Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River - Things To Know Before You Come (U.S. National Park Service)

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Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River

Things To Know Before You Come

things to know before you come includes:
Your Safety The Wild & Scenic River A River Wilderness		Weather Water quality & river users

NPS\Big Bend National Park

Hot Springs Canyon of the Rio Grande with the Sierra del Carmen rising in the background.

Here are some things you might want to know about the Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River before you visit the area.

The Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River is administered as a unit of the national park system by Big Bend National Park.
Including including the portions of the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park and the Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River, the National Park Service at Big Bend administers 245 miles of border—13% of the entire United States-Mexico border.
Congress designated this segment of the Rio Grande in Texas as the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River in 1978 because of its "outstandingly remarkable" scenic, geologic, fish and wildlife, and recreational values.


			Did You Know? The river canyons that are a part of the Wild & Scenic River (Mariscal, Boquillas, and the Lower Canyons) receive only a small number of floaters each year, due to length & isolated locations. Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park is the focus of much of the river activity on the Rio Grande. more...

Last Updated: November 22, 2008 at 16:58 EST