Rio Grande - Santa Elena Canyon


Ocotillo in bloom at the mouth of Santa Elena Canyon

Of the three primary canyons in Big Bend National Park, Santa Elena may be the singularly most spectacular. Eight miles long, with walls rising to 1,500 feet and a width of 150 feet in some places, Santa Elena Canyon is truly a magical place. But it's not a place to be taken lightly. It is responsible for more river accidents, rescues, and deaths than any other single feature of the Rio Grande in Big Bend.
Put-in: 1/4 mile west of Lajitas, USA at the ferry crossing to Paso Lajitas, Mexico.
Take-out: One mile + downstream of the confluence with Terlingua Creek and canyon mouth on river left.
The entire run is about 21 miles. An overnighter is recommended with a camp at Entrance Rapids or San Carlos Creek to allow for hiking and plenty of time to scout and run the Rockslide.

Secrets of Santa Elena's Slide - Uncle Steve Harris
The Rock Slide is a powerful place. It is unique among rapids on North American rivers. Canyon walls have peeled off and fallen into the constricted gorge of Santa Elena Canyon. At least one person has drowned here in recent times. It really isn’t a rapid so much as a labyrinth.
A real consideration is that a four inch rise in water level in open country may translate to a one foot rise at the Slide. At low flows below 250 cfs, portions of the slide are unnegotiable in most craft. At such times, boaters who have experienced the mankiller portage on the Mexican side will scout up a route through the first two chutes, then use a cove at the upstream end of the smaller Texas-side portion of the Slide to carry around the bottleneck in safety.
At normal to moderate flows from 250 cfs to 3,000 cfs, the slide may safely be negotiated by passing the first barrier of boulders and landing at a beach on the Mexican side, walking downstream to a point where the problems become visible, then memorizing a route through them.
At high flows, above 3,000 cfs, the hydraulics become exceedingly powerful. After a ten-foot rise, one experienced rafter in a large boat encountered a river-wide hole that was quite as awesome as the hole in Crystal Rapid in the Grand Canyon. In such cases of high water, it is better to stay at home unless you have experienced big water conditions elsewhere.
Remember that you can always land on the right above the main slide, no matter what the water level, and that not to land and scout is to invite destruction of your boat or worse. The slide always changes, so the pros always scout it. Trees and brush can hang up at any point in the maze and this possibility makes scouting mandatory.
Give the river its due respect and don't let your excitement fog your good Judgement. You will have to bear the cost of any rescue you may need. There's no way out except by river.

Click on the thumbnail images for larger JPEG images.


A view of Rockslide from atop the river left (Texas) side of the canyon wall. Top of screen = downstream; You can hike up beginning at Entrance Camp.
Scouting Rockslide in Santa Elena Canyon.
Running Rockslide at no more than 3.6' (800 cfs). It's scratchy at that level, but runnable.

Far Flung guide Cynta DeNarra negotiates Mexican Gate. Will your 7' wide raft fit? It will, but ship your oars, then stay right until you get past Dognose.
A few seconds below Mexican Gate is 'Dognose', shown here just behind Cynta's stern. At most levels, a ferry to the far left at this point is the recommended route.
John Harvey at the mouth of Santa Elena Canyon.

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Last updated June 11, 1999