"Deep in the southwestern corner of Texas, the Rio Grande enters an arid, no-man’s-land of deserts and canyons that for centuries has been considered godforsaken. For rafters, however, there’s liquid gold in these hills. For 231 miles (372 kilometers), between Big Bend Ranch State Park, Big Bend National Park, and the town of Dryden, the river winds through canyons as deep as 1,500 feet (457 meters) and wide-open rangeland with views of faraway mountains, offering one of the country’s top river trips."