Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River - Guide Books and Maps (U.S. National Park Service)

Guide books, general information and regional literature can be purchased through Big Bend Natural History Association. Shop their online bookstore or phone 432-477-2236.

Below are the most commonly used guidebooks for the Big Bend portion of the Rio Grande.

River Guide to the Rio Grande - General Information
Written by park staff and published by BBNHA
Contains river use regulations, equipment needs, river ethics, and helpful hints for a successful river trip. 24 pages; black and white photos.

River Guide to the Rio Grande:
Colorado Canyon through Santa Elena Canyon
Written by park staff and published by BBNHA
Covers the river from the farthest up-river put-in for Colorado Canyon (Tapado Canyon) through the mouth of Santa Elena Canyon. Photos, maps, natural history. Printed on waterproof paper to ensure longterm usefulness, this guide contains topographic strip maps showing both sides of the river. All rapids and major topographical features are labeled. Interesting bits of human and natural history, useful telephone numbers, and put in/take-out information are also included. Revised 1992.

River Guide to the Rio Grande:
Mariscal Canyon through Boquillas Canyon
CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE - This publication is being revised.

Written by park staff and published by BBNHA
Covers the river from the put-in for Mariscal Canyon at Talley through the take-out for Boquillas Canyon. Photos, maps, natural history. Printed on waterproof paper to ensure longterm usefulness, this guide contains topographic strip maps showing both sides of the river. All rapids and major topographical features are labeled. Interesting bits of human and natural history, useful telephone numbers, and put in/take-out information are also included. Revised 1989.

River Guide to the Rio Grande: The Lower Canyons
CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE - This publication is being revised.

Written by park staff and published by BBNHA
Covers the Lower Canyons section of the river from the put-in at Heath Canyon through the take-out at Dryden Crossing. Photos, maps, natural history. Printed on waterproof paper to ensure longterm usefulness, this guide contains topographic strip maps showing both sides of the river. All rapids and major topographical features are labeled. Interesting bits of human and natural history, useful telephone numbers, and put in/take-out information are also included.

The Upper Canyons of the Rio Grande
Written by Louis Aulbach.
An up-to-date guide to Rio Grande canyons in Big Bend Ranch State Park and to Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park. Published in 2000.

The Great Unknown of the Rio Grande
Written by Louis Aulbach. This is a guide for canoeing, kayaking or rafting the section of the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park beginning at Terlingua Creek, the exit point for Santa Elena Canyon, and ending at the bridge at La Linda, the starting point for trips through the Lower Canyons. Published in 2006.

The Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande
Written by Louis Aulbach and Joe Butler.
Covers the spectacular 83-mile run from La Linda to Dryden Crossing—the famed "Lower Canyons." This is a very in-depth study of the wildest section of the Rio Grande. All campsites and rapids mapped with a running log mile by mile. Photos, maps, natural history. Published in 1998.