Lower Canyons of Rio Grande 2021
This trip in Feb 2021 is our second Rio Grande River canoe trip. Rena and I did our first 14-day trip (Upper section) in March 2020, and emerged to learn about the covid situation. The second 13-day trip (Lower section) was also during Covid. It is a very isolated river so it is a good place to go.
The Rio Grande forms the border between Texas and Mexico.The entire stretch is classified as a Wild and Scenic River and is administered by the National Park Service. We have now paddled all of Big Bend National Park as well as parts of the river both west and east of the park.
We met Mike Berglund, Dean Talbot, Brian Elliott, and Gary Kelly at Stillwell RV Park just north of Big Bend NP. On January 31, we launched at Rio Grande Village. We used three inflatable SOAR canoes and planned to paddle 116 miles in 14 days. Water levels at this time of year are very low. Our challenge was the effort required to push over exposed rocks rather than negotiate difficult rapids. However, the real excitement was the cold front that hit Texas in mid-February. A major storm brought extremely cold weather and downed power for much of Texas for several days. Luckily, we had only one cold day at the end of the trip. Had we started the paddle a few days later and been further from the finish when the cold spell hit, it could have been serious; possibly too cold to paddle. We might have had to camp and wait out the cold weather.
A trip report and photos of the first trip can be found at https://adventureplus.smugmug.com/Canoe-Kayak/Rio-Grande-Canoe-2020/
LOGISTICS
(1) The 6 of us all drove to Big Bend separately. We camped and ate in our vehicles to avoid public contact. We parked our vehicles and started the float at Rio Grande Village. At the end of the trip, Charley Angell angellexpeditions.com shuttled us and our gear back to our cars at Rio Grande Village.
(2) We paddled the Boquillas Canyon section (33 miles) and the Lower Canyons section (83 miles.) On our first day, we started late and encountered high winds before entering Boquillas Canyon. It was our shortest day, 3.8 miles. Out longest day was the last one, 16.9 miles.
(3) We carried all of our food but picked up fresh water 3 times during the float. It is not recommended to drink water from the river.
(4) This river requires permits from the National Park but they are free and easy to obtain.
(5) We carried an In Reach GPS, a device that can call for a rescue. We also used it to get weather reports and luckily had some warning about the cold weather at the end.
(6) A low water trip is easier if you go light. We tried but were still relatively heavy. We carried a big kitchen setup, box wine for dinner, and didn’t scrimp on food and comforts.
COMMENTS AND IMPRESSIONS
(1) It is an awesome river trip. You are in deep canyons much of the time. The geology is interesting and there are numerous towers and rock formations. It compares with other desert rivers in the West. But unlike most of them, it is easy to get a permit to float the Rio Grande, and you have the river to yourself. Complete wilderness. In 13 days on the river, we saw only 2 people in one canoe.
(2) Camping is relatively easy. Many of the camps we used were described in the guidebooks, but we also selected some as we paddled. We named all our camps. They were spacious and many had great views. There are several hot springs you can soak in. We had 3 layover days which gave us time to explore some of the side canyons. There are a multitude of interesting side hikes especially near the end of the float.
(3) We had very low water. The gauge at Rio Grande Village was at 120 cfs when we started. However about half way down the Lower Canyons, we started to get increased flow due to springs. The flow was about 325 cfs when we finished. According to the literature, when the Rio Grande gauge is below 100 cfs, you might want to postpone the trip.
(4) There are many ripples and rapids to keep the paddling interesting. Often we encountered sharp turns where it was easy to get pushed into the bank and brush. We lined some of these. The harder rapids need to be scouted and possibly lined. The rapids are more difficult in the Oct-Nov time frame when there is more water. During high water, rafts are an option. But at low water, it is a river for canoes. Our SOAR canoes are more rugged and they made everything relatively easy.
(5) The most difficult rapid was Upper Madison which many groups portage. We used a combination of lining, paddling, and pushing over rocks. It took about an hour to scout and get past this rapid.
(6) The region around Big Bend National Park is very rugged and difficult to access. There are not as many issues with illegal border crossings as there are in other areas where the border is more accessible. At our Hot Springs camp, we saw old trash left by people obviously trying to cross the border. A crossing here requires a 20-mile trek through very inhospitable terrain to reach the nearest road. We spent an hour picking up discarded clothing and food, and burned everything in a big fire that evening.
(7) We saw a herd of 10 bighorn sheep along with several Aoudads (Barbary sheep), an introduced species, lots of turtles and an otter. According to Brian, our bird guru, we encountered 28 bird species (including a Peregrine Falcon.) Dean came across a huge skull of a recently dead bear.
(8) One or our most exciting activities was watching bats. We discovered when we shone a bright light surrounded by a narrow pot into the ski, insects are attracted and are visible in the light beam. We could then watch bats dart back and forth feeding on the bugs. The bats were lit up by the light beam. Brian managed to record this with his camera and I included one of his photos. We engaged in this intriguing activity for many of the evenings.
(9) I seldom have photos of Rena and I. This time, I included photos from Gary and Brian.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
(1) The Great Unknown of the Rio Grande, by Louis Aulbach - covers the portion of the river through Boquillas Canyon.
(2) The Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande, by Louis Aulbach - covers the Lower Canyons.
(3) The Ultimate Guidebook to Paddling the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande, by Terlingua Todd - very useful and readable book.
(4) River Guide to the Rio Grande: The Lower Canyons - Heath Canyon Ranch to Dryden Crossing - laminated, waterproof, spiral bound - I did not find this guide as useful.
(5) The Big Bend National Park website has all the information about regulations and running the river. The park brochure is also useful.
(6) Southwest Paddler website http://southwestpaddler.com
ITINERARY
Day - Daily miles - River miles - Camp
1 - 3.8 - 79.3 - Mucky Mud camp
2 - 9 - 88.3 - Missing Trail camp
3 - 13.7 - 102 - Isla Primera camp
4 - 6.5 - 108.5
4 - 4.7 - 4.7 - Drunken Dog camp
5 - 13.8 - 18.5 - Bat camp
6 - 11 - 29.5 - Fish camp
7 - 11.3 - 40.8 - Hot Springs camp
8 - - - Layover Day 1
9 - 14.3 - 55.1 - Upper Madison camp
10 - - - Layover Day 2
11 - 11.2 - 66.3 - San Francisco Canyon camp
12 - - - Layover Day 3
13 - 16.9 - 83.2 - Dryden Crossing
14 - Shuttle back to Rio Grande Village
ITINERARY NOTES
- The Boquillas Canyon Section starts at Rio Grande Village at River mile 75.5 and ends at Heath Canyon Ranch at mile 108.5. (33 miles)
- The Lower Canyon section starts at Heath Canyon Ranch at River mile 0 and ends at Dryden Crossing at mile 83.2.
- Daily mileage on day 4 was 11.2 miles
MAJOR RAPIDS
Day - River miles - Rapid
7- 40.7 - Hot Springs rapid
9 - 44.4 - Bullis Fold rapid
9 - 45.5 - Palmas rapid
9 - 50.1 - Rodeo rapid
9 - 54.9 - Upper Madison rapid - pushed, paddled, and lined
11 - 55.4 - Son of Burro rapid
11 - 57.2 - Lower Madison rapid
11 - ? - New Unnamed rapid
11 - 60.9 - Panther Canyon rapid
13 - 66.3 - San Francisco rapid - lined
13 - 78.9 - Sanderson Canyon rapid
Read MoreThe Rio Grande forms the border between Texas and Mexico.The entire stretch is classified as a Wild and Scenic River and is administered by the National Park Service. We have now paddled all of Big Bend National Park as well as parts of the river both west and east of the park.
We met Mike Berglund, Dean Talbot, Brian Elliott, and Gary Kelly at Stillwell RV Park just north of Big Bend NP. On January 31, we launched at Rio Grande Village. We used three inflatable SOAR canoes and planned to paddle 116 miles in 14 days. Water levels at this time of year are very low. Our challenge was the effort required to push over exposed rocks rather than negotiate difficult rapids. However, the real excitement was the cold front that hit Texas in mid-February. A major storm brought extremely cold weather and downed power for much of Texas for several days. Luckily, we had only one cold day at the end of the trip. Had we started the paddle a few days later and been further from the finish when the cold spell hit, it could have been serious; possibly too cold to paddle. We might have had to camp and wait out the cold weather.
A trip report and photos of the first trip can be found at https://adventureplus.smugmug.com/Canoe-Kayak/Rio-Grande-Canoe-2020/
LOGISTICS
(1) The 6 of us all drove to Big Bend separately. We camped and ate in our vehicles to avoid public contact. We parked our vehicles and started the float at Rio Grande Village. At the end of the trip, Charley Angell angellexpeditions.com shuttled us and our gear back to our cars at Rio Grande Village.
(2) We paddled the Boquillas Canyon section (33 miles) and the Lower Canyons section (83 miles.) On our first day, we started late and encountered high winds before entering Boquillas Canyon. It was our shortest day, 3.8 miles. Out longest day was the last one, 16.9 miles.
(3) We carried all of our food but picked up fresh water 3 times during the float. It is not recommended to drink water from the river.
(4) This river requires permits from the National Park but they are free and easy to obtain.
(5) We carried an In Reach GPS, a device that can call for a rescue. We also used it to get weather reports and luckily had some warning about the cold weather at the end.
(6) A low water trip is easier if you go light. We tried but were still relatively heavy. We carried a big kitchen setup, box wine for dinner, and didn’t scrimp on food and comforts.
COMMENTS AND IMPRESSIONS
(1) It is an awesome river trip. You are in deep canyons much of the time. The geology is interesting and there are numerous towers and rock formations. It compares with other desert rivers in the West. But unlike most of them, it is easy to get a permit to float the Rio Grande, and you have the river to yourself. Complete wilderness. In 13 days on the river, we saw only 2 people in one canoe.
(2) Camping is relatively easy. Many of the camps we used were described in the guidebooks, but we also selected some as we paddled. We named all our camps. They were spacious and many had great views. There are several hot springs you can soak in. We had 3 layover days which gave us time to explore some of the side canyons. There are a multitude of interesting side hikes especially near the end of the float.
(3) We had very low water. The gauge at Rio Grande Village was at 120 cfs when we started. However about half way down the Lower Canyons, we started to get increased flow due to springs. The flow was about 325 cfs when we finished. According to the literature, when the Rio Grande gauge is below 100 cfs, you might want to postpone the trip.
(4) There are many ripples and rapids to keep the paddling interesting. Often we encountered sharp turns where it was easy to get pushed into the bank and brush. We lined some of these. The harder rapids need to be scouted and possibly lined. The rapids are more difficult in the Oct-Nov time frame when there is more water. During high water, rafts are an option. But at low water, it is a river for canoes. Our SOAR canoes are more rugged and they made everything relatively easy.
(5) The most difficult rapid was Upper Madison which many groups portage. We used a combination of lining, paddling, and pushing over rocks. It took about an hour to scout and get past this rapid.
(6) The region around Big Bend National Park is very rugged and difficult to access. There are not as many issues with illegal border crossings as there are in other areas where the border is more accessible. At our Hot Springs camp, we saw old trash left by people obviously trying to cross the border. A crossing here requires a 20-mile trek through very inhospitable terrain to reach the nearest road. We spent an hour picking up discarded clothing and food, and burned everything in a big fire that evening.
(7) We saw a herd of 10 bighorn sheep along with several Aoudads (Barbary sheep), an introduced species, lots of turtles and an otter. According to Brian, our bird guru, we encountered 28 bird species (including a Peregrine Falcon.) Dean came across a huge skull of a recently dead bear.
(8) One or our most exciting activities was watching bats. We discovered when we shone a bright light surrounded by a narrow pot into the ski, insects are attracted and are visible in the light beam. We could then watch bats dart back and forth feeding on the bugs. The bats were lit up by the light beam. Brian managed to record this with his camera and I included one of his photos. We engaged in this intriguing activity for many of the evenings.
(9) I seldom have photos of Rena and I. This time, I included photos from Gary and Brian.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
(1) The Great Unknown of the Rio Grande, by Louis Aulbach - covers the portion of the river through Boquillas Canyon.
(2) The Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande, by Louis Aulbach - covers the Lower Canyons.
(3) The Ultimate Guidebook to Paddling the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande, by Terlingua Todd - very useful and readable book.
(4) River Guide to the Rio Grande: The Lower Canyons - Heath Canyon Ranch to Dryden Crossing - laminated, waterproof, spiral bound - I did not find this guide as useful.
(5) The Big Bend National Park website has all the information about regulations and running the river. The park brochure is also useful.
(6) Southwest Paddler website http://southwestpaddler.com
ITINERARY
Day - Daily miles - River miles - Camp
1 - 3.8 - 79.3 - Mucky Mud camp
2 - 9 - 88.3 - Missing Trail camp
3 - 13.7 - 102 - Isla Primera camp
4 - 6.5 - 108.5
4 - 4.7 - 4.7 - Drunken Dog camp
5 - 13.8 - 18.5 - Bat camp
6 - 11 - 29.5 - Fish camp
7 - 11.3 - 40.8 - Hot Springs camp
8 - - - Layover Day 1
9 - 14.3 - 55.1 - Upper Madison camp
10 - - - Layover Day 2
11 - 11.2 - 66.3 - San Francisco Canyon camp
12 - - - Layover Day 3
13 - 16.9 - 83.2 - Dryden Crossing
14 - Shuttle back to Rio Grande Village
ITINERARY NOTES
- The Boquillas Canyon Section starts at Rio Grande Village at River mile 75.5 and ends at Heath Canyon Ranch at mile 108.5. (33 miles)
- The Lower Canyon section starts at Heath Canyon Ranch at River mile 0 and ends at Dryden Crossing at mile 83.2.
- Daily mileage on day 4 was 11.2 miles
MAJOR RAPIDS
Day - River miles - Rapid
7- 40.7 - Hot Springs rapid
9 - 44.4 - Bullis Fold rapid
9 - 45.5 - Palmas rapid
9 - 50.1 - Rodeo rapid
9 - 54.9 - Upper Madison rapid - pushed, paddled, and lined
11 - 55.4 - Son of Burro rapid
11 - 57.2 - Lower Madison rapid
11 - ? - New Unnamed rapid
11 - 60.9 - Panther Canyon rapid
13 - 66.3 - San Francisco rapid - lined
13 - 78.9 - Sanderson Canyon rapid
