New Mexico whitewater - Rio Chama, San Juan Mountains, Rio Arriba County
Rio Arriba
county,
Chama to Los Ojos section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.
CLASS I-II 15 miles
The nature scenery of Rio Arriba County and the cool fresh water make the trip here worthwhile. The average New Mexico whitewater rafting or kayaking river tends to be a bit easier to master than those in other states, so if you're not from around here don't forget that many of the rivers here are not very demanding. This is not the only paddling stretch in this river system, there are others too. Not too many hotels nearby, you'll have to drive a bit to get to one, and if you make reservations in advance you're all set. This section of Rio Chama is
15 miles long and is rated by American Whitewater as a class I-II section. No matter if you're whitewater rafting or kayaking there are lots of good spots for that around here. There's camping available near Rio Chama. The wild scenery of the San Juan Mountains is great. A bit
of exercise and spending some quality time in nature are great attractions for lots of people. If you hurry you can run this section in a day but why not make it an overnighter, so pack your camp stove.
Briefly about the general area: Through the summer at Rio Chama temperatures are generally in the 80's. Once the sun is down it dips down to the 40's. High temperatures all through the winter are normally in the 30's, and overnight lows throughout the wintertime for Rio Chama tend to be in the 0's. Around Rio Chama you don’t get a lot of rain; most of the rain falls all through August; May on the other hand is the driest.
29 miles away
Pronounced Hick-ah-REE-ya, the Best Western Jicarilla Inn and Casino is located on the Jicarilla Apache Reservation in the beautiful Rocky Mountains, surrounded by fabulous scenery, streams, mountains...
38 miles away
The Holiday Inn Express Pagosa Springs offers guest rooms with either one king or two queen beds; Inside corridor; Every room has a 25' color TV, coffee maker, hair dryer, iron and ironing board; 4...
39 miles away
Newly renovated formerly Best Western hotel in the heart of Pagosa Springs full service with a country charm with lots of fresh mountain air and friendly staff to service your needs for a wonderful st...
San Juan Mountains Whitewater Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the San Juan Mountains.
All New Mexico Whitewater Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in New Mexico.Books about whitewater paddling on Rio Chama, New Mexico List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Rio Chama, New Mexico.Find a whitewater outfitter in New MexicoWhitewater Basics If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.Outdoors Recreation Near Espanola, New Mexico Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Espanola, New Mexico, the metro area neareast to Rio Chama. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
These outdoors activities are available near Rio Chama.