Big Bend National Park in Texas gets its name from a u-shaped bend in the Rio Grande River that borders the park. This wilderness area has mountains and desert scenery and encompasses more than eight hundred thousand acres. The Chisos Mountains are fully contained within the park. There are three river canyons: the Santa Elena, Mariscal and Boquillas. The cliffs of the Santa Elena are 1,513 feet above the river. Fossilized bones of a pterosaur were found in this canyon.
Big Bend National Park is open all year long and there are many hiking trails within the park. A self guided trail will take visitors to Lost Mine Peak. The trip is about three hours. Guided walks are available in the park and information about them is at the visitor's center. The visitor's center is open daily from 8:00 am to 6:00pm. The admission that is valid for seven days is twenty dollars for private vehicles. Visitors on bikes or a motorcycle are ten dollars. The park itself is open twenty four hours a day. Pets must be kept on a leash and aren't allowed in any of the buildings.
Boquillas Canyon is the farthest east of the three canyons. This canyon is about twenty miles in length. It begins close to the Rio Grande Village which is a wild and beautiful point in the river. Boquillas Canyon isn't as deep nor has cliffs with the sheer faces that Santa Elena does, nor is it as jagged as Mariscal. If the water is low enough visitors can walk in the canyon; however, it is rare and most of the time a boat is needed for the deep, quick moving river.
To get to the Boquillas Canyon visitors take Road 118 and go past the Rio Grande campsite. There is a turn off that delivers guests to the bordering town of Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico. The road showcases the high layered cliffs by the river. The mountains on the Mexico side are large and angular. This road ends in about seven tenths of a mile; the path leads guests over a stone ridge past a sandy area and onto a beach filled with pebbles by the river. On the Texas side there is a large sand drift made by the winds that blow the desert sand into the canyon.
Visitors can go downstream only if the water is less than two feet deep. This area is about two miles in length before it can't be traversed. A path that has been made by mules and wild horses is alongside the river. The side canyon is a peaceful place to visit, but it is four river crossings and one and a half miles from the end of the trail. Guests who are in good shape and persevere can see arrow water carved channels and large boulders in the streambed along with bushes and cacti. Bring plenty of water to drink and fill your car with gas because the service stations in the park aren't open 24 hours a day.
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