Rio Chama,

3. Los Ojos to El Vado Lake

Usual Difficulty	I-III (may vary with level)
Length	15 Miles

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
RIO CHAMA NEAR LA PUENTE, NM
usgs-08284100	400 - 4000 cfs	I-III	14h05m	59 cfs (rc= -0.1 )

River Description

This is a great run. The river goes through a nice canyon and there are no roads or river access for much of it. There are many huge boulders in the river channel and some great play along the way. There is a tricky put in in the town of La Puente but I recommend puting in at the NM 95 bridge as there is better parking and less chance of trouble in a VERY tiny town..... The take out is at a boat launch on the north end of El Vado Reservoir and comes after a LONG flat water paddle out. I would recommend taking out at a fishing access point (under the footbridge) and following a steep but relatively short path up the canyon wall. This take out is just upstream of the Heron Reservoir Dam. You really don't miss much from the alternate take out to the "official" one except some boring flatwater. The shuttle route is rather strange. You start on one side of the river and make a U-turn over it and come down on the other side to reach the takeout. For information, see New Mexico Whitewater, by NM State Parks, & Rivers of the SW, by Fletcher Anderson.