where to canoe

[bzymom]

oaky, so I have heard and read some stories of scary encounters! I guess I to am a bit nervous about going but hubby wants to go and I want to try. Sorry if I offended!

The real question is where to do 1/2 day and full day canoe trips and what outfitter to use for shuttle.
I have heard so much about the two day Santa Elena caynon what makes it so cool?

[dave2]

The Santa Elena trip is a great 2 day, one night float.  Try to camp at the entrence campsite just before the river slides into the canyon. You'll have to deal with at least two major rapids, the most serious of which is Rock Slide.  Probably class III or even IV.  I'm reading a great book on the river float right now, The Tecate Dairies, that describes a trip along the entire river.  There are also several guide services that can help you.  If the Santa Elena trip is too much, try Colorado Canyon. Also, the post by Missouri Mike, he floated the river from Cottonwood to RGV, is a great description of the trip.

[Hoodoo]

I have heard so much about the two day Santa Elena caynon what makes it so cool?

The sheer vertical cliff walls, the Rock slide and Fern canyon is what makes Santa Elena so attractive, in my opinion.

[deadlizard]

We used Far Flung for our October 2007 5 day trip through Colorado Canyon and Santa Elena.  There were no shuttle issues and the driver John offered helpful information.  The cost was indeed a little steep at $75 for each of the two segments.  I still have not resolved the cost issue for the long-haul shuttles, say Rancherias to Langtry.  My feeling is that there is not much difference in services and prices between the most commonly used shuttles/outfitters.

Santa Elena ranks as world class in my humble opinion.  Mariascal less so but still good.

If you have your own gear and some experience, you can easily skip the guide.  Colorado Canyon requires some moving water experience, or the odds are decent you might swim at least once if in a loaded tandem canoe.  The Rockslide is more an obstacle course than a typical rapid, but it is not to be overlooked. 

[Wisconsin]

I would hook up with one of the outfitters, Desert Sports, Far Flung and I can't remember the 3rd, Rio Grande Adventures I think.  they will take you to the spot you want to put in, whether it's Colorado Canyon or Madera, take care of your permits and then pick you up at your take out destination.  They can also give you advise on the river depths, etc.

A raft trip is on my wish list, maybe someday??

Safe travels

[okiehiker]

A few thoughts on the Rio Grande...

Santa Elena is indeed world class.  Unless you are at high water, when some waves appear, there is only one true rapid in the entire BIBE section, that is Rock Slide.  It is interesting because the term "obstacle course" is dead on.  Even it, when you get above a certain level (3,000 cfs or so? I don't really remember), becomes a series of big waves. 

I'll take issue with the assertion that Mariscal is less interesting than Santa Elena though.  Mariscal has two different sections with walls 1,000 to almost 2,000' high.  It has very interesting caves formations.  It has a cave that you climb up and rappel out over the river, into your canoe or raft!  (Absolutely amazing....) 

For sheer isolation and remoteness it can't be beat. 

Boquillas is the longest and best in that regard, if you want more time out on the river.  The shuttle is an issue and the walls are not as dramatic as S.E. and Mariscal, but it is worthy in its own right.  With Colorado Canyon above and San Vicente and Hot Springs Canyons in between, it makes one heck of a great multi-day trip.

[Roy]

Here's contact info on the outfitters:
http://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/outfitters.htm

I've never used any of them but they all seem to be reputable.  I know Jan at Big Bend River Tours a bit;  she's good people.  Given me good info on a number of occasions.

[bzymom]

Thanks for the information......an yone else going to be in BBNP between March 4-13? if so and you are looking to share shuttle service let us know? We havent planned any specfic trips yet and are open to ideas

[missourimike]

From this site, it appears Stillwell store can offer a good price on a shuttle.  I  believe they will move your car for a float on the boquillas for the price of $50.

I have done a boomerang trip up the Santa Elena.  My wife and I went up the canyon 2 miles or so, camped over night and came down the next day.  Floated to Cottonwood then got a ride back to the car.

With having more time than shuttle money, I would do the boquillas and take many side hikes.

Mo Mike

[aggiehiker]

I have done Santa Elena several times and haven't had any problems with Rock Slide. It depends on the water level, though, and how fast it is moving. It's basically a zig-zag around a large rock pile. You can also launch and paddle to Fern Canyon to spend the night. It's on the Mexican side and is well worth exploring even if you don't spend the night. You don't need to hire a guide and any of the shuttle services are good. I've used them and also set up my own shuttle.

I've also done Boquillas many times and will be there again this March (the week of the 10th). We used the shuttle service at Stillwell's last time-the cost is per vehicle, so it's best to carpool as much as possible. They will ride back to RGV with you and bring your vehicles back. I think it's the best of the canyons, mainly because there's more of it. We do the trip in 3-4 days and do a lot of side hiking. You don't need a guide on this one either.

[Summit]

I have done Santa Elena several times and haven't had any problems with Rock Slide. It depends on the water level, though, and how fast it is moving. It's basically a zig-zag around a large rock pile.

I've also done Boquillas many times and will be there again this March (the week of the 10th). We used the shuttle service at Stillwell's last time-the cost is per vehicle, so it's best to carpool as much as possible. They will ride back to RGV with you and bring your vehicles back.

For the Boquillas--where do the Stillwell's folks bring your car back to?  Their store?  Where do you take out and how do you get back to your car then?  (I´m guessing you take out in Black Gap WMA at FR 2627). 

For Santa Elena where are the put in and take out spots?  would you suggest renting and hiring shuttle service from someone in Lajitas? 

[aggiehiker]

The Stillwell shuttle brings your vehicles back to their store where they can be watched. They will leave a vehicle at La Linda, the take out, on the day of your exit. The take out is on river left just under the bridge at La Linda-at the end of the road that Stillwell's is on. It's safe there also as we've left vehicles there overnight. You can add another canyon, Temple Canyon, to the trip by taking out at Black Gap, but the road is very bad and we've never found anyone willing to meet us there.

For Santa Elena, we put in at Lajitas and take out at Cottonwood. There's a take-out closer than that right after you come out of the canyon, but we like the few extra miles. We usually put in late afternoon, paddle to just before the canyon and camp. The second night is at Fern Canyon and then take out the next day. Rockpile is mainly zig-zagging, or dodging, huge rocks and at this low water level is real easy. If you have more than one vehicle, set up your own shuttle for this trip-it's a lot cheaper.

[toejam]

$50 is not bad for a shuttle. Seems like I saw where outfitters in Terlingua wanted around $300.

[aggiehiker]

I just called Stillwell's to get prices on a shuttle for Spring Break and they now charge $75 for the shuttle. Still not bad when spread out among a couple of people.