Colin J. McMechan/Flickr Creative Commons
FM 170 is a little known, but quite beautiful drive in West TX. The unassuming highway parallels the Rio Grande in Presidio and Brewster Counties for over 100 miles. It’s an exciting road to travel in that it is located in the middle of nowhere, you’d need to prepare for the drive instead of just winging it, and there’s that slight element of danger that gores with traveling near the US/Mexican Border. For those of y’all with an adventurous outlook, it’s just the ticket.
Funny thing is, it doesn’t matter what time of year you intend on traveling this route, you definitely need top remember to pack water! Needless to say, you’ll be driving through the desert so you have to plan accordingly. For this route you need to ensure your tires are in good condition, radiator is serviced (if you’re planning on a winter jaunt, then you may need to cover a portion to help keep your engine temps up), as well as GPS and reliable communication. I don’t mean to imply it’s the wild wild west out there, but you should be prepared for any eventuality, just like the Boy Scouts used to say.
FM 170 has as it’s western end the sleep small town of Candelaria. It’s one of those places you have to got to to get to, because it ain’t on the way to anywhere else. At the eastern end of FM 170, the road ends at Study Butte right by Big Bend National Park. The road actually travels through Big Bend Ranch State Park.
Coming down from Candelaria, you’ll come to a ghost town called Ruidosa and right by the road are the adobe remains of Sacred Heart Mission. It’s crumbling but still largely resembles an old old adobe church. The drive through the ghost towns and State Park, as well as the river views are worth the extra planning and effort of preparing for this drive. And as always, before you hit the trail, hit us up at the website for all your parts and accessories!