River Running
The State Park’s Colorado Canyon on the Rio Grande is the first of the region’s major canyons, and is upstream of the series of canyons in the national park.
The river winds through Presidio and Brewster Counties along the Texas-Mexico border. It is the southern border of BBRSP, Texas and the United States. The scenic FM 170 highway generally follows the river through the park.
Colorado Canyon Permit
A BBRSP permit is required to float the river. They are available at Ft. Leaton and Barton Warnock
Colorado Canyon is the longest canyon in the state park at about 7 miles long. It is followed by Dark Canyon and Madera Canyon. Arenosa is the furthest upstream put-in point in the Park. Furthest downstream take-out point, just outside the park, is Lajitas.
River Access
There are multiple access points along the river:
Beginner Friendly but….
The Colorado Canyon run is beginner-friendly at low levels (<1000 cfs). Rafts can run down to 200 cfs but lower levels requires a hard boat. The river is generally not runnable at levels lower than 100 cfs.
Named rapids
The river has multiple rapids to liven up a float. The following are listed by the American Whitewater site
Resources:
TPWD
https://www.texasmonthly.com/list/go-with-the-flow/rio-grande/
http://southwestpaddler.com/docs/riogrande2.html
https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/detail/id/2805/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g56758-d1006756-r543408471-Big_Bend_River_Tours-Terlingua_Texas.html
https://www.amazon.com/Upper-Canyons-Rio-Grande-Terlingua/dp/1505923743
https://texashighways.com/travel/hidden-canyons-of-the-big-bend/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=radjBlUUTLE
Outfitters/Guides/Local Support:
http://angellexpeditions.com/dark-canyon-colorado-canyon/
https://www.desertsportstx.com/
https://www.wildadventureoutfitters.com/
https://www.bigbendrivertours.com/coloradocanyon.html
https://www.hikingbigbend.com/
https://visitbigbend.com/colorado-canyon/
https://bigbendfarflung.com/activity/one-day-canyon-float-big-bend-national-park/
http://www.adventureclubsa.com/ClubPortal/EventDetailPublic.cfm?clubID=204&eventID=185092
River Gauge:
https://www.nps.gov/bibe/loader.cfm?csModule=error&vFile=master.cfm&indialog=0&msgOnly=0