Tuff Canyon is a relatively small canyon carved by Blue Creek as it drains from the Chisos Mountains into the Rio Grande.

You can see part of the Chisos Mountains in the background at right.

There are a couple man-made observation decks that extend over Tuff Canyon.

First you walk along the canyon rim; then you can hike down into the canyon itself.  Also notice on the right edge of the photo the large slot in the cliff that is Santa Elena Canyon. 

Tuff is ash from a volcanic eruption so violent that it pulverizes the molten rock and lava into a fine ash.  The heat and additional layers of rock compress the ash into a soft rock called “tuff” that is easily eroded by even a small creek.

Tuff Canyon is only about 100 feet deep.

But oh what a grand little canyon it is!

Timm stands next to a boulder created by a harder volcanic rock, which doesn’t erode as easily as the tuff that once surrounded it.

Look at the size of those boulders above Theresa’s head!

Theresa wanted to hike out the other end of the canyon, but the wall she encountered was a bit too steep to climb without equipment.  Meanwhile, I took the relatively easy way out and climbed up the edge of the canyon.

Tuff Canyon: The Video

Theresa walks back to our car toward Carro Castellan, a pretty mesa that rises 800 feet above the road.

Next: Santa Elena Canyon >>