As a rule the Pecos has little to no water below Red Bluff Dam just below the New Mexico State Line down through the Town of Pecos, but the further south it sits the more water is found, though not always at navigable levels. Oil field pollution and an arid to semi-arid region above the lower 120 miles makes paddlesports recreation an almost unheard of activity except after heavy local rains when the river can flash and become a raging torrent. For practical purposes the most commonly used part of the river for canoeing and kayaking is the Lower Pecos between Pandale Crossing (sometimes referred to as Flat Rock Crossing) and Seminole Canyon State Park on US Highway 90 between Del Rio and Langtry, the famous home of Judge Roy Bean, "The Law West of the Pecos." This report described that lower reach of the river ending on the headwaters of Lake Amistad near the Texas-Mexico border.

There are many fine features to recommend this river, but it is NOT a place for novice paddlers seeking to pad their resumes of rivers they have run. To be sure, the Lower Pecos River presents some challenges even to those experienced in wilderness whitewater expedition tripping and its difficulty, coupled with its remoteness, should be matters of concern for all who would venture there. Getting medical assistance on the river almost surely requires having a satellite phone to call for a helicopter evacuation at great expense and possibly a long wait for its arrival. A working, accurately calibrated GPS is another essential tool for trips on this river in the event you need to tell somebody exactly where you are if you need assistance. But, its remoteness and difficulty are the very features that make this place so special to those who dare to challenge it in canoes and kayaks - it would NOT be an ideal river for rafting, though inflatable canoes have little to no difficulty running it.

Trips usually start with a drive from the home of shuttle provider Emilio Hinajosa in Comstock and follow FM 1024, half of which is a dirt road, nearly 60 miles to Pandale Crossing where you can launch on a flat rock shelf adjcent to the low water bridge that spans the river. Immediately upon launching you will encounter the first of many swiftwater channels running through dense reed jungles growing profusely in midstream. Soon, you will enter the canyons of the Lower Pecos where it seems like you have ventured into another world devoid of people and signs of civilization, though there is actually very little of that to be seen on the drive to get to Pandale Crossing. Depending upon the speed of the current and paddling skills you will encounter numerous Class I to II rapids on the first three or four days. I have typically taken six days for this entire run of about 66 miles, but my most recent trip was done in five days, and we had planned it as a four day trip until the headwinds added an extra day (and nearly added a second one, too!) Be sure to carry extra provisions in case you are delayed getting off the river because you will be a very long way from any assistance of any kind while on the river. We usually carry at least two extra days of food just to be on the safe side.

One of the truly special features of this unique river is the presence of ancient artifacts dating back 10,000 years or more. Specifically, there are numerous caves housing wall art left by ancient civilizations that called this place "home", and they decorated their habitats with drawings and carvngs that depicted life as they experienced it. Of particular interest is the Lewis Canyon petroglyph site on river left about 42 miles below Pandale Crossing. Sitting high on a bluff overlooking the Pecos River, the site is located on the privately owned Continental Ranch and it contains the single largest collection of ancient rock art to be found (as of now) anywhere in Texas. There are several hundred etchings in the rock slab about 200 feet above the river on what appears to be a ceremonial site dating to the early- and mid-Archaic Period long before Spanish explorers "discovered" this area. Thios is a very special place that must be seen if you are on the Pecos River, but please be respectful of Continental Ranch's private property and the ancient antiquities that reside there and which are irreplacable.

Below Continental Ranch the river starts to get really interesting. This is the start of the bigger rapids where danger lurks for the unsuspecting boater with insufficient skills to negotiate whitewater falls and rapids in a loaded boat. It begins with the Class II to II+ Lewis Canyon Rapid followed a mile or so later by the Class III to III+ Shackleford Canyon Rapid and a few more Class II's, all of which are runnable with sufficient water, but which can bend boats and hurt paddlers resulting in an expensive helicopter ride out of the canyon without boats, gear or supplies, all of which will be abandoned on the river. Around Mile 49 is the scenic Painted Canyon and its aptly named rapid, which is the most challenging rapid on the entire river. Painted Canyon Rapid is a solid Class III to III+ run that is fairly straight ahead, but required major boulder dodging in a swift channel with a fairly steep gradient and plenty of opportunities for pinning and wrapping boats, losing gear and injuring paddlers. The right bank offers an elevated rock ledge that affords ample camping space for a fairly large group, though large groups are neither common nor advised on this river because of the need to be able to quickly account for everybody (and not all campsites are so spacious!)

Below Painted Canyon things begin to wind down though not all the excitedment is yet behind you. A weir (dam) across the entire river a couple miles below the rapid requires a portage on far river left. I ran it in a hard canoe in 2007 and got caught in a keeper hydraulic that required me to bail out of my boat and stand downstream in the river for almost a half hour waiting for the current to release my boat and send it down to me. There was nothing we could do to facilitate a quicker release because of the danger of the hydraulic, so avoid the right side of the weir unless you have nothing better to do than risk your life and property. There are several more small rapids hidden among reed jungles before the river begins to widen as you approach the end of the trip. At Dead Man Canyon the river seems more like a lake, and if the wind is blowing off Lake Amistad with its sometimes hurricane force, then those last few miles can extend your trip by a day or two of hard, tiring paddling. The 320 foot tall railroad bridge over the river signals about 3 more miles to the Seminole Canyon State Park boat ramp on river left just below the US Highway 90 high bridge, which runs between Comstock and Langtry.

For a complete trip report and attached slideshow of the Lower Pecos River please go HERE.