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Canoeing the Rio Grande:
as featured in Treks in a Wild World |
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Canoeing the Rio Grande through Big Bend National
Park in Texas is like stepping back in time and seeing
just how the earth began. The rugged solitude encompasses an
area of ancient mountains, deserts teeming with wildlife and,
best of all, the mighty Rio Grande coursing a green
path through steep canyons. Canoeing down the Rio Grande is an
experience in true solitude. At dry times of the year the
river levels are low, so you may have to drag your canoe
through shallow parts of the river. It can get slightly tiring
on the arms, but with views like this, you won't even
notice.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Seeing the sunrise
over the Chisos Mountains
- Navigating your canoe
through Tight Squeeze Rapids
- Canoeing through Mariscal Canyon
- Campfire stories about the stars
with guides who live their life on the rivers
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Our Journey Path (as featured in Treks in a Wild World)
Zay Harding starts his journey at Santa Elena Canyon. Following the
course of the Rio Grande, he continues down it through
to Mariscal Canyon. The only access into this canyon is
via the river and the entrance to Mariscal is via the Tight
Squeeze, famous by river buffs for being a bit tricky to
get your canoe through. Zay then continues on his journey
along the Texas-Mexico border to the village of Boquillas, which is on the Mexican side of the border.
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TRAVELLERS TIPS
- Go with a guide; they
know the most about the area and are chock full of interesting
facts, stories and anecdotes about the river. If you're going
on your own, make sure you tell someone where you're going and
when you expect to end your trip.
- Wear long cotton t-shirts; they dry quickly and keep you
from getting burned by the very intense sunshine.
- Don't forget a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses!
- You need a permit to camp in Big Bend National
Park. The Park office supplies them for free.
- Portable toilets are essential in Big Bend National Park.
Human waste upsets the fragile ecosystem of the desert and
mountains. A portable toilet is a must for all guided trips,
as well as individual campers. |
DID YOU KNOW?
- Big Bend National Park is
one of the least visited parks in the United States. With
fewer than 350,000 visitors every year, that leaves a lot of
untouched open space to explore! You can go for days on a
river trip without seeing a soul.
- Humans have inhabited the Big Bend area for thousands of
years. An archaeological dig in 1993 discovered the remains of
fire hearths dating back 9000 years. Like the Native Americans
who came after them, these people are believed to have been
hunter-gatherers who moved throughout the year. Later, the Big
Bend became part of the Comanche War Trail. This was
the Comanche and Kiowa Indian route to northern Mexico, and
was also the route taken by Comanches raiding livestock and
slaves. In 1916, Pancho Villa's banditry caused Gen. John J.
Pershing to send troops to Lajitas to establish a cavalry
post. Lajitas became a major headquarters of troops in
the Big Bend. In fact, the original Cavalry post has now been
rebuilt as a hotel!
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- The Rio Grande is the second-longest river in North
America, flowing 1885 miles from Colorado to the Gulf of
Mexico.
- Canoeing isn't the only activity you can do on the Rio
Grande in Big Bend National Park. In fact, during the rainy
season, when the water levels are higher, rafting is an
even better way of seeing the Park. After the wet summer
months, the Rio Grande can rise by 25 to 30 feet, offering a
fantastic chance for some adventurous rafting. One thing to
bear in mind though, is that while flash floods are seldom
seen, they do occur. You can see evidence of this by watching
for tumbled boulders, pockets of silty soil, tangled leaves,
and pools of water.
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