• Introduction
• 1. Arches
• 2. Badlands
• 3. Big Bend
• 4. Biscayne
• 5. Cape Breton Highlands
• 6. Congaree
• 7. Grand Canyon North Rim
• 8. Gwaii Haanas
• 9. Hawaii Volcanoes
• 10. Sequoia & Kings Canyon

Big Bend

For a wild ride, thrill-seekers should raft down the unruly Rio Grande, the river that winds along the 118-mile southern boundary of Big Bend National Park, one of America’s largest and least-visited national parks. Although named for the substantial bend in its roaring river, most of Big Bend’s acreage actually consists of arid desert expanses, giant canyons, and the Chisos mountain range – the southernmost range in the continental US – a terrain that’s disgorged superb fossil specimens of ancient plants and dinosaurs, including the largest known flying dinosaur (pterosaur) and the skull of a horned dinosaur (chamosaurus). Floating by all the main sights, through the steep limestone canyons and deep river gorges, is perhaps the best way to experience the park; portions of the Rio are great for kayaking, boating, and easy rafting, while others consist of turbulent rapids best for whitewater rafting excursions.

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