Texas · United States
El Camino del Rio
FM 170Lajitas to Presidio
FM 170 follows the Rio Grande for about 48 miles from Lajitas through Big Bend Ranch State Park to Presidio, with steep hills, blind crests and canyon views, and no fuel between the two towns.
From Lajitas, a golf resort town at the edge of Big Bend Ranch State Park, FM 170 heads west with the Rio Grande just across the border, rising and dropping with the land. Across the southern part of the park it becomes more mountainous with sharp curves and steep grades, and it reaches its maximum gradient of 15 percent near Colorado Canyon. Trailheads beside the road give access to Closed Canyon, a 1.4-mile round-trip hike through a slot canyon, and to the hoodoos, balanced rocks shaped by erosion. Beyond the park the road passes Redford and the Casa Piedra Road junction, then Fort Leaton State Historic Site, an 1800s trading post just outside Presidio. It ends in Presidio, on the border about 60 miles south of Marfa.
Scenery
Best seasons
In these collections
El Camino del Rio on the map48.0 mi · point to point
Navigate to the start: Apple Maps · Google Maps
Character
Corners
busiest around mile 13Elevation
under 4%4 to 8%over 8%703 to 868 mPoints of interest5 stops
- Boardwalk Bakery & PizzeriaBakery and pizzeria at Lajitas Golf Resort, open to non-guests for all three meals.at the start
- Closed Canyon TrailheadParking for the 1.4-mile round-trip hike through Closed Canyon, a slot canyon reached from FM 170.20 mi in
- Colorado CanyonParking at the Rio Grande canyon where FM 170 briefly turns away from the river.22 mi in
- Hoodoos Trailhead ParkingTrailhead for the walk to the hoodoos, rocks balanced on smaller rocks by erosion.24 mi in
- Fort Leaton State Historic SiteWell-preserved 1800s trading post on FM 170 just outside Presidio, and the west entrance to Big Bend Ranch State Park.46 mi in
Hazards
- Rough, uneven pavement with loose rock east of Presidio (sheriff’s warning, October 2026)
- Flash floods across creek crossings after storms
- Extreme summer heat, typically over 100 F by late morning
- Steep hills and blind crests, up to 15 percent
- No fuel between Lajitas and Presidio
- Long emergency response times on a remote road
Sources
“The road is bordered on one side by the wild expanse of Big Bend Ranch, and on the other by the sediment-darkened Rio Grande; it’s often named one of America’s most scenic drives.”
“51 miles of this highway make up the El Camino del Rio, also known as River Road, which frequently makes lists of the most scenic drives in the U.S.”
“It twists and turns up and down mountains, through valleys, and across the unforgiving scrubland of south Texas.”
Route traced from OpenStreetMap, with its stats measured from that line. How the roads are mapped
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