New Mexico whitewater - Rio Chama, San Juan and Jemez Mountains, Rio Arriba County
Rio Arriba
county,
El Vado Lake to Abiquiu Reservoir section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.
CLASS I-III 33 miles
The wonderful New Mexico scenery and the beautiful way the water current moves down the stream are reasons enough to come here and paddle. The sections for whitewater rafting and kayaking here in New Mexico are often more forgiving than in other states, so if you're visiting here do keep in mind that a large number of rivers in this state are quite easy. If you're a camper you can camp at one of the great campgrounds nearby. There aren’t any hotels right nearby but if you're willing to drive a short distance then no problem and if you make reservations
in advance you're all set. Getting some good exercise and just being out on the river for a while will make you glad you came. Now this is a pretty long section, so it looks like you will be camping out. Since you're on this site you are probably into whitewater rafting or kayaking,
either way there are not so many other good spots for that around here. The put-in location is a reasonable drive from Espanola, if you're not familiar with the area there's a road map further down the page. Whitewater paddling here in the San Juan and Jemez Mountains is a great experience. This river system is full of great paddling sections, the El Vado Lake to Abiquiu Reservoir section is just one of them. This stretch of Rio Chama in Rio Arriba County is 33 miles long and is a class I-III section of whitewater according to American Whitewater.
Briefly
about the general area: Rio Chama gets very little rain; the month of August is the wettest with most of the rain, and April on the other hand is the driest. Nearby Long Canyon is a magnificent place to go if you're at Rio Chama, and Rio Chama is right by the Hart Trail.
You'll in fact wish for more hours in a day to enjoy all the entertaining stuff in the San Juan and Jemez Mountains. Summer at Rio Chama comes with high temperatures in the 80's. For the period of the moonlight hours it's typically in the 40's. For the period of the winter the highs are usually in the 30's, and after the sun is down throughout the wintertime temperatures at Rio Chama drop into the 0's.
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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.