Gauge Description:

Low:	150 - 250 cfs
Med	250 - 400 cfs
High	400 cfs and up

This is one of those runs where inches of difference on the gauge
equates to feet of difference in the water level in the gorges.

The run gets progressivly better up to 3.3 (the ideal level); Above that it bets progressivly scarier and HUGE!

At low water (<3.0) this is a bony Class IV/V run.
At medium (3.0-3.3) it gets harder/pushier and rates a solid Class V. This is the best level for the Lower Gorge.
At high water (>3.4) this run changes character considerably and becomes a solid V+ that should be attempted only by those who are familiar with the run. The flush drowning risk is extreme. It is advisable to not run the lower gorge at high flows. Everything has been run up to about 4.6, a truly mind-bending sick level.

At all levels, keep in mind that this is a remote gorge with little-to-no chance of escape if things go wrong!

Embudo Creek/Dixon [ NM ]

Current Conditions Stage Flow Updated 2.33 41 7/25 11:45 Station Graphs

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Level Legend:

Running

Below Minimum Recommended Flow

Above Maximum Recommended Flow

Unknown

Descriptions of reaches with River Name in bold have been verified by a regional StreamTeam member.

State	River Name/Section	Class	Level	Rel. Level	Updated
NM	Rio Embudo— Near Rio Lucio to Hwy 75	IV-V(V+)	2.33 Feet	low	7/25 11:45

Station Description

AW Gauge ID:	4074
USGS Station:	08279000
HUC:	13020101
Latitude:	36.2108
Longitude:	-105.9131
Class:	3

Colorado Rivers & Creeks II
$33.00

Put-In (Class III, Mile 0.0)
There is about a 1/4 mile hike down to the river. You will have 2 miles of Class II to warm up on before the rapids. If you have a lot of water in this section you are in for a big day!

Class III (Class III, Mile 2.0)
From this point to the bottom of Long Rapid there will be no pools or even a slight pause in the rapids. It will just get exponentially steeper...

Class IV (Class IV, Mile 2.3)
Fast Class IV will last for about 1/4 mile.

Long Rapid (Class 5.0, Mile 2.5)
This is one of those aptly named rapids. The start of the rapid is very ambiguous, essentially at some point you will have noticed the continuous Class IV just got a hell of a lot burlier! About a mile of non-stop Class V later you will come to something resembling a pool, this could be considered the end of Long Rapid. This is the deepest part of the Embudo Gorge, if you swim here you are SCREWED!

CheeseGrater Falls (Class 5.0, Mile 3.5)
This is an impressive rapid, distinctly steeper than anything else in the upper gorge. However, of the big rapids I would rate this one the easiest. It starts off with a nice boof at the entrance, then power left to miss an undercut, then a left to right move as you lose some elevation.

MJ Falls (Class 5.0, Mile 3.6)
You can almost see MJ Falls from CheeseGrater Falls, they are seperated by about 3 rapids. MJ has a pushy twisting entrance with a stout hole at the bottom.

Rio De Las Trampas
The Rio De Las Trampas (River of the Traps) carves a small side canyon into the upper gorge river left just after MJ. Keep your eyes peeled, blink and you'll miss it. There is a waterfall 50 feet from the river that is worth a stop to check out. If this trib is cranking expect the rapids to be jucier downstream.

Carnival Rapid (Class 5.0, Mile 4.0)
The last drop of the upper gorge is a twisting rapid that takes advantage of boaters exhausted from the hard paddling above and takes them for a ride they won’t forget! Boof hard left at the entrance, then boogie right to miss a big overhanging f-u rock.

Class III (Class III, Mile 4.1)
There is a mellow ½ mile of Class III between the upper and lower gorges. If you’re in over your head, or if the level is greater than 3.4, it’s highly advisable that you retreat up one of the gullies on river left in this mellow section. The best gulch is an obvious notch, located where the river takes a right turn. The hike out is very easy.

The S-Turns (Class 5.0, Mile 4.5)
The lower gorge starts off with Pinball and Slamdance, these rapids are stacked right on top of each other and have severe zigzagging lines. The last drop in Slamdance is a perfectly formed river wide hydraulic. At high water this rapid will blend in with Slots of Fun and Taco Garden into a giant mile long V++ monstrosity.

Slots of Fun (Class 5.0, Mile 4.6)
Slots is the poster boy of the “funnel river”. There are about 5 distinct Class V drops flowing headlong into the next, with each one bigger than the last, culminating in a completely boxed in 15 footer. The 15 footer is super bony, not reccommended to run it below 3.0. This rapid is extremely difficult to portage. It can be portaged in its entirety on river right, however I refer to this as the "pure misery" portage. The only other option is to portage halfway down on the left, do a death ferry, and finish on the right. With the exception of the death ferry, this is a much easier portage!

Taco Garden (Class 5.0, Mile 4.7)
At the bottom of Slots of Fun the gorge opens up and the river bed gets wide and shallow but the gradient keeps crankin’ right along for another ½ mile. This section was named Taco Garden back in the day of long pointy boats, but these days pinning and folding your boat is a lot harder!

the Takeout (Class III, Mile 5.0)
This is the arroyo takeout, the Hwy 75 bridge is about 2 miles downstream.