2016 Map of Hess Canyon

About this map

The Glass Mountains dominate this region of West Texas, where the high desert terrain is carved by a complex network of dry washes and named canyons. In this arid landscape, the boundary between Pecos and Brewster Counties cuts diagonally across the topography, illustrating the geometric division of the land through some of its most difficult reaches. Drainage patterns are defined by seasonal watercourses like Burnt House Creek and the Red Tank Draw, which channel runoff through Burnt House Canyon and Hess Canyon. The presence of Mills Rd in the north provides one of the few points of human access into this interior, connecting the lower elevations near Spring Canyon with the higher limestone ridges of the Glass range. Local names like Skinner Canyon suggest the historic presence of ranching families who navigated this territory long before modern surveying reached the area.