The Santa Elena Canyon trip offers spectacular scenery with each bend in the Rio Grande.  Santa Elena Canyon is known for the famous Rock Slide Rapid, as well as its sheer limestone walls.  Beginning at the historic Lajitas Crossing, this 21-mile trip is the most popular run on the river.  As the river meanders toward the canyon entrance, you will see high mesas and beautiful side canyons that have abundant cactus and Chihuahuan Desert vegetation.  Along your trip, you may see endangered peregrine falcons or wild burros in Mexico.  Nothing can rival floating through this narrow canyon beneath walls that tower over 1500 feet overhead.

One day Santa Elena Canyon River Trip

This is a sample itinerary. Your trip may vary due to weather, water conditions, or time factors.

7:45 AM:    Check in at our office in Terlingua.   Wear shoes and clothes that you do not mind getting wet.  In warmer weather, you will need sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen, a bathing suit or cutoffs, a lightweight long-sleeved shirt for sun protection, and sneakers or river sandals.  We provide waterproof boxes for your cameras.  You will not need watches, jewelry, or money on the river, so please lock these up before you check in.

8:00 AM:    Your guide will meet you at our office and take you to Lajitas Crossing to load and board rafts for the trip.  From there you can catch a glimpse of rural life in Mexico by looking across the river to the village of Paso Lajitas.  As you float on this section of river, you pass Native American grinding stones, ancient pictographs, and a candellia wax processing camp which can be seen from the river.  The rapids ahead will be Class I - III, depending on the river level.

Mid-Day:    Around noon your guide will serve you a "deli-style" lunch near the entrance of the canyon.  While your guide is setting up lunch, you may want to take a short hike to explore the area and study the many varieties of cactus and native plants.  Following lunch, you will float into Santa Elena Canyon and enter an entirely new world.

The pace picks up as you approach the Rock Slide, a Class IV rapid when water levels are adequate, created centuries ago when a portion of the cliffs overhead collapsed and choked the river with house-sized boulders.  Early explorers wrote about a painful portage around this rapid, which they considered impossible to navigate.  Their camp, just beyond the Rock Slide, is named Camp Misery.  Today, thanks to advanced boat design and our highly professional guides, you will experience only excitement and fun!

Afternoon highlights may include a hike into beautiful Fern Canyon, which is named for its lush fern-covered dripping springs.  With sculptured walls and cool clear pools, Fern Canyon makes an enchanting stop along the way.  The trip takes on a dreamlike quality as you float quietly through the last few miles, passing the impressive Smuggler's Cave on the way to the mouth of the canyon. 

4:30 PM:    Soon after exiting the Canyon, you'll be met by our shuttle vehicle for the scenic trip back to Terlingua through Big Bend National Park with its colorful volcanic tuff formations.  You'll arrive back in Terlingua in time for a relaxing evening.

Two to Three Day Santa Elena Canyon River Trips

This is a sample itinerary. Your trip may vary due to weather, water conditions, or time factors.

Day before trip:    Pick up waterproof gear bags at our office in Terlingua.  (If you arrive after we close, you can pack these in the morning.)

Day One:    Check in at our office at 8:15 AM.  You should have your overnight things packed in our waterproof gear bags.  Wear shoes and clothes that you do not mind getting wet.  Follow your packing list to know just what you need to bring and what not to bring.  We provide waterproof boxes for you cameras and day bags for small personal items.

At 8:30 AM, Your guide will meet you at our office and take you to the river to load and board rafts.  Morning highlights may include visiting a candellia wax processing camp, ruins of an old Spanish Fort on the Mexican bank, or a hike into an interesting side canyon to explore desert ecology and view unusual rock formations.

Lunch will be served on the river bank by your guide.  After lunch you may stop to visit Indian Petroglyphs near some beautiful twin canyons.  You may also get to explore the remnants of an old Indian camp which has many metates (grinding holes).

In the afternoon, your guide will find a comfortable campsite for the evening and will start preparations for a dinner feast.  You are free to hike, explore, or just relax and take a nap to the soothing river sounds at your camp.

After Nightfall:    After a delicious dinner, enjoy the warmth of the campfire and look up to see more stars than you ever thought possible.  Look for the Milky Way "cloud" and, depending on the time of the year, the planets Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.  a trip scheduled during the full moon will provide you with a glorious moonrise over the mountains and moonlight so bright you can almost read by it.  You may choose to sleep out under the stars or inside one of the tents that we provide.

Day Two:    Your day will begin with an optional hike while your guide prepares a pot of camp coffee and a hearty river-style breakfast.  After breaking camp and repacking the rafts, you will float into the canyon entrance.  As you drift deeper into Santa Elena Canyon, the sheer walls gradually rise.  The level of excitement rises, as well, when you approach the Rock Slide.  This rapid was created millions of years ago as a portion of the cliffs above you broke free crashing into the Rio Grande.  It left behind house-sized boulders creating a great obstacle.   Early explores had deemed this section of the river impossible to navigate.   Camp Misery beyond the Rock Slide was named as their first camp, after a difficult and painful portage.  Today, due to advanced boat design and highly qualified, professional guides, your memories will be of excitement and fun.

Other afternoon highlights may include a hike into beautiful Fern Canyon.  Named for its lush fern-covered dripping springs, this side canyon offers a unique contrast to that of the desert.  With sculptured walls and cool clear pools, Fern Canyon makes an enchanting and refreshing stop along the way.  Leisurely floating through the last few miles of the trip, Smuggler's Cave sits majestically in the canyon walls..   Looking back you watch as the canyon walls loom above you reaching their full height.  You arrive back in Terlingua with plenty of time to clean up for dinner or other interests.

A three day river trip through Santa Elena Canyon allows a more leisurely pace or more time to hike the numerous sites along the way.