A short, fairly easy hike takes you to a beautiful canyon where the Rio Grande cuts through hundreds of feet of limestone. You can see Boquillas, Mexico upstream and the deep canyon downstream. You can see it well in an hour. If pressed for time, you could make the round trip hike and see the canyon in <45 minutes if you’re in decent shape.

We hiked Boquillas Canyon when we were in Big Bend recently. It is a beautiful area in the Sierra del Carmen. It forms a slot canyon as the Rio Grande flows through the Canyon. The colors of the rock and the river make for beautiful views. I highly recommend visiting Boquillas Canyon.

Boquillas Canyon isn't as imposing as Santa Elena but it is more lush and accessible. I arrived soon after dawn one weekday morning in early March and had the canyon to myself for more than an hour. The contrast between the bright green trees and vegetation and the canyon walls makes for a beautiful experience. Unlike at Santa Elena, you are not limited to a narrow trail but can walk along a much wider stretch of river bed for part of the way. The trail from the parking lot goes up a steep hill and then down again before leveling off the rest of the way. But the up-and-down section only takes 10 minutes or so.

Boquillas Canyon was the terminus on its road. This canyon was not anywhere as crowded as Santa Elena Canyon. This round-trip hike was not that difficult to trek, but I almost got lost as it was not very crowded at all and some of the trails were confusing. There was a lot of shade due to the plant covers. I enjoyed looking out at the huge mountains on both sides of the Rio Grande. I even saw people in Mexico on horseback. I wish that I could have crossed into Mexico, but the port of entry was closed on Mondays.