Rio Chama Float trip fundraiser Event
Make your dollar make a difference by joining our annual NMWA and Far Flung Adventures cooperative river trip.
The Rio Chama in Northern New Mexico is America’s Newest Wild and Scenic River. This 8 mile stretch begins beneath a secluded Benedictine Abbey and ends just above Abiquiu Reservoir, where this silty desert river rolls to a halt among the rainbow cliffs of this remote four-corners location.
Itinerary
We meet at 9:00 AM at Ghost Ranch, 15 miles north of Abiquiu, New Mexico on US Highway 84 at mile marker 227. After a 45 minute drive along multi-hued sandstone cliffs we will launch near the Christ in the Desert Monastery. We encounter our first rapid, Meandering, followed by a lively whitewater run (Class II) consisting of Skull Bridge and Gauging Station, into the headwaters of Abiquiu Lake. Taking out at mid-afternoon, enables us to return you to your vehicles around 5 pm
Lower Gorge Float trip fundraiser Event
Make your dollar make a difference by joining our annual NMWA and Far Flung Adventures cooperative river trip.
The Lower Gorge area of the Rio Grande south of Taos is a family favorite in northern New Mexico. Enjoy a morning spent calmly floating the beautiful Orilla Verde Scenic Float section and then after a tasty riverside lunch head downstream into the fun and splashy class III rapids of the Racecourse section. For those who want to spice this trip up a little, choose to paddle your own inflatable kayak during the online checkout process!
Itinerary
Meet your guides at 8:15am at the Pilar Yatch Club and shuttle upstream to our launch point in the Orilla Verde Recreation Area. Our morning is spent rafting down the Rio Grande through the volcanic canyon, with just a couple of easy rapids. The river mellows as we pass through Pilar, where we will observe a quiet zone to minimize our impact on this small historic New Mexican community. At noon we’ll provide a delicious riverside lunch, including an array of hand-roasted sandwich meats and homemade salads and salsas.
In the afternoon, the river plunges into the Racecourse, a section of intense whitewater, with rapids named: Albert’s Falls, Herringbone, Narrows, Big Rock, and Sousehole (Class II-III +, depending on water level). At “Sousehole”, photographers will capture our splashy descent (link to Southern Exposure). We will take out at County Line Recreation Area and return you to your car by 3:00-4:00pm.
