Santa Elena Canyon is the most popular part of the Rio Grande to raft, not just because it’s about as accessible as accessible can get, but because it’s gorgeous. No other Rio Grande canyon has higher cliffs either - these walls can rise up 1,500 feet above the water. When you enter the river at Lajitas, you’ll have 13 miles to do little more than float and watch the spectacular desert scenery. But those 13 miles come before the canyon proper. The last seven miles of the run are canyon-bound and technical. The Rock Slide, which is two miles into the canyon, is large and rough. If the water’s at a certain level, Rock Slide’s rating can be as high as Class IV. Santa Elena is unique in that you can sometimes go up instead of down the canyon first (easier at low water levels) and "boomerang" back. If you do head upstream, visit a side canyon called Fern Canyon, which well earns its name.
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