Texas
KAYAK THE BLUE WATERS OF THE DEVILS RIVER
Two hours outside Del Rio, the Devils River is perhaps the wildest, purest stretch of white- water in Texas. Fed almost entirely by natural springs, it is a deep Caribbean-blue gash through soaring, sun-bleached limestone cliffs. It holds large- and smallmouth bass, catfish, and giant carp. But the landscape is the draw. The river runs through the harsh Chihuahuan Desert, the savanna-like Edwards Plateau, and the shrublands of Tamaulipan mesquital. On a recent trip, my buddies and I paddled through placid canyon pools, braided streams best waded with a steady hand on the boat, and obstacle-course rapids. We pitched tents feet from the river, on smooth ridges formed from the coral beds of an ancient sea, the Milky Way sprawled overhead, scorpions skittering underfoot. —T.E.N.
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