This page features photos and videos from a wilderness rafting trip on the Rio Chama in northern New Mexico.
The Rio Chama is a major tributary of the Rio Grande and begins in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado.
Running for about 120 miles, the Rio Chama includes a 31-mile stretch that is protected as a Wild and Scenic River. The photos and videos on this page are from a three-day wilderness rafting trip down the Wild and Scenic portion of the Rio Chama, starting just below El Vado Dam and ending upstream from Abiquiu Lake.
Flows of the Rio Chama have been augmented by transmountain diversions that transport water from the San Juan River, part of the Colorado River Basin, into the Rio Grande Basin. The San Juan-Chama Project, built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from 1951 to 1976, provides irrigation water for 92,479 acres and helps supply water to Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
| Date | May 29-31, 2023 |
| Location | Rio Chama, New Mexico (map) |
| Credit | Mitch Tobin/The Water Desk |
| Rights | Free to reuse under Creative Commons license. |
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