At river mile 888, as described in "River Guide To The Rio Grande: Colorado And Santa Elena Canyons" (Big Bend Natural History Association, 2019), both Arch Canyon and Fern Canyon enter from river right, the Mexican side. Here, the Rio Grande makes a nearly one hundred eighty degree bend flowing SSW and bending around to NE. The inside corner of the bend is a wide silt, sand, and gravel deposit with plenty of shrubbery, grasses, and a few trees that make for a nice river camp. The camp opposite Fern Canyon is only two and a half miles from the outlet of the canyon. Then, the float is another mile to the takeout. Although Santa Elena Canyon is only about eight miles long, the scenery of the high Cliffs forming a very narrow chasm is breathtaking. Most of the river flows gently with a decent current. The rapids are a mild challenge with the exception of Rock Slide Rapid which should be scouted before running.