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. Rio Chama, El Vado Lake to Abiquiu Reservoir road map Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked. QUICK STATS AW Class: I-III Length: 33 miles    Putin Location Coordinates: Latitude: 36.58217 Longitude: -106.72826 Takeout Location Coordinates: Latitude: 36.31215 Longitude: -106.5822 Paddler input for Rio Chama, New Mexico: Submit Input: Your Name: Write or Paste Input here: Upload picture:      Input Submission Guidelines Current weather conditions at Rio Chama, San Juan and Jemez Mountains, New Mexico Local climate location: EL VADO DAM 15 miles away RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river. The Abiquiu Inn, Abiquiu 22 miles away Beautiful 19-room Inn located in tranquil Chama River Valley setting. Guest rooms- suites- and casitas feature stunning Southwestern decor and luxurious beds with pillow-top mattresses. Many rooms wit... Branding Iron Motel, Chama 25 miles away The Branding Iron is centrally located in the scenic Chama Valley just 3/4 mile from the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railway. Each of our spacious immaculate guest rooms offers in-room coffee service- ... Best Western Jicarilla Inn, Dulce 36 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...   San Juan and Jemez Mountains Whitewater Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the San Juan and Jemez Mountains. San Juan and Jemez Mountains Outdoors Info Complete outdoors info for the San Juan and Jemez 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 Mexico Whitewater 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.   Whitewater Near Rio Chama: Rio Chama, Rio Arriba County , 6 miles away, Class II-III - 7 miles long (Monastary to Big Eddy) Rio Chama, Rio Arriba County , 14 miles away, Class I-III - 15 miles long (Los Ojos to El Vado Lake) Rio de los Brazos, Rio Arriba County , 18 miles away, Class I-III - 9 miles long (Corkins Lodge to confluence with Rio Chama) Rio Chama, Rio Arriba County , 21 miles away, Class I-II - 15 miles long (Chama to Los Ojos) Rio Brazos, Rio Arriba Co. County , 26 miles away, Class V+ - 14.5 miles long (above Corkins Lodge)   Ski Areas Near Rio Chama: Pajarito Mountain, New Mexico , 36 miles away, 1410 vertical feet Wolf Creek, Colorado , 58 miles away, 1604 vertical feet Ski Santa Fe, New Mexico , 69 miles away, 1703 vertical feet Sandia Peak, New Mexico , 71 miles away, 1700 vertical feet Sipapu Ski, New Mexico , 78 miles away, 1055 vertical feet Taos, New Mexico , 84 miles away, 2612 vertical feet Ski Rio, New Mexico , 86 miles away, 2150 vertical feet Red River, New Mexico , 87 miles away, 1600 vertical feet Angel Fire, New Mexico , 96 miles away, 2077 vertical feet Silverton, Colorado , 102 miles away, 3000 vertical feet   Hotels Near Rio Chama: The Abiquiu Inn, Abiquiu , 22 miles away Branding Iron Motel, Chama , 25 miles away Best Western Jicarilla Inn, Dulce , 36 miles away Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Los Alamos, Nm, Los Alamos , 40 miles away Ashley Hotel and Suites, Los Alamos , 40 miles away   Camp Grounds Near Rio Chama: Echo Campground, Rio Arriba County, 10 miles away Herron Store, Los Ojos, 17 miles away Stone House Lodge, Los Ojos, 17 miles away   Trails Near Rio Chama: Hart Trail, Rio Arriba County , 3 miles away Encino Trail, Rio Arriba County , 18 miles away San Pedro Parks Trail, Rio Arriba County , 19 miles away   National Parks Near Rio Chama: Bandelier National Monument, Los Alamos - NM , 42 miles away Santa Fe National Historic Trail, Santa Fe - NM , 58 miles away