Amistad National Recreation Area - Paddling Lake

Mexican Permits
For fishing or boating on the Mexico side of Lake Amistad are available from the SAGARPA office in Ciudad Acuña at 380 Zapata, two blocks east of Blvd Guerrero (turn at the Chevy dealer). Office hours are 8-3 Monday- Friday. The phone number in Acuña is 877-2-58-14 and 877-2-62-38.

The Mexican permits can also be obtained at:

Amistad Marine (Chevron) on HWY 90 West, 830-775-0878, or

Fisherman"s Headquarters (Chevron at the Y of 90 & 277 N)
830-774-5670.

Paddle Trails

Paddle Trail #1.
Spur 454. This area is an excellent trip for one day. Depart water’s edge at Spur 454. Head east. There are numerous coves to explore, picnic at and swim in. Be sure to take a picnic lunch and plenty of water. If you have never paddled on Lake Amistad before and are lodging in Del Rio, this would be a good day trip to start with.

Paddle Trail #2.
Spur 406. This area is an excellent day trip. Drive across the lake heading west on Hwy. 90. Spur 406 will be on your right. This area offers excellent birding and is much like Spur 454. If you care to cross the lake, these two trips (Spur 406 and Spur 454) combined can make for a great day trip. Bring food and water!

Paddle Trail #3.
Box Canyon/Cow Creek. This is a nice day trip and an excellent overnight camping trip. Take Hwy 90 West to the Box Canyon Road. It will be on the south side of the highway. In Box Canyon, launch at the Box Canyon Ramp and head upstream. It’s about 2.5 miles to Cow Creek. This area offers unique scenery with vertical cliffs. You can enjoy excellent fishing. There are great spots for primitive camping. This trip can be a long day trip but is best enjoyed as an overnight camping experience.

Paddle Trail #4.
NOTE: Due to the rising lake levels the springs and good camping sites are underwater. It is still a very scenic and beautiful day trip.

Indian Springs . This is definitely best enjoyed as an overnight trip although you can also do it in one day. We encourage you to not miss out on the exquisite camping. Take Hwy 277 to the Park road to Rough Canyon. At the Rough Canyon boat ramp, you are on the Devils River arm of Lake Amistad. From the boat ramp proceed upstream 8 miles to Indian Springs. There are excellent camping sites on the east side before you get to the springs and also on the west side of the river under the trees. The springs come right out of the rock just beyond the Indian Springs Creek. The water is clear and cold and millions of gallons cascade down the rocky cliffs into pools before they reach the lake. Folks love to go up there and play in the cascades. Caution!! The rocks are not only slippery but they’re extremely jagged. Fall and you won’t be able to paddle back! It really is best to spend the night on this trip as it is 16 miles roundtrip, and there are frequently strong head winds during the day.

Click here for a larger view. Click on the trails for a larger view of each trail.

Paddle trail # 5
Parida Cave This trail is short but it certainly packs a lot of adventure! It"s a real fun day trip that can be done in 3 hours or less, and is best described in our photographic kayak tour to Parida Cave.

Paddle trail # 6
Panther Cave is quite a bit farther down river than Parida and would make for a long day, but can be done in one day by very enthusiastic paddlers. There may not be any good camping places along the Rio Grande at this time due to the water level being near conservation pool, but there are many side canyons that could prove to be hospitable. Panther Cave is one of the best preserved Lower Pecos River style rock art sites boasting a large panel of pictographs which include the 9 foot-long panther that gives this site its name.

Paddle trail # 7
Pecos Railroad Bridge . Also called the "High Bridge" is located about 6 miles up river from the Pecos launch ramp. An excellent day trip, the Pecos river is a very scenic one with colorful, high cliffs riddled with side canyons to explore. It is rich in lush vegetation and lots of wildlife to observe. Birding is especially good year round.

Hanging out below the high bridge waiting for trains to go by is also one of the highlights of this trip. A short way up river from the bridge, and on the right, are the remnants of an old pump house that pumped water from the river up to the water tank for use in the old steam engines of days gone by. The concrete pilings of the rickety, old, steel bridge of the 1890s can still be seen on both sides of the river near the pump house.

If you want to make the trip longer and camp out, the Pecos offers more breathtaking scenery up river to Dead Mans Canyon and ultimately to Shumla Bend at the end of the park boundary 14 miles from the confluence of the Rio Grande. It can be done in one day, but is best enjoyed when you have several days to explore the beauty that the Pecos River offers. The fishing is good too.

A general note: For all of these trips, be sure to bring plenty of drinking water, a large brimmed hat for shade, sunglasses, a long sleeved shirt and pants. Do not forget to cover up as the sun can really burn you out on the lake. Please be environmentally conscientious and pack out all of your trash. Do not use glass containers. And remember that all things living and nonliving are protected under federal law. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.

Don"t have you own canoe or kayak? Rent one or sign up for a guided tour:

Guided Canoe Tours

"Pecos" Jack Richardson leads guided canoe/kayak tours, offering day trips as well as week-long, catered trips. Call for more information or reservations: (832)276-6885 . Jay J. Johnson, Sr.
Tour de Tejas Canoe and Kayak Tours
jay@villadelrio.com
(830)768-0768
(830)768-0768 (fax)
(830)734-8636 (cell)

Rentals

Ruthie"s Rentals, Rough Canyon
Hwy 277 N, RR 2
Del Rio, TX 78840
830-774-5377

Amistad Water Sports
Kayak Rentals, Single and Double
10401 Hwy 90 W
Del Rio, TX 78840
carlcourtney21@aol.com
830-734-1445
830-734-6533