Last updated: June 23, 2025
Place
Santa Elena Canyon Exhibit
NPS/CA Hoyt
Quick Facts
Location:
Big Bend National Park
Amenities
6 listed
Accessible Sites, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Wheelchair Accessible
Two exhibits sit side by side at this overlook. One discusses the formation of Santa Elena Canyon and the other talks about river runners who navigated the canyon.
The text on the Santa Elena Canyon sign reads, "Except during flood season, the quiet waters below do not seem powerful enough to have carved Santa Elena Canyon. Hike the short trail to the river and look closely at the water, cloudy with sand and silt. Like liquid sandpaper, the swift current files away at Santa Elena's hard limestone, cutting it deeper. In a raft or canoe you can actually hear the grit hissing along the hull."
Above this text is a caption that reads, "The view at river-level gives no clue to the extent of canyon-carving. Santa Elena Canyon is 8 miles (13 km) long and 1,500 feet (450 meters) deep. In some places the canyon is only 30 feet (9 meters) wide at the bottom.
A right-side caption reads, "For a closer look at the canyon's depth, hike the .7 mile round-trip trail to one of the narrowest points in the gorge."
Another right-side caption reads, "The Rio Grande established its present course on basin-filling sediments that covered the rocks and faults we see exposed today. The river eroded through the surface layers and cut steep-sided canyons in the more resistant Lower Cretaceous limestones. Today you can see those ancient limestone formations exposed in the canyon walls."
The text on the Santa Elena Canyon sign reads, "Except during flood season, the quiet waters below do not seem powerful enough to have carved Santa Elena Canyon. Hike the short trail to the river and look closely at the water, cloudy with sand and silt. Like liquid sandpaper, the swift current files away at Santa Elena's hard limestone, cutting it deeper. In a raft or canoe you can actually hear the grit hissing along the hull."
Above this text is a caption that reads, "The view at river-level gives no clue to the extent of canyon-carving. Santa Elena Canyon is 8 miles (13 km) long and 1,500 feet (450 meters) deep. In some places the canyon is only 30 feet (9 meters) wide at the bottom.
A right-side caption reads, "For a closer look at the canyon's depth, hike the .7 mile round-trip trail to one of the narrowest points in the gorge."
Another right-side caption reads, "The Rio Grande established its present course on basin-filling sediments that covered the rocks and faults we see exposed today. The river eroded through the surface layers and cut steep-sided canyons in the more resistant Lower Cretaceous limestones. Today you can see those ancient limestone formations exposed in the canyon walls."