Big Bend National Park, Texas

A simple, quiet drive down a dirt road (Grapevine Spring) leads you through desolate landscape until a parking lot sprouts up to your right.  From here you can see that a stretch of land sandwiched in a little valley where the trail heads directly east.  The trail is easy to follow, just keep yo...

Boquillas Canyon is one of the longest and most beautiful canyons Big Bend has to offer. To get here you will head towards Rio Grande Village from the park's headquarters at Panther Junction. If desired, you can stop at the store in Rio Grande Village to pick up some snacks and beverages before y...

With a small group of people, canoes and kayaks, and one vehicle the boomerang trip (paddling against the current, then floating back downstream) up Santa Elena Canyon is the best option for floating the prettiest section of the Rio Grande while simultaneously avoiding pesky outfitters and the he...

Santa Elena Canyon is one of the crown jewels of Big Bend National Park, and something you surely don't want to miss if you pay the park a visit. To get here you will take the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive from Panther Junction, the park's headquarters. This drive has many pull-offs to take advantage...

Five days prior to Labor Day weekend of 2017 we were the crazy ones who decided to raft on the Rio Grande when we heard it jumped up to a flow of 10,000 cubic feet per second. This was one of the first times in 10 years that the water had ever been this high.  The 3 of us had canoed this stretch ...

There is plenty of parking at the trailhead and a covered picnic table. The hike is mostly flat, but some big rock negotiation is necessary. If there has been rain, you may need to negotiate some standing water. We were lucky to have dry conditions and did not need to maneuver around any water. D...