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This is primitive camping. Be sure to bring plenty of water since there is none at the crags or camping. Also have a trusty spare tire on your vehicle, not a doughnut, the roads are rough so drive slow.

Here are the directions: The first part is to get you to the Main Gate at the highway, and then on to the ranch house. The second part is a road log to the camping at Emerald Pools Sector of Shumla Bend from the ranch house.

From Del Rio take Highway 90 West for 32 miles to Comstock (there is a Border Patrol checkpoint a few miles east of Comstock).There is a blinking intersection in town for 163, keep going on Highway 90 for just under 1 mile to the junction with Ranch Road 1024 heading to the north to Pandale, take this road. At this intersection set the trip odometer and drive for 10.8 miles to the main gate on the left, or west, side of the road. It is hard to see at night so go slow. It is across from a curve sign and a ³watch for water across road² sign that are close together. The gate is back from the pavement about 100 feet, the sign on it will say "Continental Ranch II" on a maroon "Sheep and Goat Herders Association" sign. Enter the lock combination (obtained from your reservation) on a brass padlock. Reset your trip odometer to 0.0, it is 4.3 miles to the ranch house. Along the way you will come to a bump gate that is rather heavy, be sure it is not locked (same combo) before bumping it open with your vehicle. There is another bump gate then you will soon see the ranch house ahead and a metal barn on the left. The fee payment drop box is located here. It is still another 45 minutes (11 miles) to the camping area. So if you are too tired to make it to the camping area please don¹t camp near the ranch house. Find a suitable spot out of the way.

To get to the crags follow the red reflectors and surveyors tape. They begin by leading around the north side of the metal barn. You need to go through the bump gate on the west side of the barn (for bearings: the house and guest house are north and the barn is south if you line them up). Set your trip odometer to 0.0 at the bump gate. The main road to the camping is completely marked with red reflectors and surveyors tape at intersections and gates. Immediately after the bump gate the road curves right, and heads slightly uphill. You are heading west-southwest and this will be your general heading out to the tip of Shumla Bend. The following is a road log to use as a back-up in case reflectors have fallen down.

0.0 Bump gate on west side of barn (road curves right)
0.1 straight after the gate
0.9 straight (left fork)
1.0 gate, straight (left fork)
1.7 follow main road WSW
2.3 right fork
3.0 gate, straight
3.9 main fork right
4.0 gate, then main fork right past barn
5.0 main fork right
5.6 gate
6.5 main fork right
7.4 left fork toward windmill
7.6 gate and windmill
7.9 right fork
9.0 main fork right
10.5 intersection to 2 separate crags, right fork 0.5 mile to Camping at Emerald Pools Sector; left fork goes to Weir dam Sector (take 2 left forks when you come to them).
11.0 Campsites at Emerald Pools Sector just after turning to the northwest, near the outhouse.