On its long journey to the Gulf of Mexico, the Rio Grande passes through some of the most dramatic and storied landscapes in the West. Here it has carved through solid limestone to form Santa Elena, one of Big Bend's most beautiful river canyons. In 1933, this wild corner of Texas was designated as Texas Canyons State Park. Eleven years later, the State of Texas gifted these lands to the federal government to establish Big Bend National Park. Santa Elena's walls rise 1500 feet high, the canyon extends 19 miles, its narrowest spot is 30 feet wide, and its Rockslide rapid is Class II-IV.