1695 Dark Canyon Trail, Terlingua, TX 79852

This enchanting 40 acre property is a unique retreat located less than 15 minutes from gas, groceries, restaurants, post office and bank. The property is in a level triangular shaped valley bordered on three sides by a volcanic dike on the side coming from town which screens it off from neighbors and development, a mesa on the sunset side with extraordinary views of Big Bend National Park and a mountain on the north and east side where Aodad sheep sometimes graze on the slopes. There is a reliable spring with good water located just off the Southeast corner and could be tapped with a shallow well.   There are three building sites on the property with 4 well constructed buildings that are all dried in but can be finished to the new owners specifications.  The property is a mile and a quarter off Hwy. 118 as the raven flies and two miles on a road regularly maintained by Terlingua Ranch.  The road cuts a diagonal from corner to corner and the distance on the road is a full third of a mile.  The main house is located on a watershed divide between Ben's Hole Creek and Dark Canyon Creek.  The road drops into Dark Canyon past the adjoining property and is rarely traveled but makes for great mountain biking and hiking.  The housesite catches the breeze that funnels between the Mesa and the mountain for a natural cooling effect. You can jump on your bike and roll down the hill to the lower camp near the spring and roll most of the way without pedaling, how much fun is that! The main house is 16' x 32' with a ten foot ceiling in the main room which stays cool all day and is warm at night. There is a patio in front with a 16' x16' concrete slab that is in the shade of the 22' tall gable from late morning until sunset.The inside floor is also 5 1/2" thick concrete which provides thermal mass for cool comfort on hot days. The foundation stem wall is 24 inches deep and a foot wide and the house has not settled one bit in 20 years.   Upstairs is a doll house in the making, there is an 8' ceiling and the room measurements are 10' x 15' with a 12/12 pitch roof and dormers on two sides for a wonderful breeze and stellar views. The total square footage is 615 sq. ft. The house is made of all hand selected material including 2x10 Southern Yellow Pine joists and white polyester vinyl coated Mueller Steel roof for water catchment. Walls of the main room are 2x6 studs and the sheathing is 3/4" ply. There is a post and beam frame and the building will withstand high winds with no vibration or shudder.   Concrete stairs behind the house lead up the Mesa where there is a second timber frame cabin built for the view and water catchment. This cabin features a four inch deep slab and deep footings for stability.  The high vaulted ceiling is 9' to 11', the 2x10" rafters and 1x10" sheathing is Sierra Madre Ponderosa Pine imported from Ojinaga, Chihuahua when it was still legal to import .Everything on the property is designed for comfortable off grid living. The sheathing is 3/4 ply for plaster and the roof is also white Mueller steel for water catchment.  There is a small catchment system set up and can supply the main house below with gravity fed water. This property is everything you need for your off grid Desert paradise.  The third building site is at the lower east side corner of the property where there is a 16'x16' pole barn with 10' walls and a 8'x10' bathhouse located at the site of an 1880's camp with a fire ring where the cowboys stayed while building the springbox at the foot of the mountain.  The gentleman who built all of this is a life-long tradesman with experience in historic preservation and all facets of carpentry and stone masonry. The main house has a beautiful Boquillas sandstone wall on two sides and one inside which adds more thermal mass for cooling.    There are so many good features to this amazing piece of property, come out and take a look.