Hot Springs Canyon, Big Bend NP (C)
As the Rio Grande flowed through the Big Bend region in west Texas, it has cut several major canyons and a small one. This is the small one. It is less than a mile in length, but you can see almost the whole thing from a single viewpoint. This cannot be said of the major ones.
This is looking upriver from an overlook, thoughtfully selected by the National Park Service, near Rio Grande Village, the major campground in the park. On the left is Mexico, on the right the US.
The hot springs, from which the canyon takes its name, are at the far end of the canyon, as shown here, and on the right bank (US). The hot springs were known and used by the Native Americans, but in 1909, a Mississippian named J.O. Langford, who suffered from malaria, bought the land around the springs, sight unseen, based on reports of the healing powers of the water. He built a resort, which stands today only in ruins.
The springs still flow, however, and most days, you will find people bathing there, perhaps hoping to benefit from the healing properties, which J.O. Langford experienced.