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center, in person only, no more than 24 hours before the trip. Permits for the lower canyons of the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River are available at the Persimmon Gap Visitor Center, when it's open, and at a self-serve permit station located at Stillwell Store and RV Park, 7 miles from the park's north entrance on FM 2627. Permits for the section of river through Santa Elena Canyon can also be obtained at the Barton Warnock Environmental Education Center 1 mile east of the community and resort of Lajitas, Texas, about 20 miles from the park's west entrance. Park rangers, however, strongly advise that everyone planning a river trip check with them beforehand to get the latest river conditions. A river-running booklet, with additional information, is available at park visitor centers and from the Big Bend Natural History Association (see "Information" under "Just the Facts," earlier in this chapter).

Several local companies rent rafts, inflatable kayaks, and canoes. Rafts typically cost about $25 per person per day (with a three-person minimum), inflatable kayaks cost about $40 per day, and canoes cost about $50 per day. There are discounts for multiday rentals. You can also take guided river trips; rates run from about $60 per person for a half-day float to $130 for a full day. Multiday trips are also available.

Companies to check with include Desert Sports (see above); Far Flung Outdoor Center (☎ 800/839-7238 or 432/371-2633; www.farflungoutdoor center.com); and Rio Grande Adventures (☎ 800/343-1640 or 432/371-2567; www.riograndeadventures.com).

Big Bend River Tours (☎ 800/545-4240 or 432/371-3033; www.bigbend rivertours.com) offers several especially interesting river trips, ranging from a delightful half-day float for about $60 per person to 10-day excursions for about $1,500 per person. Among the company's most popular trips is the 21-mile float through beautiful Santa Elena Canyon, which offers spectacular scenery and wonderful serenity, plus the excitement of running a challenging section of rapids called the Rockslide. Visitors often see javelinas, coyotes, beavers, wild burros, golden eagles, and peregrine falcons. The canyon can be explored on a day trip (about $130 per person), a 2-day trip (about $275 per person), or a 3-day trip (about $425 per person); rates vary based on the number of people making the trip. The longer trips include a stop in a side canyon with waterfalls and peaceful swimming holes. Big Bend River Tours also offers guided canoe and inflatable kayak trips, provides a shuttle service, and rents equipment.

Wildlife Viewing & Bird-Watching. Big Bend National Park has an absolutely phenomenal variety of wildlife. About 450 species of birds may be found here over the course of the year—that's more than at any other national park and nearly half of all those found in North America. At last count, there were also about 75 species of mammals, close to 70 species of reptiles and amphibians, and more than 3 dozen species of fish.

This is the only place in the United States where you'll find the Mexican long-nosed bat, listed by the federal government as an endangered species. Other endangered species that make their homes in the park include the black-capped vireo (a small bird) and the Big Bend gambusia, a tiny fish that we hope prospers and multiplies—its favorite food is mosquito larvae.

Birders consider Big Bend National Park a key bird-watching destination, especially for those looking for some of America's more unusual birds. Among the park's top bird-watching spots are Rio Grande Village and Cottonwood campgrounds, the Chisos Basin, and the Hot Springs. Species to watch for include the colorful golden-fronted woodpecker, which can often be seen year-round among the cottonwood trees along the Rio Grande; and the rare colima warbler, whose range in the United States consists solely of the Chisos Mountains at Big Bend National Park. Among the hundreds of other birds that call the park home, at least part of the year, are scaled quail, spotted sandpipers, white-winged