NPS/Big Bend National Park

Canyon along the Rio Grande.

The Rio Grande is the defining feature of the Big Bend. It is here that the river swings abruptly to the northeast after flowing south and southeast for nearly 1,000 miles.

In the desert life clings to water, and it is along the Rio Grande and intermittant streams that wildlife is often found. Both humans and animals are attracted to and depend on the limited water of the Rio Grande.