Friends of Big Bend Ranch State Park claim e-biker stranded in the desert for 30 hours after battery dies

In the early days of e-mountain bikes, I, along with many other writers, posited that one of the dangers of e-bikes was that they could now allow inexperienced riders to pedal a long way from the trailhead and possibly land themselves in a dangerous backcountry situation if their battery died.

While that supposition was over a decade ago at this point, I hadn’t actually heard a report of an e-biker being stranded in a dangerous situation.

Until now.

E-biker stranded in Big Bend Ranch State Park, TX

According to a Facebook post published by the Friends of Big Bend Ranch State Park on March 11, 2025, “A biker was recued [sic] in Big Bend Ranch State Park because her e-bike battery died. She was in the desert for 30 hours and pushed her bike 20 miles before she was located deep in the park interior.”

According to the Friends group, e-bikes are not allowed on the trails in the State Park.

“Big Bend Ranch State Park is a mountain biker’s paradise. E-bikes may sound like a good idea to make your adventure a little easier but in the backcountry they’re downright dangerous,” they added. “If you can’t ride it without the assistance of an electric motor, please keep it out of the park and off the trails.”

The incident occurred in November 2024, and may have been due to a flat tire

Update, March 14, 2025, at 3pm MDT:

The Friends of Big Bend Ranch State Park updated their post to say, “This incident happened in November 2024. The biker was recovered safely.”

Based on this information, we were pointed to a press release from Texas Parks and Wildlife about the incident. An updated article on MySanAntonio.com confirmed that the November 27th incident is the same incident referred to by the Friends Facebook post.

The press release reads, in part:

Nov. 27, 7:30 p.m.: Debra Staples, 56, who had been lost at Big Bend Ranch State Park for over 30 hours has been located, alive and well, 20 miles from the point she was last seen.

Soon after her husband left to bike one of the trails on the morning of Nov. 26, Staples decided to try to catch up to him. She was unable to. Upon reaching a crossroads in the trail, she took the wrong trail. After getting a flat tire on her bike, Staples opted to leave it behind. She ended up walking in a circle for five hours, eventually coming upon the bike again. She decided to take it with her and continued walking the trail system until she reached the Sauceda Ranger Station located in the interior of the park. From there, search crews were notified of her location, and she was safely reunited with her family.

At this point in time, it appears that the Friends group may have misreported this as a case of a battery dying, as the report from Texas Parks and Wildlife attributes the incident to a flat tire.

We’ve reached out to the Friends group directly for clarification and will update this article as more information becomes available.

The terrain in Big Bend is wild and desolate and could easily prove deadly

Big Bend State Park (which is distinct from the national park) is the largest Texas State Park. It protects a massive 311,000 acres of the Chihuahuan Desert. The Chihuahuan Desert is rocky and rugged and home to a majestic yet desolate beauty. Covering almost 140,000 square miles, the Chihuahuan Desert is the largest hot desert in North America.

I’ve ridden in Big Bend State Park myself, and the trails there are wild and beautiful. Several historic singletrack loops are accessible from Big Bend’s southern trailhead near the town of Lajitas. Known as the Contrabando Trails, these loops provide great day rides with short, steep climbs and rugged descents through boulder fields and along occasional rock ledges. Here, riders can pedal to several historic sites and learn about the region’s mining history.

Over the years, I’ve developed a respect for the desert, and as I explored the barely-marked and little-ridden trails close to Lajitas, I had a hard time wrapping my head around the local IMBA Epic. The loops I pedaled were generally 10-20 miles — the Fresno-Saucedo IMBA Epic Loop runs 57 miles deep into the interior of Big Bend Ranch State Park. According to reports, the trails are extremely rugged, unmarked, and often washed away or dramatically altered due to flash flooding. While water remakes the landscape during the monsoon season, there are generally no water sources of any sort to be found in the depths of the park unless you manage to reach the limited infrastructure in the interior via other connected trails.

Frankly, this terrain is downright scary. When I saw a group of bikepackers heading into the interior, I grilled them on their plans and generally determined that they were way more badass than me.

Big Bend Ranch State Park is not a place you want to get stranded, and the Chihuahuan Desert is not to be taken lightly. I’m grateful to hear that this e-biker made it out alive.

Texas

Teen Entrepreneur Is Selling Texas Bike Park for $3.2 Million

Arizona

The Graham Cracker Route Debuts in Arizona, with 7,000ft of Descending

Utah

Moab is finally considering opening its world-famous non-motorized MTB trails to e-bikes

Arkansas

Throttle-assist e-bikes are coming to iconic MTB trails in two Arkansas national forests