Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River★5.0

How to Get There

From Study Butte / Terlingua (10 mi): Take TX-118 into Big Bend National Park or toward one of the designated river access points, then follow park or river access roads to launch sites, overlooks, trailheads, or visitor areas located along the protected river corridor.

Overview

The Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River protects nearly 200 miles of one of North America's most remarkable desert rivers as it winds through the remote landscapes of West Texas. Designated under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, this corridor preserves a unique combination of rugged canyons, volcanic formations, cultural history, and ecological diversity. Along its course, the river carves spectacular gorges including Santa Elena Canyon, Mariscal Canyon, and Boquillas Canyon, where towering cliffs rise dramatically above the water. These landscapes provide outstanding opportunities for paddling, photography, wildlife observation, and wilderness recreation.

The river serves as a lifeline within the Chihuahuan Desert, sustaining habitats that support numerous bird species, mammals, reptiles, and native plant communities. For centuries, the corridor has also functioned as a cultural crossroads connecting peoples on both sides of the international border. Today, visitors can experience its beauty from scenic overlooks, riverside trails, and multi-day canoe or kayak expeditions that reveal some of the most remote and spectacular scenery in the American Southwest. The combination of geological grandeur, ecological importance, and cultural heritage makes the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River one of the defining landscapes of the Big Bend region.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles and official tourism pages for the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.