Mexico Map

Rio Grande - Santa Elena Canyon

Contact Info
1785 Highway 210, PO Box 777
PO Box 129
Carlton, MN 55718-0777

Phone:
218-878-2327
Basics
Location:
Big Bend National Park
Class:
Class II - IV
River Length
20 miles
Time:
1-3 days
Season:
Year-round

Description

Santa Elena Canyon is the most popular part of the Rio Grande to raft, not just because it’s about as accessible as accessible can get, but because it’s gorgeous. No other Rio Grande canyon has higher cliffs either - these walls can rise up 1,500 feet above the water.

When you enter the river at Lajitas, you’ll have 13 miles to do little more than float and watch the spectacular desert scenery. But those 13 miles come before the canyon proper. The last seven miles of the run are canyon-bound and technical. The Rock Slide, which is two miles into the canyon, is large and rough. If the water’s at a certain level, Rock Slide’s rating can be as high as Class IV.

Santa Elena is unique in that you can sometimes go up instead of down the canyon first (easier at low water levels) and "boomerang" back. If you do head upstream, visit a side canyon called Fern Canyon, which well earns its name.

Rafting

The Rio Grande is more than a river, it is a boundary between countries. But even so, it remains remote and lonely, the Chihuahuan Desert surrounding it closely as opposed to city after city.

River Details

Setting:
Desert Canyon
Class:
Class II - IV
River Length
20 miles
Time
1-3 days
Season:
Year-round
Guides Available?
Yes
Camping Info
Camping permitted, mostly primitive

Map + Directions

Customizable Directions


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