Perhaps the best way to access this section of the river is to begin way upriver at La Linda and first run the Lower Canyons. But for those with less time, river access is available at Dryden by contacting Dudley Harrison in Sanderson and paying the access fees of $30/vehicle and $10/person.

At the other end of the trip, you have - during the best of times - three take-out options.  The only one which is a sure thing is the boat dock on the Pecos River, but to reach it you have to either line your boat a mile upriver against a strong current or else carry all your gear over a rough and often overgrown trail against the base of the canyon wall on the east side of the Pecos. Be forewarned, however, that unless you're a tri-athlete, the first time you do this is likely to be the last time.

The Langtry take-out, which has often been the choice of those few boaters who have paddled this section in the past, is on private property, and although the owner lives in New Braunfels and is rarely in Langtry, the property is watched closely by Pete Billings who lives in town. I see Pete often and every time I talk with him, he asks me to tell boaters "to go somewhere else." This access is also very difficult to locate and -due to the steepness of the banks there- very difficult to get your boat and gear out of the water.  If you pass it and reach a primitive ranch road several hundred yards later, you may be tempted to try your luck there, but this property belongs to Jack Skiles and he will not grant use of the road to anyone due to liability concerns.

The third option is to pay to use the access at Foster's Ranch, either at or not far below the Weir Dam near the Terrell-Valverde county line. This access shortens the trip from Dryden to 37 miles, but is rumored to be expensive, and for much of the past decade, the Foster family wasn't granting any access to boaters. Reportedly, the family is offering river access again; however, be prepared to pay plenty for it.
 
Despite the difficulty of accessing the Dryden to the Pecos stretch of the Rio Grande (or maybe because of it), this is one of the best canoe runs in the state. While it's not as scenic as the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande nor as challenging as the Lower Pecos River, the Painted Canyons trip offers boaters an unforgettable run which mixes elements of both the Lower Canyons and the Lower Pecos.  And given the irregular flows of the other two trips due to the continuing drought in the Trans-Pecos, perhaps the best thing of all about the Painted Canyons is there is nearly always enough water for a trip.

Leaving Dryden, those boaters who know the Lower Canyons might feel that they are running the Lower Canyons in reverse since only a few turns after the put-in, the canyon walls appear again. The current is good through these first few miles as the river winds through the 'badlands' country near Shafter Crossing. Canoeists can probably expect to average four miles an hour - even at lower flows - with a modest paddling effort.
 
Approximately five miles below Dryden, a wide canyon, el Venado (the Deer) comes in from the Mexican side.  Here a large boulder sits in the middle of the channel and blocks the downriver view of approaching boaters.  The river is forced into a tight channel between the boulder and the canyon wall on the Texas side, and for my tastes, this is the single most scenic fifty yards of water from Big Bend all the way to the Pecos.

Also, this stretch of the river has a very high concentration of mountain lions, and if you hike anywhere in this stretch you are certain to find evidence of cougar tracks.
 
A little more than a mile below el Venado canyon, another canyon, el Zacate (the Grass), comes in from the Mexican side. You will likely hear evidence of this canyon before you see it since the only rapid of consequence on the entire run occurs here. This is a class II/III drop which can only be scouted from the Mexican side. For those boaters familiar with the Lower Canyons, this rapid is more difficult than any on that run except the two Madisons, and at certain water levels (2000-4000 CFS) it can be a death trap. The river bends sharply to the left at the top of the raft and cascades down toward the canyon wall at the bottom of the drop. In normal water flows, boaters can run a straight path just right of center of the main flow and have time to avoid colliding with the canyon wall below, though there isn't a lot of margin for error. If you elect not to run, it's a short portage on the Mexican side.

However, when the rapid begins to wash out with flows in excess of 2000 CFS, the rapid shifts to the right, out of view of those who elect not to scout. Instead of heading toward a vertical canyon wall, it heads into a large rock cleft not unlike the smaller version at San Francisco Canyon Rapids 23 miles back upriver. However, going into this larger cleft is almost unavoidable if you enter in the normal center-right lane, since the high flows create large pillows in the main channel where the water collides  with the canyon wall under the surface. These pillows make moving your boat an exercise in futility. At these flows, you could easily get trapped in the rock cleft or, worse, pinned under the rock overhang at either side of the cleft.

Below Zacate Canyon, the canyon walls get really large. Though not quite the scale of the LC, they do reach 500 feet in places. The eight miles below the rapids is a very scenic stretch, spectacular even, and this part of the river is a highlight of the long run. Plus, the current is good through here, and there are two sets of riffles about midway down which push you the most scenic sections almost too quickly.

About eight miles below the rapid at Zacate Canyon, the water slows and the canyon walls abruptly end, signaling that you are nearing Indian Creek, a wash which enters from the Texas side. You will notice a ranch trailer before you come to Indian Creek, the first of several trailers in the area.  Indian Creek is 14 and 1/2 miles below Dryden.

Below Indian Creek, the river runs through relatively open country.  The current is fair for much of the run, though with headwinds, some of the lake-like stretches can be frustrating.  The scenery is not as impressive as the canyon section; however, nearby pyramid shaped hills make this more scenic than most float trips.

At Cook Creek, another wash, 3 miles below Indian Creek, you will see signs of another ranch trailer, this one with the shiniest windmill on the run.

From Cook Creek to the Weir Dam, a distance of 18 and 1/2 miles, the river meanders through open country, generally widening out for two or three miles at a time and then narrowing to drop through short series of riffles. This is ranching country, and you will see signs of such on both sides of the river. The river makes two long bends, both times going southeast for two or three miles and then bending back northwest for the same distance, before you reach Lozier Canyon, a wide canyon which comes in from the Texas side 13 miles from Cook Creek. This canyon is easy to recognize because past floods have left a gathering of large white boulders very near the river on the Texas side, and these rocks will seem very much out of place.

Formerly, there was a considerable rapid here but it has long since washed out and now the fast water has moved 300 yards downstream, where a long fast drop is now easy to navigate. From this fast water, the river begins another long bend, a gradual turn of 3 miles which begins with the river flowing southwest and ends with the current flowing due north.

You have a very good chance of seeing wildlife in this stretch.  Mountain lions are common on the Mexican side.  Turkeys, deer, and javelinas are common on either side, though perhaps due to the presence of so many cougars on the Mexican side, more common on the Texas side.

When the river turns back toward the east 3 miles later, you know you are less than two miles from the Weir Dam. It would be wise the keep a sharp eye on the water at lower flows, however, since the river widens as it approaches the Weir Dam, and it is easy to get caught in a dead end channel.

Below the Weir Dam (which, by the way, you can run without a scout except at the very lowest flows {under 300 CFS}), the river changes character.  It is more scenic. With two exceptions, there are no more riffles, just occasional fast stretches when the river drops around islands.  Perhaps the best way to measure your progress is to count the rock faces on the Texas side. The first rock face Texas side below the Weir Dam is about one mile. After that, the river moves toward a rock face on the Mexican side, then back toward a rock face on the Texas side, and so on, all the way to Langtry. In all, there are 12 rock faces Texas side between the Weir Dam and Langtry. Most of these rock faces are very scenic, and several contain falcon nests which are visible from the river. Also, eagles live above this stretch of the river.

There is one beautiful riffle between the second and third rock faces Texas side. If you arrive late in the day and are quiet in your approach, you have a very good chance of sharing this area with Mexican nationals who are attempting to cross the river here. Two miles later, the river makes an abrupt turn (east to north) as you approach Soldado (Soldier) Canyon which enters from the Mexican side a mile later. A final steep riffle, the last of the run, occurs at the canyon, and you can run either side of the small island.  The rock face on the Texas side leading to the riffle is particularly impressive.

The final 9 miles into Langtry has some scenic highlights, primarily in the form of the river side rock faces. Each year as the drought continues and the water levels in Lake Amistad drop, the river in this section becomes more river-like and the current increases. As late as '92, this section was dead water due to the back-up from the lake, but now the current is good and you can make decent progress, perhaps 4 m.p.h. in a canoe.

However, camping possibilities are limited in this section (and all the way to the confluence with the Pecos) because the flooding which occurred as a result of the lake has silted in much of the canyon and rather than the native desert growth which is common most of the run, here you will find most of the thick riparian growth is willow and salt cedar. The further you proceed, the more pronounced this becomes, until by the time you get below Langtry, you might think you are not in the Trans-Pecos at all, but rather in an eco-system imported from Minnesota or somewhere far to the north.

From Langtry to the confluence, you are certain to see hundreds of beaver and nutria. Also, it is common to see feral hogs foraging along the shores.

Presently, the current below Langtry is good for three miles, and then improves drastically, for another 16 or 18 miles, until it slows again some five miles before the confluence. Canoeists could easily do this 27-mile stretch in a day and probably not have to paddle much.

This is a very scenic section, especially the last 15 miles, as the canyon walls grow higher and more colorful.

About five miles before the confluence, the old railroad grade for the Southern Pacific comes into view about 100 feet above the Texas side shore. A railroad tunnel still stands even though the railroad has long since been rerouted. This makes an interesting hike up from the river, and is one of the few places in the Langtry to Pecos run where hiking is possible. For most of the run, the riparian growth is so thick that it is nearly impossible to penetrate. There are a number of interesting side canyons but due to plant growth they're not always accessible.

People not familiar with the area below the High Bridge might have a difficult time locating the confluence since the Pecos River at the confluence is not much more than a narrow stream. It would be easy to overshoot it if you were not paying close attention and expected its entrance to be obvious. Worse, the Pecos enters at an angle out of view from your approach on the Rio Grande. It is not until you have passed it that you can look back over your shoulder and see the river itself. However, it is the only inflow on the Texas side below Langtry.

It would be a good idea to plan to arrive early at the confluence and to take your time in lining your boat up. You can likely paddle up the river for the first 200 or 300 yards where the banks are too steep to line, and then line as they become flush with the river. But beware that the shoreline growth could make lining nightmarish, and it is best to walk from the boat dock to the confluence BEFORE you plan a Pecos take-out just to know what you are facing. The Pecos' banks in this section change radically from year to year. It is almost a mile exactly from confluence to the boat dock. That mile could be a delightful stroll or it could be one of the worst river experiences you've ever had; there's really no way to know unless you scout it carefully before you take your river trip.

Finally, it is highly unlikely that you will see another boater anywhere on the river below Dryden, unless the Border Patrol is running the river in a "fan" boat. And it is very difficult to walk out of this area if you should encounter any problems and anyone in your party is in need of rescue. Although you will see an occasional ranch trailer in the section from Dryden to the Weir Dam, it would be foolish to count of finding help on shore in this very remote region of the border. Unlike the Lower Canyons, there are no NPS air patrols, even though the river is protected the entire length (Wild and Scenic Status until the Weir Dam - Amistad National Recreation Area after the Weir Dam). Boaters should plan accordingly.