Santa Elena Canyon Canoe Rental

The Santa Elena Boomerang

I’ve you’ve had the pleasure of visiting the Big Bend and PADDLING the Rio Grande you’ve probably heard of the the boomerang trip. It’s a trip THAT'S been going on for many years and was created in response to the (seasonal) low water conditions of the river. The boomerang allows paadlers to explore Santa Elena Canyon without the commitment of PADDLING the 22 miles to get there.

What’s the boomerang?

The Boomerang is exactly how is sounds. It’s a “there and back” trip that starts at the end of Santa Santa Elena Canyon. From that point you have the freedom to paddle up the River for as far as you would like and at your own pace. Most people will go up river for a mile or two before heading back to the starting point.

How does the Rental Work?

IF you and or your group would like to rent a canoe for your own adventure, we would be happy to help. We offer a daily canoe rental service for the months of MArch and April.

One of the big challenges of renting equipment in the Big Bend is TRansportation. With us you don’t need to worry about that. Not only are you getting the boat, paddles and PFDS (personal floatation device) your also getting the boats DELIVERED to Santa Elena Canyon. This gives you the FLEXIBILITY to paddle for 1 hour or 2 days.

Where does the trip begin/end?

Due to the high volume of parking needs we do not RECOMMEND you parking at the Santa Elena Canyon TRail. We RECOMMEND you park at the River ACCESS (one mile away) and get shuttled by our vans to the put in location. The trip BEGINS at the Santa Elena River access (not the Santa Elena Canyon trail)

We will shuttle folks at 10am,12pm and 2pm. please arrive 15 minutes early for your shuttle.

At the end of your trip you will need to paddle the REMAINING mile(from the exit of the canyon) to the Santa Elena River access (where you parked). One of our awesome employees will take the boat from there.

You will need to have the boat to the river access by 4pm.

Is it hard?

The Low water conditions of the river can make for “lake like” conditions in parts of the Rio GRande. you are often met by large pools of water that are book ended by gravel bars. Paddling through the pools is a STRAIGHT forward endeavor pulling the boat up through the shallows is often the challenge.

With that being said we would not recommend anyone with knee/back or any OTHER MOBILITY concern do this trip. You may have more fun on one of our guided trips.

What will we need?

Self guided trips are awesome for a lot of people. If your in active shape and ready for an adventure this can EASILY be the highlight of your Big Bend trip. With that being said YOU'RE also responsible for YOURSELF on these trips. The Big Bend is situated very far from any medical attention and caution is a must.

• Park service permit

  The NAtional Park service requires a day use permit for all river activities. You can ACQUIRE a permit at the PAnther Junction visitors center. We will refuse rental to anyone who shows up WITHOUT proof of PArk permit.
  
  

• RENTAL Confirmation

  You will need to have your rental confirmation (phone or screen shot prefered). We cannot ACCEPT any exchange of money within the national park. Your reservation will need to be made in advance.