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Bluff City Canoe Club

Rivers and Events

The Rio Grande River, Big Bend Ranch State Park and Big Bend National Park, Texas

This February trip has been an annual trip for over 21 years. It involves hiking, day floats and over night floats that range from 1 to 5 nights. Between the river and the parks, it can take years to start to see everything the area has to offer. The routine is normally suntan lotion and blue sky while Arkansas and Tennessee are enjoying ice and snow. The trip averages 12-24 persons per year.

2005 Trip Report:

Rovin' the Rio2005

By Marilyn Upchurch

83 miles of the "wild and scenic" Rio Grande River twist and turn through the Lower Canyons of southwest Texas along the rugged Mexican border with limited access, but incredible beauty. If you are looking to "get away from civilization?" then this is the trip for you! It is, however, not for the "faint of heart" or beginning paddlers because there are long stretches of flat water, headwinds, numerous rapids at every turn (12 of them Class II and 3 Class III-IV), up-and-over portages, and changeable weather with hot days and very cold nights. The glare of the sun is a challenge. The shuttle alone is 162 miles one-way and the take-out is "slow going" over a rough, rocky desert road. Extremely remote, there are no medical facilities or any other kind of facilities for days and days, so the question then is, why do it? I must say, for me, this was a dream come true. I have wanted to make this trip for many years, and having retired from teaching, it was all I thought it would be and THEN some! I can see why others come back year after year. Much of the credit goes to Ed Landers for getting us out to the desert of Big Bend country and, though Ed did not paddle this trip, he was with us all the way down the river. Thank you Ed for "pioneering" this one!
Our crew met up at Hallie Stillwell’s Store in Alpine, TX on the eve of Friday, Feb. 25th to put-on Saturday, but we waited out a steady rain all day and on Sunday, Feb. 27 under clear skies, 3 tandem canoes (Leanne Logan with AJ Johnson, Anna Hogan with EJ Douglas, and Marilyn Upchurch with Dan Powell) put-on at 11 am from a sandbar downstream of the bridge at LaLinda, TX. It takes us the better part of an hour to secure enough gear for 6 days of paddling and you’d best not forget anything! The water level is good at 2.9 and higher than in previous years. Adios muchachos! Vaya con Dios!

SUN., MAR. 27th DAY 1 - Sunny with a few headwinds, today we see wood ducks, many turtles, and a heron. Creamy limestone bluffs greet us around each bend. Lunch on a rocky beach at 12:30. Discover raccoon tracks and mussel shells. A rancher told us that the water is tested each month and is potable, but each canoe is carrying 10-12 gallons of it, plus a port-a-potty. The Rio here is muddy with silt, but gets clearer downstream. We hear a most beautiful song winding it’s way to us, that of the canyon wren. We will hear it many times again along our way. (Even now as I sit here, its melody lingers.) Pass a hillside of bluebonnets and notice a peculiar little bird we dub the "mud bobber" or "dipper" because of its perpetual tail action. Squeeze thru a swift, shallow rock garden with willows and carrico cane. AJ and Leanne hang up and get wet. Even with a late start, we make Mile 15 by 4 pm. Set up camp at Outlaw Flats ( in a donkey pasture, find an old rusty machete and a used burro pack saddle), enjoy happy hour, supper and a glorious fire as the temperature starts to drop. Stargazing is superb. Fall asleep to the sound of laughing waters.

MON., MAR. 28th DAY 2 - Some bothered by the cold last night. Dan packs very light, sleeping out under the stars each night. Temperature dropped to freezing and ice formed on Dan’s sleeping bag and my PFD. Sleep in, after coffee and breakfast, break camp, put-on at "11-ish" due to the dew (very wet.) The day warms up to a beautiful cloud-free sky. Cannot miss Sombrero Butte at Mile 17! Many turns through the hills and canyons, rings of giant rocks protruding, less silt in the water. By now, the turtles are tame, the cows curious, and a persistent heron refuses to budge from his favorite fishing spot as we paddle by. My partner Dan says that for him, this trip offers "Solitude." Take off around Mile 23, Taylor’s Farm by 5 pm. Set camp.
Every night we hear the sound of rushing water down thru the canyons and count the stars.

TUES., MAR. 1st DAY 3 - Awaken at 7. Empty firepan ashes into the river. Put on around 9:50 with the air temperature in the low 40s. I asked Anna and EJ to describe this trip in one word. "Dramatic,"he says. "Adventure," she says. That it is. We wind through the most breathtaking section of the lower canyons with high ridges and cliffs, some towering 3400 ft. above us! Between the river and cliffs are sloped shelves, most pasturing cattle. Spot a lone cow up on a precarious ridge among the prickly pear and red cocatillo. Find one determined bull crossing the river ready to charge us. His loud bellows reverberate off the canyon walls! By Mile 38, we are all a bit rank and welcome the opportunity to bathe and soak in the warming thermal springs at San Rosendo Canyon, Mexico. Minnows play around us, the rocks and watercress. Leanne and AJ procure more drinking water here. We "do lunch" and some of us even "do laundry!" It is difficult to leave an oasis in the desert, but inevitable. We head downstream through Hot Springs Rapid (III). Pass Chiminea Grande (Big Chimney) on the Texas side. The deepest part of the canyons appears at Mile 44 with Bullis Fold, quite an unusual geological formation. Looming before us, limestone layers fold over and drop from Wolfe Pt. (3062 ft.) down to river’s edge. Enjoy watching several hawks soar with the wind currents. Two more rapids (II) take us by Horsehead Cave and "Keyhole" Arches in the cliffs river left. Take off the river above Rodeo Rapid( Mile 50) by 5:30 pm. Paddled 27 miles today! Our happy hour this evening consists of a Bat-a-Rama show, many darting and swooping overhead - amazing to watch! Leanne says the trip is "Awesome. "Long day, supper, campfire, bed. Buenas noches!

WED., MAR. 2 DAY 4 - Sunny and clear, 50s. After breakfast, the guys take on Rodeo Rapid solo except for Anna and EJ. Their bronco bucks! We load up below and put-on @10:40 heading for "the BIG one!"(Upper Madison Falls) We scout it (III-IV). With giant boulders everywhere, 5 drops, sharp rocks below surface and turbulent waters, even the portage is a hummer! We pull canoes and gear over boulders, through carrico cane, along narrow, eroding dirt paths as the ground falls along the edges. Anna and EJ successfully run the upper bay. Dan and AJ run it solo. We all portage the lower section and head down to Lower Madison Falls (III), also called Horseshoe Falls (for its kick, we wonder?) Decide to pass the boats down river left. I tie down one and catch the second, but as Leanne reaches for their boat, it takes off with her paddle! The crew pursue with Leanne and I following on foot down the mountain to meet them. From here our voyage takes on an "Indiana Jones, Fear Factor, Survivor" air. My first choice was to float down river and meet the group.(Wise choices in life are everything.) We hike a quarter mile (thru cactus, brush and bluebonnets) and hear our comrades entreating us to head down through a thick stand of bamboo-like cane forest to meet them. Half-way in, we realize that a chain saw would have come in really handy!! The reeds bend and push over toward the river. We are crawling across the cane, slow-going at best, when suddenly, Leanne disappears into a deep hole with "no bottom." (We are now aware that we should NOT have come this way.) In vain I try to help Leanne and tell the guys that they MUST come to us. Hearing the obvious distress in my voice, Dan pulls himself uphill thru the impenetrable. (This is one of those "you had to have BEEN there moments," ask Dan!) AJ ferries over, ties up and follows Dan to us. Together, using their PFDs, they are able to extract Leanne from the "pit of doom."AJ and Leanne slide back down the path, while Dan and I float back to the boats. The current is too swift. Unable to stand, I swim "the mile"and climb aboard. Take off at Mile 60, Panther Gulch by 5 pm.This take-out is the least appealing so far. We pull the boats up a steep bluff to the grassy bank. We had MUCH to share this happy hour around the fire! First aid and supper. Turn in early, exhausted. How does AJ describe the Rio Bravo trip so far? "Unbelievable." THIS day certainly was!! (Dan and AJ will forever be our heroes of the day.)

THURS.,3rd DAY 5 - Awaken at 7:15 to coffee and breakfast. Am sore all over from "Survivor"training yesterday. Put on at 10:20 and run Panther Gulch Rapid (II+) river left. At Mesa Juan Botas, the canyon walls begin to lower. The river slows and gets wider. Notice two giant rock "sentinels" jutting out on the left cliff. Relentless headwinds and whitecaps! At Mile 67, we take San Francisco Rapid (II+) down the right side. The cliffs resemble natural chimineas, castle turrets and huge jutting commodes! "Spring has sprung" here with yellow prickly pear in bloom. A peregrine falcon bombs a hawk off a rock. Middle Watering at Mile 75 on the Mexican side makes a nice last night campsite with long stretches of Bermuda and sand. Anna, EJ and I explore a canyon behind camp. I would name it "Muchas Flores" (many flowers). Our "poet laureate" EJ treats us to a campfire recitation. Reflecting that this is our last on the river, we retire, grateful for a journey like none other ever taken. Tomorrow, we paddle 8 mi. to Dryden Crossing, back to the hustle and noise of the real world. "Challenging" is my word!

FRI., 4th DAY 6 - Pack up and put on @9:15 am, cloudy and cooler - a blessing! At Mile 77, see our first real signs of civilization, a stop sign atop a cliff with a 4-wheel Mule at the bottom of a dirt road winding down the Texas side. Pass hundreds of clay swallow nests clinging under
ledges, hear a Texas dove for first time since entering the canyons, lots more vegetation and trees. Take two more rapids (II+) before spotting the 1978 flood water gauge river left. After 83 miles, DeLee and our truck look like a mirage as we round the bend. He is napping and just as surprised as we are, we arrive and take out ½ hr. early at 11:30. We shuttle gear uphill to waiting vehicles and load canoes to head homeward. How could one EVER forget this trip, the beauty, these canyons, this Rio?? Bravo! ~ Marilyn Upchurch ~

2003 TRIP REPORT: RIO GRANDE/BIG BEND – AGAIN!

We had a wonderful trip. This year we paddled the upper canyons, Colorado, Madera, and Santa Elena. There had been rain before we got there so the water was at a good level and the wild flowers were starting to bloom. On the drive down we were lucky enough to see a Mountain Lion crossing the road! What a thrill! The first day paddling we had nine boats and fifteen paddlers. Andrew and Linda Bishop (the Honeymooners) paddled together like they had been doing it for years. Day two scaled down to five boats. The head winds that day wore us out. Santa Elena Canyon was done as an over nighter. We had four boats, Dan and myself, E. J. and Anna, Marty and Danny, and Kent and Billy. Day two of that float was awesome - the Canyon Wrens serenaded us all the way through the canyon. All in all the company was great, the scenery was spectacular, and fun was had by all. Thanks again Ed Landers for putting this trip together. As for myself, I am already thinking about next year.

— Ellen Powell