Big Bend, Boquillas Canyon Overlook - 2/04/15

We arrived at Big Bend National Park, Rio Grande Village RV Park, yesterday after a long drive from Las Cruces, NM. It was a rainy, foggy day by the time we arrived late in the afternoon. Today, we set out to see the famous Rio Grande River, and we were not disappointed! It flows along the southern border for the park for 118 miles.

From Rio Grande Village, we stopped first at the Visitor Center near here for information. The rangers are always very helpful with tips on the best places to visit (or rather the things not to miss!) From there we drove to Rte 118 and headed east to Boquillas Canyon.

Our first stop was the Boquillas Canyon Overlook...and our first view of the Rio Grande!

The buildings in the distance across the river in this photo are in the town of Boquillas Del Carmen, Mexico.

You can see  how shallow the river even though it had recently rained here.

The massive limestone cliffs of the Sierra del Carmen were carved by the Rio Grande. In the center of the photo is the entrance to the Boquillas Canyon Overlook.

The day started out cloudy and some clouds still clung to the mountains, but it cleared up later in the day.

From the overlook, we drove one mile farther east to the Boquillas Canyon Trail. The hike is covered in the next post.

Admission to the park is $20/vehicle for a 7-day period. John's senior pass gets us in for free. There are three campsites (tent camping), a lodge at Chisos Basin, and one RV park at Rio Grande Village (25 spaces). Back country camping is also allowed with a permit.

Website:  www.nps.gov/bibe