• Santa Elena Canyon

    Rio Grande

    Wild & Scenic River Texas

A River Wilderness

For 1,250 miles, the Rio Grande is the boundary between the United States and Mexico. In a remote stretch in west Texas, the river makes a curve to the northeast to form the “big bend.” It is here that the wild character of the river lives on.

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Did You Know?

Ladybird and party rafting the Rio Grande, 1966

In advance of Lady Bird Johnson's visit to Big Bend in 1966, the International Boundary and Water Commission released water from the Elephant Butte dam in New Mexico to ensure that the flow of the Rio Grande was sufficent to allow the first lady to complete a raft trip through Mariscal Canyon. More...