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 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 Mountains, New Mexico 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...   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.       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