About Desert Sports

Participating in the Texas Trash-Off by taking care of our adopted mile of highway!

The History

Desert Sports was founded in the late 1980’s by Mark Mills and operated out of Lajitas. After a few changes in hands and location moves, Desert Sports was incorporated in 1996 by Jim Carrico, former superintendent of Big Bend National Park and Mike Long, long-time river guide and mountain bike enthusiast. Jim has retired, and passed the torch to Crystal Allbright, an artist, musician and a lover of the outdoors. We are still going strong after bouts of drought, economic recessions, border closures and a pandemic.

The Staff

It’s the folks working here that make Desert Sports distinctive. From the friendly voice on the phone to the knowledgeable guide on the tour to the professional driver on the shuttle. While we’ve made our home base in the Chihuahuan Desert, the career guides on our staff have run rivers from Alaska to Mexico, from Maine to California. We’ve ridden trails—Moab, Fruita, Phil’s World, Ganaraska Forest and most of the many Texas trails. We respect the outdoors and soak up the historical and environmental knowledge to share with you.

The Space

The Desert Sports building was built in the early 70’s by a few of our adobe making amigos and we’ve occupied this funky space since 1997. In the early days it was a feisty bar and restaurant. During the 1980’s the roof was used for another project which left the open air walls as a background for artists and photographers. Purchased and renovated by Don Carr in the mid 90’s, it is now the home of Desert Sports. Stop in and see us! Just don’t walk on the grass! View Map»