There is not too much to write about Lake Amistad - it is a reservoir along the Rio Grande river, large in area but rather less scenic than some of the other Southwest recreation areas in far away Utah and Arizona such as Lake Powell, Lake Mead and Flaming Gorge. The lake began to fill in the late 1960s after a dam was built near Del Rio, the last town of any significance along the river before El Paso, 680 river miles further west. The lake has many branches, which in places are bordered by gently sloping grassy banks, in others by vertical cliffs of greyish limestone. Access to the shoreline is rather restricted and recreation is mostly limited to water-based activities, principally fishing, scuba diving and boating.
Maps: PDF format maps of Amistad National Recreation Area, from the National Park Service:
 Overview map (1 mb)
Detailed map, of the Diablo East area (444 kb)
Hotels: Ten miles from Lake Amistad, Del Rio has a small collection of hotels.
Ancient History: The 6 mile long Amistad dam has backed up water for about 30 miles upstream, as far as the junction of the Pecos River with the Rio Grande. The first place of interest is Seminole Canyon, a State Historical Park, which has many rock paintings up to 4,000 years old, found amidst the many remote, rocky gullies that cross the desert land near the river. All sites can only be visited if accompanied by a park ranger, and to reach most requires several hours hiking over rough ground. There is a good campground and various trails, including one 3 mile path to the reservoir.
The Lake: Not far south, Amistad lake begins to widen and there are countless submerged tributary ravines, quite inaccessible by land. Large areas of the lake are in Mexico, including four major flooded canyon branches, each several miles long. Most access points are to the north part of the reservoir, above US 90; this section includes the lower end of the Devils River, quite a large Rio Grande tributary. Near the road bridge, Diablo East Marina has the expected boating facilities and a campsite nearby, while 33 miles away by road the Rough Canyon access area has another marina, higher cliffs and generally more scenic surroundings. There are 6 other widely separated roads to points along the shore but with few or no facilities.
Leisure: The water is clean and warm, and although there are no beaches as such - the shoreline is mostly muddy or stony, the lake is fine for swimming and sunbathing. Another popular activity is scuba diving, since the water is unusually clear, and there are interesting underwater rock formations including submerged caves. Southern Texas is hot most of the year; the temperatures at Amistad may pass 100°F for several months in summer, so the cooling waters are most welcome. |
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Amistad - Nearby Places
Langtry (50 miles from the US 90 bridge) - isolated village with a historic past |
Amistad - Similar Places
Flaming Gorge, Utah/Wyoming - remote lake with colorful rocky surroundings
Lake Meredith, Texas - lake and canyon scenery along the Canadian River, north of Amarillo |
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