Amistad National Recreation Area includes the area around the Amistad Reservoir

Amistad Reservoir

Amistad Reservoir is a reservoir on the Rio Grande at its confluence with the Devils River 12 miles northwest of Del Rio, Texas, USA. The lake is bounded by Val Verde County on the Texas side of the international border, and the state of Coahuila on the Mexican side of the border...

 at the confluence of the Rio Grande River, the Devils River

Devils River (Texas)

The Devils River is a pristine, whitewater river in southwestern Texas, USA. It begins in northwest Sutton County, at , where six watercourses come together, Dry Devils River, Granger Draw, House Draw, Jackson, Flat Rock Draw, and Rough Canyon...

, and the Pecos River

Pecos River

The headwaters of the Pecos River are located north of Pecos, New Mexico, United States, at an elevation of over 12,000 feet on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range in Mora County. The river flows for through the eastern portion of that state and neighboring Texas before it...

. "Amistad" is Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 for "friendship", as the Amistad Reservoir is located on the border with Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. The reservoir was created by Amistad Dam in 1969.

Recreational activities

The lake provides year-round, water-based recreation opportunities, including boating, fishing, swimming, scuba diving

Scuba diving

Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....

 and water-skiing, as well as other recreational opportunities for picnicking, camping and hunting. The area is rich in archeology and rock art, and contains a wide variety of plant and animal life.

For highly experienced scuba divers, there is a system of deep underwater caves that can be accessed. The dive includes exotic gas mixes, pre-placement of gas cylinders, and extensive decompression times at depth. These caves are considered extremely hazardous and should not be attempted by anyone without extensive training and preparation.

Administrative history

The site was administered under a cooperative agreement with the International Boundary and Water Commission as Amistad Recreation Area, November 11, 1965. It was authorized as a National Recreation Area

National Recreation Area

National Recreation Area is a designation for a protected area in the United States, often centered on large reservoirs and emphasizing water-based recreation for a large number of people. The first National Recreation Area was the Boulder Dam Recreation Area...

on November 28, 1990.

External links

• Official NPS site: Amistad National Recreation Area