Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande: A 9 Day Canoe Trip
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2020
- The Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande, is one of the most remote stretches of wild river in the Lower 48. Straddling the border between the USA and Mexico, this 200km stretch of the Rio Grande makes for a challenging, remote river trip, that sees fewer than 200 paddlers attempt each year. The first Spanish conquistadors who entered this area called it El Despoblado, desolate or worthless land. This section of the Rio Grande was the last segment of the U. S. boundary to be surveyed. Up to challenge, In March of 2017, our group set out on a 9 day canoe trip to experience this wild river for ourselves.
We began our adventure at Rio Grande Village in Big Bend National Park, exactly where Wayne and I finished our 175km paddle through the Great Unknown back in 2015. The first stretch would take us through the majestic Boquillas Canyon to the abandoned Mexican mining town of La Linda. From there, we would leave almost all traces of civilization behind, as we entered harsh landscape of sprawling desert, jagged mountains and imposing chasms. This lower stretch is flanked by remote river canyons with walls towering nearly 2,000 feet overhead.
Additional footage from David Lee @ The Pursuit of Passion: / @thepursuitofpassion
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Thanks for watching.
Thanks a lot for watching the video of our paddle down the Lower Canyons! Please hit those like and subscribe buttons if you enjoyed the film and want to catch more of our upcoming adventures!
Thanks to all of you for the continued support!
Cool video thanks for sharing - as a complementary video you should come paddle the St Croix which runs between New Brunswick and Maine. Just curious did you have any issues with customs seeing you were flip flopping between Mexico and US?
This is the best canoe trip video I have seen on the net. It is a great balance of paddling, scenery, camping and interpersonal, all with excellent photography.
Thanks for sharing your great trip.
Thanks so much for the kind words!! So glad you enjoyed it 😁 Thanks for watching!
We just watched and couldn't stop saying wow. Incredible scenery, yes, but the cinematography to match it. One of your best. Fantastic! Great hats 🤠
Thanks guys!! 😁😁 I didn't shoot nearly as much as I had hoped to and I had a ton of audio-video issues whereby I threw out about 1/4 of my footage. So glad it came together in a final product you enjoyed 😀 The video doesn't do the canyons justice either! They're amazing!!!
Haha, and the hats; we picked those up almost as a joke at the last town (think spaghetti western setting), but quickly realized how much sun protection they afforded and donned them for the entire trip!
@@ExploreTheBackcountry ah man that's painful but you totally made it a non-issue with the edit.
Hahah I don't think anyone really *plans* to buy a hat like that... It just kind of happens.
@@LostLakes man, haha you got that right! 🤣
Thank you for taking me somewhere I can no longer go.
Thanks for watching. Hopefully it was reminiscent of the real deal
My family and a few friends undertook the Lower Canyons last November 2020. Wow, we can’t wait to do it again! Our kids who went, ages 5, 7, and 9, can’t wait to go again! We started at Heath Canyon and took it nice and easy down to Dryden Crossing. The river flow was much higher for us than it was for you guys, though! And that river cane on the sides was brutal and even capsized me once, going into one of those sharp river turns, with some fast, strong water! We found a shuttle guy who transported our van and canoe trailer to the takeout for us so we could drive straight back to North Carolina. I loved reliving this trip through your video here ❤️ 🛶 🤙🏽 Paddle on!
Stoked to see everyone wearing a PFD 🤘🧨💥 Happy Boat’N
Heck yes! Leah and I always rock ours. Ya never know....
So nice to watch this trip with coffee in hand on a -37 morning in northern Ontario!
Hehe, and that -37C is why we sometimes sneak down to the states in the dead of winter. As always, thanks for watching!
Buddies and i .rupe super Dave kronister mad dog , my son Jason in the 80s ..3. weeklong trips ..from LaLinda to Drydens. FABULOS
Awesome Brad! Loved it! I had to wait till tonight to watch it with Anita. We had some good laughs and it brought back a lot of good memories. We have to go back and continue the journey. Great job!
Hey David! So glad you two enjoyed it! Worth the wait ti finish the edit. Lots of good memories and laughs on this one. Ha, I'm really itching to escape back to the sunny south now. Time for a redux!
Excellent video and you four, like many Canadians, know how to handle a paddle, and know enough not to overpack. I have run the Lower Canyons 18 times. Your terrific photography work brought back a lot of memories. Thanks and props to you four. I prefer January 15 - February 15, not hot and the rattlesnakes are sleeping, but the Rio Grande is a magical river at every season.
Thanks for sharing what a wonderful experience. Definitely putting this trip on my bucket list.
I really enjoyed this video. Beautiful scenery, The Canyons are truly a magical place.
Thanks! Really love it down there. Itching to get back.... I think we're overdue for another southern adventure!
I did Boquillas Canyon (RGV to La Linda) two weeks ago, Christmas week. The weather was cold and the water was low (68cfs at RGV), but just like you, I said "This blows my mind!". Amazing scenery. I THANK YOU very much for thius video, as I want to do the lower canyons, and your video is monumental for planning purposes. I'd also like to say "You are a great group of paddlers, and would be welcome in my camp, anytime.
Loved this video! I never had any desire to canoe the Rio Grande . This changes everything. Great video!
Oh man, it's an incredible river to paddle. If you ever get the chance to go, dont hesitate, you'll love it! Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it!
Everything’s on you Brad. Lol. Just amazing trip everything from the paddling to scenery and canyons to nite skies and stars. Loved everything about this especially the commentary. Thanks for sharing. By the way great job girls.😘
Haha, thanks Trisha! The ladies did a remarkable job, as always. This was Leah's first longer river trip and she excelled at the whitewater. Thanks for watching, so glad you enjoyed it!
OMG! Absolutely stunning!!!! Need to put this one on my bucket list!
Oh wow, I’m on holiday so looking forward to watching this👍👍👍👍👍
Awesome Paul! Hope you enjoy the video 😁😁
What a different kind of beautiful. Thanks for sharing this awesome trip with us. As always, love your vids.☺️
Thanks for watching. It certainly is!
What a great video! That looks like an awesome trip. What a great time.
As a person who has lived near the Rio Grand River (In the "Lower Rio Grande Valley" (near the Gulf of Mexico) for most of my 77 years I really enjoyed your chronicle of that stretch of the river. The first time I saw Boquillas Canyon was in 1961 when I was 15 years old, and we have visited Big Bend 3 times since then... Thanks again...
Thanks for a great video of an epic trip, very postive people. I was surprised that you do not see anyone else the whole trip.
Excellent! Other worldly surroundings... thanks for taking us there.
Thanks a bunch Jason! Thanks for coming along!! Something for the bucket list perhaps? 😉
@31:45 Anita is such a warrior. Looks like a trip of a lifetime! Thanks for bringing us along
Wow…that’s an awesome trip video. I loved it. Both the narrative and the videography is amazing.
Thanks for sharing this video with us.
Thanks for watching as always!!! Glad you enjoyed it!
Pretty darn cool, y'all! I had no idea this portion of the Rio Grand was so beautiful...
Loved this video Brad, awesome collaboration with David too. Thanks so much for sharing 👌
Thanks Paul! Always great to get out with others too!!
Thanks for bringing back good memories. I did that trip, also at low water, about 15 years ago. We got snow on Thanksgiving. Those warm springs were outstanding. The one unforgettable aspect is not seeing anyone for course of the trip.
Awesome!! And snow?? Wow. Thats an almost unthinkable thought given how hot this trip was, but then again, on our previous trip through the Great Unknown, temps dipped down to 3C at one point. The desert is quite the unique environment! We ran into 1 other party after we got past the access area. Was so nice to have the river virtually to ourselves. Gotta agree in the springs too!! Thanks for watching!
That was awesome !
We started at Lajitas and did a three day trip down through Santa Elena Canyon. Amazing! Capsized at the rapids inside the canyon. I've been wanting to scout the lower canyons. Thank you for the video!
Ohh! That's a fun run, we did that in 2015, but continued to Rio Grande Village. I think Santa Elena was one of the most scenic canyon enroute! The rockslide is a tricky rapid too. High risk of pinning on the massive boulders. If you enjoyed the upper, you'll love the lower! Hope you get out on a trip someday!
This was a great watch, really enjoyed it! Great scenery and some very beautiful skies, mostly in the morning and evening shots, amazing! love it!! :D
Thanks for sharing, enjoyed the trip!
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it!
I really didn't think I would enjoy this video all that much at the beginning. I had no idea that the Rio Grande was as you showed. WOW! Was I ever surprised. By the end I was holding back tears. What a marvelous video. Thank you so much for sharing.
Wow, thanks for the kind word Dick! So glad you enjoyed it. Take care and happy exploring.
This was an awesome adventure to watch! It's now on the bucket list *if I ever make it over to the Americas.
Thanks also for the link to Pursuit of Passions channel too 😁
Woo! It's a great paddle. Something to consider indeed. So many incredible options for adventure!
This video could not have premiered at a better time. Me and a group of paddling buddies are setting off through the lower canyons towards the end of March! We were worried about the low March flows and this video was incredibly reassuring! Excellent cinematography and editing. I sent this to all my buddies to get them even more excited than they already are! Good job!
Awesome! You're going to love it! Hopefully the flows are a little better than what we had, but if not, you'l still be able to run most sets and float down the river unimpeded. Thanks for watching. Have a great trip!
Hey! Great to see you in Texas. Excited to plan this trip!! Thanks for the info
Beautiful...looks like fun!
Oh yeah, it certainly was! Thanks for watching!
Incredible journey, the scenery is amazing!
Oh man.... our necks were sore for like a week after... always craning to look up at the cliffs above us. Its incredible in person!! Hope you get down there to experience it for yourself!
What a great video! I'm happy to say that I was able to do this canoe trip when I was about 12 or 13 years old. I am now 32 and dream of trying this again. Thank you for the awesome video to help remind me of what I was able to do at a young age. Difference for us was that we put in at La Linda instead. The hot springs was one of my favorite parts of the trip. The head winds and hot sun were my major dislikes. Cooking/food is always better on the river! Nice to see y'all didn't flip the canoe. We managed one flip while the other canoe flipped 7 or 8 times. Other things I remember that were not in the video was a tall man and dog white painting. A camper that was on the top of a tall mountain due to floods. I believe there was a pump house up on the cliff side near the hot springs. Again, what a nice video!
Beautiful
Ahoi from Germany. That looks like my dreamspace, fantastic landscape, canyon, canoe and water. Wow, perfect. :-)
Hey!! Thanks for watching! It really is a dreamscape! Gotta paddle it if you can swing it!
Beautiful trip well documented thank you
Thanks Beth 😁
Fantastic!
Thanks!!
Nicely done! One of my (many) bucket list rivers. Safe paddling!
Ha, I know the feeling. The bucket list is ever growing!!
Great trip and awesome, fun video. Thanks so much.
Hey thanks for watching!! 😁
Wow ...... Truly beautiful .... Very well done...
Thanks Jim 😁
Awesome vid. Definitely on the bucket list.
Thanks man! You'll love it. A top tier winter escape!
Thanks YT. So enjoyable, who needs the crowded Grand Canyon when you have this?
Amazing, great job capturing the trip, very enjoyable.
Thanks Derek! Glad you enjoyed it. I had some camera issues back then too, so it was extra tricky to string this all together!
I did this trip last April and doing it again this April. It is an incredible trip. Can't wait to go back
Awesome! How were the flows like in April?
@@ExploreTheBackcountry the first trip we did April 2019 the river was around 3.5 feet and this year we ended up doing the trip in October and the water level was around 4 feet. It was perfect this year, it really is an incredible trip.
Fantastic trip! I enjoyed that hugely. I really like how you go the extra mile to incorporate a lot of B-roll in your films. There’s so much more to making an interesting and engaging production than simply plonking a GoPro on the bow of your canoe and having the audacity to call it a canoe adventure film like many do here on YT. Top marks for editing too, it had me engaged right through to the end. Greeting from cold & windy England.
Thanks for the kind words Andy! Sometimes I wonder if the extra effort gets noticed. It's always a lengthy ordeal to edit these videos too - this one took me a month! However, I love the production process, so it's worth it in the end 😁 Glad others enjoy it too, it makes it all the more worthwhile.
Cheers and happy paddling!
This is how we who can't go ourselves get out! Thanks for sharing!
Woo! Love to hear that 😁 so glad you could escape with us!
Fantastic, what a place.
Oh man! Really is. We couldn't belive how gorgeous it was!
Love it man👍
Rad!! Thanks a lot 😁
WOW! What an amazing film. Totally Five Star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🛶
Woooo!!! Thanks 😀😀😀😁 glad you enjoyed it!
Beautifully done!
Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it!
Great video, start to finish!
Hey man, glad ya liked it!!
Beautiful river
Certainly is!
AWesome, thanks for the ride!
Wooo! Thanks!! 😁😁👍
Really great video! Never seen that before Thank you
Looks like an awesome trip
Oh yeah! Love it down there. Will definitely return!
I really enjoyed this video! thanks for taking the camera along!
Thanks for watching!!
Awesome Brad!
Thanks Martin! 😀
The four of you people's upper body and core strength watching you traverse those rapids must be very strong. You look very skilled and make it look easy but I bet rapids wouldn't be. Amazing scenery, great video.
Ah, it helps! Lots of it comes from portaging on our trips up here in Canada. We're used to some pusher flows to. These rapids were unfortunately super boney and technical, but still a ton of fun! Thanks for watching!
Very nice, thanks.
Awesome video! Quite the different scenery!
Thanks 😁 Got that right! So different than Ontario. So majestic!
meanwhile, i'm watching this in northern Ont. during a snow storm.. thanks for making me feel warm lol
Lol, yes! I just went for a run in that very same blizzard!! Glad I could help 😁
Great video! Congratulations on your trip!
Thanks!! 👍👍
An awesome float rip! Very good photography despite challenges from the river. Awesome scenery. One of the best outdoor/floating videos I have watched in a long time. Thank you!
Thanks so much for the kind words John! Glad you enjoyed it 😁
Best canoe video i`ve seen. Really envious. Wish i was 60 years younger. .Done a fair bit canoe camping but nothing like that.
This is a great video! I've seen others do this trip, and it looks pretty amazing. Definitely a bucket list trip.
Of you love paddling, you'll love it! It's one unforgettable adventure. Hopefully you get to experience it for yourself in the near future!
Awsome adventure! Very different from northern Ontario trips. Thanks for taking us along.
A great escape in the winter 😁 We love getting down to Southern US destinations when we can.
Paddled this with a crew of 10 in December of 2021, water level was around 200 CFS the whole 13 days wee were out, but never the less a great trip, would for sure come back and do it again!
« Different than Ontario... » I'll bet! Very nice video! thanks for sharing!
Oh yeah! Its incredible how different the landscape is down there!!
That was so relaxing to watch. Would love to take our packrafts down there. Take care. Lisa & Dave (Edinburgh Scotland) 😃
Fantastic! I was in Big Bend Jan 11th to the 13th of 2020 and right where you put in was an older, rugged Mexican man that sang we a song and I bought a trinket from him.
That's a nice, lengthy escape! Near the same put-in, we saw trinkets and coffee cans for payments left on the banks. Some of the crafts were very well done.
Great video!
Thanks 😁
i noticed many canadians make this trip to big bend year after year. i guess they appreciate the vast difference in the landscape from Canada's. i live 7 hours from big bend and never have been. what the heck is wrong with me?? i need to go asap! great video and commentary.
I'm guilty of not exploring 'my own backyard' to some extent too! Big Bend is a nice escape from winter for us Canadian's when its -35C here and +35C there...
There's a snowstorm raging outside as I wrote this. Big Bend is looking lovely right now for a return...
@@ExploreTheBackcountry lol. i here you my friend. you're welcomed back to my great state of texas any day my friend! God bless!
Yeap same here I have never been to Yosemite, but I have been to Yellowstone.
Paddled the Lower Canyons in 1977, it looks unchanged. Definitely time to do it again, Thanks for sharing.
Hey Keith! Thanks for watching! Is there more river cane now than back in the 70's? Park staff told us it was crowding out the river banks at a rapid rate.
@@ExploreTheBackcountry Good morning ! Greetings from the banks of the San Juan in sunny Farmington NM.Paddled the Big Bend area 5 times in the late 70's and early 80s.Last time on my honeymoon. Flipped the boat in the tight squeeze in Mariscal Canyon (?) and my wife never got in a canoe again...
In answer to your question, from the footage I saw the cane looks very similar. Think we ran the lower canyons at about the same water level, about 2.5. Definitely remember some dragging and some very tight slots along the outside bends to find a coarse through the "rapids".
beautiful video thanks for sharing
Exactly! You need adequate skills and knowledge of how to rescuce yourself and others, among other things. I've always worn mine, even though I have my lifesaving certification. My thought process being, you never know what unforeseen accidents may befall you especially on a river with moving water.
Thanks for watching!!
Awesome video thanks
😁🤙
Thank you a good adventure Video
Thanks for watching!
Texas.. So amazing in many places
Got that right! Can't wait to return and explore more!
fantastic video, it deserves more views
Ahh man you guys are so lucky to paddle that stretch of river...I've been floating since I was just a young lad on Ozark rivers...spring feed, fast , clear, and mostly remote...My canoe was stolen a few years ago but today I'm going to order a brand new Old Town Discovery 169 and plan on doing some eastern Kentucky rivers (class two and three) And will head to south Mo.to my old stomping grounds.
Watching your Rio Grande River Adventure while the snow is falling, 2-11-2020, here in west west west Texas El Paso ( rare ) . Loved your adventure and and it did sure fell bittersweet at the end, but a great and beautiful experience ! Thanks for sharing it.
Wow! How often does it snow down there? Thanks for watching. We're itching for another southern paddle in the future!
@@ExploreTheBackcountry Snow rarely falls here in El Paso,Texas, but when it does the landscape is beautiful !
I bet!! Would be a cool sight to see in person. It snows for at least 6 months up here, haha, but that's a little different 😑
Very nice. Rugged, steep walled, narrow canyon at beginning. Hot spring at 24:40. Narrow canyon at 28:05 with boulders in river and 31:40 also. Good filming and editing. Thanks for sharing.
great hats guys!
Oh man! We bought them in the last town before the park. What a game changer in keeping the sun off too!
WOW!!!!
😁😁
WHAT A TRIP LIKE IT
Oh yeah! Was one for the memory bank 😁
totally wow!💯
4 hr ride bk, long trip.
9 days in a canoe, not long enough! 👍
Ah! Exactly, wish we could stay longer.... such a great place to paddle!
Great trip. Great video. Y'all were fortunate to have low water. The water quality is much more nice. Impressive paddling skills
Yeah eh? I'd imagine it would get quite silty during higher flows then?
@@ExploreTheBackcountry yes, very silty and brown. Not pleasant to swim in, yet one must cool off in the summer months so, you're basically a powdered doughnut for a week. Lol
Good Video work too 👍
Thanks a lot!! 😁🤙
Obliged for draggin us along.
Blessin's from the north bank; final resting place state of those two blood baptized Texans Crockett & Bowie.
Thanks for joining! Really awesome spot. Would love to get back down there sometime.
I'll just sit here with a stupid grin on my face. Thanks for that. 😁👍
Haha!!! Yeah!! Glad you enjoyed it! 😁😁
Muito lindo Deus abençõe
Great video I was excited to see a notification yesterday I have a four-day trip down here in Florida coming up next weekend first trip in my new canoe this makes me want to bring my GoPro 😁👍👍🛶
Awesome! New canoe eh? What did you get? Where in Florida ya headed? That state is also one of my favourite winter escapes!
@@ExploreTheBackcountry I ended up getting a North star northwind solo in backlight doing 4 days on the upper Suwannee River.. I was an invite I only know one of the people on the trip but super excited 😁
Those canoes were really tough with all those rocks. My Grumman would be battered. My concern would be the heat and the south shore, apparently not many folk along there in that rough country. Thank for the video, very interesting.
Our canoe (Green, Nova Craft Moisie) was a ToughSuff Expedition layup. The gelcoat flakes a bit over time (easy to repair post season), but the hull is solid. I have pinned one before and popped it out and paddled away without issue. We put about 3000km of paddling behind us every year and the canoes are still going strong!
We saw one other canoe party midway through the trip who were taking their time (twice as long as us) and a group of rather bored looking border patrol officers high on an adjacent ridge.
Epic journey. I would love to do it
Thanks! You'd love it!! Super awesome paddle.
Hello from Brazil!
Hey!! Thanks for tuning in!
Wow. awesome...thanks for showing us a part of North America that we will never see.
Thanks for coming along on a virtual adventure with us 😀
Dude!! Thanks for the video!! Just added your channel! I'm definitely going to do this trip!!! I want to right now but I'm planning a BWCA trip at the moment!
Awesome! Thanks!! BWCA will be a fantastic trip. I haven't personally paddled there, yet... but Quetico is on the bucket list. Happy paddling!
Explore The Backcountry Quetico is fantastic. I’ll make my 11th trip up there this June and I’m from Houston. I haven’t done the Lower Canyons yet, but it’s on the list. I’ve done the last 65 miles of the Pecos River 4 times though, and that’s another great trip. Looks fairly similar to the lower canyons trip here except shorter canyon walls and clearer water. Cheers to a great video of what looks like an excellent trip!