River Road: Lajitas to Presidio

FM 170, the River Road or Camino del Rio, follows the Rio Grande upstream from Lajitas to Presidio along the southern edge of Big Bend Ranch State Park, at 311,000 acres the largest state park in Texas. Mexico is just across the river.

Heading west from Lajitas, the road is at its most dramatic: mountainous, with sharp curves and steep grades as it climbs over ridges and drops back toward the river. Farther on it turns briefly away from the river at Colorado Canyon, the only Big Bend canyon carved from volcanic rock, then opens out past the farming village of Redford toward Presidio.

There are river access points along the way for floating, fishing and hiking, and the drive ends at Presidio near Fort Leaton State Historic Site, the park's west entrance.