New Mexico whitewater - Rio Chama, San Juan Mountains, Rio Arriba County

Rio Arriba county, Los Ojos to El Vado Lake section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS I-III     15 miles
  The rivers for whitewater rafting and kayaking in this state are often easier than in other states, so you'd better keep in mind that rivers here are less demanding. The beautiful scenery of New Mexico and the water flowing gracefully down Rio Chama are reasons enough to come here and paddle. Some people prefer whitewater rafting and some kayaking, either way this is an area with plenty of rivers for that. You might have to settle for a hotel a bit away from the river if you want to stay the night, but you'd better reserve in advance because these hotels
    fill up quick. Getting a good workout and spending some quality time in nature are sure to keep you coming back for more. When you're paddling down a San Juan Mountains river like this one you always get great scenery along the way too. There are so many stretches to paddle in
this river system, the Los Ojos to El Vado Lake stretch is just one of many. This stretch of Rio Chama in New Mexico is 15 miles long and it is classified as a class I-III section by American Whitewater. For all you camping people there are campgrounds nearby. This section has enough mileage for an overnight trip, so why not pack your camping stuff too.

Briefly about the general area:
All through the months of summer highs here at Rio Chama reach the 80's with overnight lows in the 40's. For the period of the winter the highs are typically
 
in the 30's, and nighttime lows in the 0's for Rio Chama.
Rio Chama gets very little rainfall; through August this area sees the most rain, and May meanwhile is the driest month.

Rio Chama, Los Ojos to El Vado Lake road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: I-III
Length: 15 miles
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 36.73781
Longitude: -106.57625

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 36.64975
Longitude: -106.74331

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Current weather conditions at Rio Chama, San Juan Mountains, New Mexico
WXPort

Local climate location: CHAMA 22 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Best Western Jicarilla Inn, Dulce
26 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...

Holiday Inn Express Pagosa Springs, Co, Pagosa Springs
39 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...

Oak Ridge Lodge, Pagosa Springs
40 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...



OTHER_INFO
  San Juan Mountains Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the San Juan Mountains.

San Juan Mountains Outdoors Info
Complete outdoors info for 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 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.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Rio Chama.
 Whitewater Near Rio Chama:
Rio Chama, Rio Arriba County , 8 miles away, Class I-II - 15 miles long (Chama to Los Ojos)
Rio de los Brazos, Rio Arriba County , 10 miles away, Class I-III - 9 miles long (Corkins Lodge to confluence with Rio Chama)
Rio Chama, Rio Arriba County , 14 miles away, Class I-III - 33 miles long (El Vado Lake to Abiquiu Reservoir)
Rio Brazos, Rio Arriba Co. County , 18 miles away, Class V+ - 14.5 miles long (above Corkins Lodge)
Rio Chama, Rio Arriba County , 20 miles away, Class II-III - 7 miles long (Monastary to Big Eddy)
Navajo River, Rio Arriba County , 26 miles away, Class II - 20 miles long (Chromo Colorado to Colorado Border)
Navajo River, Rio Arriba (NM) / Archuleta County , 30 miles away, Class I-II - 25 miles long (Lower 25 miles to San Juan confluence)
 Ski Areas Near Rio Chama:
Wolf Creek, Colorado , 44 miles away, 1604 vertical feet
Pajarito Mountain, New Mexico , 48 miles away, 1410 vertical feet
Ski Santa Fe, New Mexico , 77 miles away, 1703 vertical feet
Sipapu Ski, New Mexico , 82 miles away, 1055 vertical feet
Taos, New Mexico , 84 miles away, 2612 vertical feet
Sandia Peak, New Mexico , 84 miles away, 1700 vertical feet
Ski Rio, New Mexico , 84 miles away, 2150 vertical feet
Red River, New Mexico , 86 miles away, 1600 vertical feet
Kendall Mountain, Colorado , 92 miles away, 400 vertical feet
Silverton, Colorado , 92 miles away, 3000 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Rio Chama:
Best Western Jicarilla Inn, Dulce , 26 miles away
Holiday Inn Express Pagosa Springs, Co, Pagosa Springs , 39 miles away
Oak Ridge Lodge, Pagosa Springs , 40 miles away
The Abiquiu Inn, Abiquiu , 40 miles away
Pagosa Lodge, Pagosa Springs , 42 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Rio Chama:
Herron Store, Los Ojos, 7 miles away
Stone House Lodge, Los Ojos, 7 miles away
Twin Rivers Trailer Park, Chama, 11 miles away
 Trails Near Rio Chama:
Hart Trail, Rio Arriba County , 13 miles away
 National Parks Near Rio Chama:
Bandelier National Monument, Los Alamos - NM , 53 miles away
Santa Fe National Historic Trail, Santa Fe - NM , 67 miles away
 Lakes Near Rio Chama

Outdoors related information copyright © Stratus-Pikpuk, Inc. - Detailed hotel information copyright © Interactive Hotel Solutions
Some content, including Reach Name, Class, and Length, comes from American Whitewater