Quick Info
| Length | 10 miles |
| Class (I-VI) | I-II |
| Minimum Flow | 200 cfs |
| Ideal Flow | 300 – 2,000 cfs |
| Maximum Flow | 5,000 cfs |
| Current River Conditions | USGS nr Castolon |
| Put-in map | Talley |
| Take-out map | Solis |
| Boats | Canoes, Kayaks, Rafts |
| Season | Year-round, weather/flow permitting |
| Highlight | High and colorful canyon vistas, remote camping |
| Distances to Castolon | Dallas 625 miles; Houston 660 miles; Austin 500 miles; El Paso 340 miles |
Recreation & Access
Utilizing the River Road from east or west, Mariscal has the most remote launch sites of any Big Bend canyon. Although you can normally drive your own high clearance or 4WD vehicles on River Road, shuttles arranged through one of the Terlingua outfitters listed below are recommended. In the canyon, there is one easily negotiable rapid at Tight Squeeze. At the end of Mariscal Canyon, Cross Canyons camp on river left is an excellent camp with great hiking opportunities. Always tie up your boats overnight because you just never know when a pulse flow from upstream rains or a release from Mexico reservoirs might surprise you. It happens!
Conservation & Threats
Bacterial infections are easy to contract. Use soap and clean water, especially with open sores on hands or feet. Development encroachment, water pollution. Invasive Giant reed (Arundo donax) and Tamarisk or salt cedar are ubiquitous along the river banks.
Historical/Cultural Significance
Conflict with Mexico continued when the United States annexed Texas as a state in 1845. Mexico claimed that the new border between Texas and Mexico was the Nueces River, while the United States contested the border was the Rio Grande. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, that brought an official end to the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), was signed on February 2, 1848, at Guadalupe Hidalgo, where the Mexican government had fled with the advance of U.S. forces. By its terms, Mexico ceded 55 percent of its territory, including parts of present-day Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah, to the United States. Mexico relinquished all claims to Texas, and recognized the Rio Grande as the southern boundary with the United States. The United States paid Mexico $15,000,000 “in consideration of the extension acquired by the boundaries of the United States” (see Article XII of the treaty) and agreed to pay American citizens debts owed to them by the Mexican government. The treaty gave rise to development of the IBWC International Boundary and Water Commission which governs all concerns of flow and sharing of the boundary waters of the Rio Grande and other boundary waters of New Mexico, Arizona and California.
Natural Features
Mariscal is likely the most colorful and beautiful of all the Big Bend canyons. Be on the lookout for pictographs.
Additional Resources
- Big Bend National Park, TX 79834 / (432) 477-2251
- Chart – RGWS River Mileages Presidio to Langtry 318 Miles.PDF
- NPS: Big Bend Home Page
- NPS: Big Bend Daily Report
- NPS: Floating the Rio Grande NPS Page
- Far Flung Outdoor Center, Terlingua
- Desert Sports, Terlingua
- Big Bend River Tours, Terlingua
- Angell Expeditions
- Death In Big Bend, Real stories of death and rescue by Laurence Parent
Flow information
- USGS Gauge below Presidio
- USGS Gauge nr Castolon
- USGS Gauge at Rio Grande Village, Big Bend N.P.
- Mexico Reservoir Storage (Rio Concho)
