Santa Elena Canyon Overlook [Suggest Edits]

Description

The sheer cliff walls of the Santa Elena Canyon offer a dramatic frame for this viewpoint at the shore of the Rio Grande. Traveling for many miles, the river makes a sharp turn to the west as it cuts cleanly through the rock layers to form this impressive landscape.

Enjoy a snack or picnic lunch after the ~30-mile drive along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive from the Visitor Center. Afterward, head down the Santa Elena Canyon Trail to the sandy shore of the river at its junction with Terlingua Creek. This creek is typically dry or very low, but after heavy rainfall, it can cause the trail to close due to dangerous conditions.

Another fun day-trip option is to rent or bring a canoe to paddle upstream on the river. Head out from the Santa Elena Canyon Trailhead and go for a few miles into the canyon and then return back downstream. When the water level is low, the current becomes much easier to paddle against.

This is a great trip if you only have one vehicle or if you don't want to pay for a shuttle to take you back to where you started. Many visitors paddle up to Fern Canyon, a scenic side canyon that lies two miles upstream, which has lush, green ferns emerging from spots where the water trickles out of the canyon walls.

Short Walk: Around a half mile from the parking area, an out-and-back run would be approximately one mile total.

Gem Type: Viewpoint