Big Bend National Park in Brewster County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Into the Canyon!

Photographed by James Hulse, March 15, 2023

1. Into the Canyon! Marker

Inscription. On its long journey to the Gulf of Mexico, the Rio Grande passes through some of the most dramatic and storied landscapes in the West. Here, it has carved through solid limestone to form Santa Elena, one of Big Bend's most beautiful river canyons. In 1933, this wild corner of Texas was designated as Texas Canyons State Park. Eleven years later, the State of Texas gifted these lands to the federal government to establish Big Bend National Park.

Santa Elena Statistics:
• Walls 1500 feet (467 m) high
• 19 miles (30 km) long
• Narrowest spot: 30 feet (9 m) wide
• Rockslide rapid: Class II-IV

Erected by National Park Service - U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1933.

Location. 29° 10.016′ N, 103° 36.656′ W. Marker is in Big Bend National Park, Texas, in Brewster County. It can be reached from Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive ¾ mile west of Old Maxwell Road. The marker is located southwest of the parking lot along the Santa Elena Canyon Trail and Rio Grande River. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Big Bend National Park TX 79834, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Texas’ Trans-Pecos & Big Bend Region.

It is also in the American Southwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Comanchería,

the Republic of Texas,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the

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crow flies: Grand Canyon Farms (approx. 2.1 miles away); Terlingua Abaja (approx. 2.2 miles away); La Harmonia Store (approx. 5.6 miles away); Luna's Jacal (approx. 5.7 miles away); Floodplain Panorama (approx. 6.2 miles away); Cavalry Post to Trading Post (approx. 6.2 miles away); Garlick House (approx. 6.2 miles away); Cotton Boom in Castolon (approx. 6.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Big Bend National Park.

More about this marker. The marker is located on the grounds of the Big Bend National Park which requires an entrance fee to access.

Also see . . . Santa Elena Canyon. National Park Service (Submitted on March 27, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The Into the Canyon! Marker along the trail to the canyon image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, March 15, 2023

2. The Into the Canyon! Marker along the trail to the canyon

The entrance to the Santa Elena Canyon image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, March 15, 2023

3. The entrance to the Santa Elena Canyon

Credits. This page was last revised on March 27, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 26, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 218 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 27, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.