Rio Chama

This run sucks. The best put in is immediately below the dam, right next to the signs that say 'NO ACTIVITY HERE' in big letters. We did and nobody bothered us. There is a small rock dam about 500 yds downstream, followed by a low head dam/gaging station, GO RIGHT for the boaters chute. Just below this is a SOLID fence (read: large, square blocks with fencing both inside and between each other) that is strung across the river, portage right. The river wanders around for a 1/4 of a mile- go left in the split for some class II- and then it pours over a scary river-wide rock dam that diverts water off to a canal on river left. Below here there is maybe a quarter mile of spaced out class II+, another large split, and then that's it for the 'canyon', the river then meanders through the open fields for the remainder of the run. There are a couple of small class II's in this stretch, a good amount of fast, moving water, and one smaller irrigation drop before you cross the road, takeout on the RIVER RIGHT side of the US 84 bridge. This is a fishermen-heavy stretch, so expect some hostility if you see any of them. All in all, save your energy and go run the Rio Ojo Caliente, the Rio Chama, or the Rio Grande, as this is one star at best!