chihuahuan Desert, conveniently beginning and ending in Panther Junction. Highlights of the route include spectacular views of the Chisos, Rosillos, and Dead Horse Mountains; a wide variety of desert plants and animals; and the interesting volcanic features of Lone Mountain itself, a park release said.

"With over 200 miles of trails, Big Bend is a world-renowned hiking location,” said Krumenaker, “and we’re proud to add this new opportunity for visitors to enjoy their park even more. I’m delighted to make this decision, concluding a planning process which took far too long, and move forward in building this hiking trail.”

Construction of the trail will occur in 2022 by the Big Bend National Park trail crew and volunteers. Initially, no additional parking area or facilities are planned, but if usage warrants it, the NPS will consider alternative parking or trailhead configurations at a future date.