Best River Adventures

Challenging Texas Whitewater

Combine the hot sun of the Texas desert with awesome scenery, historic caves, and a winding river that will test your every skill, and you’ve got the mighty Pecos River, a wonderful destination for experienced canoers, kayakers, and raft aficionados. Canoeing the Pecos River is certainly not for the faint of heart, but for whitewater fans that are up to the challenge, this is one of the best rivers in the U.S.

The Pecos River flows through Texas’s Loving, Ward, Crane, Pecos, Crockett, Terrell and Val Verde Counties to the confluence of the Rio Grande, located above Lake Amistad in the Texas Chihuahuan desert, ending about 20 miles west of Comstock, Texas.

At 55.3 miles long, the Pecos River is a challenge, and usually, canoeing the Pecos River will take between 4 and 5 days, depending on a number of different factors, including your skill, the level of the water, and whether or not you decide to take any side trips during your excursion.

The Pecos River has only one location where you can put in – near Pandale, TX, and one where you can take-out. There are no access points anywhere else along the river’s rugged 55+ miles, so once you’ve decided to run the river, you’re committed.

The clear, clean waters of the river flow over granite and limestone and the river is navigable nearly all year round. Mid-summer, however, may present problems with both low water levels and scorching hot Texas heat. The best time to consider canoeing the Pecos River is in late spring and early summer or late fall. Risks are always high after particularly rainy weather, so beware. Headwinds from Lake Amistad can also make the trip more challenging.

The Pecos River is not for beginners nor is it a good spot for a calm float. Canoeing the Pecos River means facing a good bit of rough whitewater as well as the extremes of the southern Texas climate.

This river presents diverse rapids, some as low as Class I or II and others reaching Class IV. Here are a few highlights:

• Oppenheimer Canyon Rapid, at mile marker 7, is Class II whitewater and can be run if the water is high enough. Otherwise, you’ll have some rocky spine to drag over.
• Lewis Canyon Rapid, at 31.5 miles, can quickly become a Class III rapid if the conditions are right. Usually runnable, this is where you’ll want to make a stop to see the petroglyphs on the walls of the caves.
• Painted Canyon Rapid, located at 35 miles, is considered the most dangerous of the hazards along the Lower Pecos River. The huge boulders here may cause you to choose to line your boat but the more experienced whitewater fanatic may choose to challenge the Class III and IV rapids. Its 3 drops are sure to knock your socks off!

The last 12 miles of the run can be equally as tough, though there are no rapids here. Instead, canoeing the Pecos River for these last several miles means deadpan paddling under the hot sun with little protection. Many whitewater travelers hire a tow boat to get them through these final dozen or so miles, which can become even more difficult due to headwinds from nearby Lake Amistad.