chihuahuan desert nature center & botanical garden

I thought we would spend an hour or so learning about the plant life of the area...and later regretted that we could only whittle 2 hours out of our day for it. We could have easily used 3-4 hours! They have a botanical garden, which is large and very well maintained (and labeled!) but it didn't have much blooming outside the week we were there. I'm betting mid-March would be a great time to visit. We visited the cactus hothouse where there were more blooming cactus than anywhere I've ever seen!Then we chose the hill trail (over the canyon trail) since we didn't have enough time. On the hilltop were panels explaining the mountains that you were seeing in a 360 degree panoramic view...how they were formed, names, elevations, etc.Plus, the staff members were all great. Greeted us as we came through the door and started immediately educating us.There was also a mining exhibit, but we didn't have time to visit.

Stumbled upon this great education and hiking gem on the way to Alpine. Trails are so beautiful and easy to navigate. You must be healthy and agile to navigate trails. Trails are not good for little ones.

Great time, short tour with collection of native trees and plants, also did a short hike via modesta canyon including a small creek. Entrance fee well worth it.

The day we hiked here the temperatures were below freezing and the night before had been foggy so all of the desert plants were covered in thick furry ice crystals. It was so pretty! As the sun came out the frost fell off of the trees like snow. The crystals made little tiny tinkly noises as they bounced off of each other. We were quite comfortable hiking as there was little wind that day, and even less down in the canyon. Don't let a frosty day keep you away from a visit to the Chihuahuan Nature Center!

The name of the place makes it sound like a laboratory, but the grounds are like the San Antonio Botanical Gardens desert section as it should have been done; that is, using an entire ranch to display the diversity and beauty of this area. We saw about a dozen agave, sotol, and oak varieties that we would have had to drive hundreds of miles and explored for years to find. Some were quite large. The cacti greenhouse was magnificent. Hundreds of cacti! Beautiful ones, big ones, teeny tiny ones. Ones you've never seen before and may never see again. Outside, there were so many other plant varieties that I can't think of how to describe them all. We are going back in the spring when everything blooms in earnest. Then there is the rest of the ranch, miles of beautiful scenery and discovery, worthy of any photographers' lens. You could honestly spend a whole day here and want to come back again.

My great experience here started with the lady at the front desk, who was both personable and knowledgeable. She chatted with all the guests who came through, and had a lot of good advice as to which trails to hike and what sights each guest would most likely enjoy. I went on the Modesta Canyon hike, which included a wide variety of different rocks, plants and animals since the canyon includes a desert spring and the intersection of two different geologic formations. The trail guide for the hike is excellent in helping to identify the flora and fauna you might see - it came in handy when I saw an aoudad (or Barbary sheep) and her lamb climbing up the face of the canyon!

We went and took a small hike. It was great. We went to the spring that was pretty much dry, but on this hike you get to go down in a small canyon and get to really see the rock up close. I thought it was cool. Great views of the mountains. Nice botanical gardens too. Also we really enjoyed the mining exhibition - that was unexpected and really neat!

lovely place. Very interesting and lots of different plants, animals and insects to spot. Plenty of beautiful hummingbirds just flying around in the wild

This nature center has it all starting with the lady that works there. She was so knowledgable and pleasant to talk to. Due to all the recent rains, she offered us mosquito spray before we left for our hike (we didn't have to buy it), and then when I was the last one walking out the door, she stopped me and handed me the spray and suggested I take it with me as our group might wish we had more later on. They also had walking sticks and hats that you can borrow for your hike. We did two of the hikes there and saw a variety of beautiful desert plants and many interesting rock formations. Some of the hikes are more strenuous than others but you will be advised about that before you head out.

This is a great place to not only familiarize yourself with the plants and ecosystem of the Chihuahuan Desert but to also enjoy a leisurely stroll in the midst of their very well presented and positioned plants in the midst of the beautiful background vistas of the Davis Mountain area. The identifying signage was available when needed but unobtrusive. We found many photographic opportunities from within the nature walk which could easily appear to have been taken in the middle of untamed country...which was an additional plus for me. The staff at the Center were very courteous, friendly, and helpful. Overall the combination of relaxing, informative, and photogenic made this visit one of the highlights of our trip to this area.

Unlike Colorado, New Mexico and many other states, Texas has little public land. This Nature Center just outside of Ft. Davis provides opportunity for hiking and seeing the natural beauty of this ecosystem. Knowledgeable guides, good gift shop. They will order books for you too. Been twice already and will go again when in the area.

We arrived around 10:30 a.m. and entered the visitor center and learned quite a bit about the area. The outdoor exhibits are educational. The volunteers provided us with not only a map of the trails to hike, but detailed information about each hike as well. We chose our trail based upon a recommendation as we are not experienced hikers and were enjoyed the 1.5 mile hike alot. This is worth the stop.

We had already hiked at the Davis Mountains State Park, and decided to try the trails at CDRI on a recommendation. We hiked the Modesta Canyon trail and it was great - there are other ones too we will have to catch next time. It cost $6 per person to get in, and the staff there were friendly and nice. There were hats and sunscreen for those who forgot theirs. The Botanical gardens are well marked and enjoyable to see. There are also areas about hummingbirds, butterflies, and geology (we did not have time for all). Definitely worth the short drive from Fort Davis.

The non-profit education center focused on the Chihuahuan Desert is a must visit in the area. Great for birders, hikers, plant geeks, geology enthusiasts and even shoppers (has a nice "museum" shop). On our recent 2 week New Mexico and W. Texas vacation we did a different hike every day - sometimes 2- and this was our favorite hike. We did the Modesta Springs/Canyon Trail to the Quarry View Trail and up to the Geology Exhibit Trail. I think it's listed as "moderate difficulty". Hiking to the springs is rocky - good hiking boots and for me a good hiking stick was a must to navigate rocky terrain but once through the beautiful Modesta Spring/Canyon Trail the most difficult part is just hiking to elevation. There are several trails of various difficulty from easy to moderate. You can stick to one or piece them together like we did. The trails we pieced several together make about a 3 mile hike taking us about 21/2 hours (with birding on the way).At the top of the Geology Exhibit Trail there awaits a truly excellent 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains and basins and a 360 degree interpretive exhibit. Each panel is aligned with your view and explains what you are looking at. We were not expecting it this educational treat. If hiking is on you agenda you won't want to miss this one. If it's not you'll still enjoy the botanical garden, the gift shop, the AC and nice bathroom and all the humming birds that greet you at the visitors center. As it is a non-profit that runs on donations there is a fee of about $6 and it's well worth it.

The canyon is interesting to see with many plants species. The stairs going down are narrow and uneasy, so bring good shoes. This place admits dogs; however, I did not have good experience taking my dog. The people at this center could be more tolerant to dogs, and put bags for dog owners to clean after the dog.