Desert View Canoe Adventure

This itinerary is intended as an example only.   Your trip may vary somewhat depending on weather and river conditions, your guide and your group's interests.  If you enjoy you trip, tips for your guides are always appreciated.

This special trip is a wonderful way to acquaint yourself with canoeing and the Rio Grande.  We will meet you at our office in Terlingua and drive you up the river road (Camino del Rio) to Grassy Banks where our trip begins.  This highway has been rated as one of the ten most scenic drives in the United States by National Geographic Magazine, and is part of Big Bend Ranch State Park.

As we embark on our canoe trip down the Rio Grande, we will see distant mountains with colorful layers of volcanic ash called "Tuff", a fitting contrast to the dark lava and basalt formations on the banks of the river.   We often see herds of wild burros grazing on the mountainside as we float by a small "ranchero".  High cliff walls on the Mexican side of the river rise above us indicating that we are nearing our first small rapid, Fresno Rapid, one of the few easy rapids along this stretch of river making this a perfect trip for novice river runners and people of all ages. 

As we pass along the banks, your guide may point out the various cacti and vegetation native to the area.  Two types of river cane, mesquite, and Tamarisk (Salt Cedar) line the shores and serve as home for a multitude of birds throughout the year.  We will stop on the beach for lunch.

On the last half of the trip, we will pass through a small canyon, "Black Rock Canyon".  Here the canyon walls are lined with many varieties of beautiful cacti that provide brilliant splashes of color during their blooming seasons.

As we near the end of the journey, we will see the majestic Chisos Mountains appear in the distance.  Here we leave the river and reload our gear for the trip back to our office in Terlingua.