Rio Grande, New Mexico, US |
|
| Usual Difficulty | V (for normal flows) |
|---|---|
| Length | 6 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient | 69 fpm |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIO GRANDE NEAR CERRO, NM | ||||
| usgs-08263500 | 300 - 3000 cfs | V | 01h25m | 299 cfs (rc= -0.0 ) |
The one major thing you have to watch out for on this run are the sieves, they are everywhere! Some are much worse than others. Don't be fooled by the gradient. This river is the definition of pool-drop and doesn't waste any of its' gradient on easy rapids in between the big rapids. In general the rapids are long technical boulder gardens with lots of sieves. The riverbed is composed of large angular basalt rocks that have fallen from the cliffs above. Keep in mind that this is not Gore Canyon, keep the playboat at home! In fact, this run is always a good solid grade higher in difficulty that Gore at similar levels. The 3 mandatory scouts are NCO, Hell Hole, and Big Arsenic. These rapids have big drops at the entrance, and currents that push hard into sieves below. Swimming is not recommended! Fortunately there is ample opportunity to scout and portage as the cliffs are located high up on the rim, not at river level.
For many the run is defined by the takeout. You have 2 less than appealing options. You can float out on 9 miles of flat water, or take a 45 minute hike to the rim at Little Arsenic Trail. Although the Little Arsenic takeout is by far preferred, it does climb 750 feet up in .8 miles. The best camping is at the end of the takeout trail.
The reaches of the Taos Box area are...
Ute Mountain (Class II),
Razors (Class III/IV),
Upper Box (Class V/V+),
Lower Box (Class III/IV),
Pilar (Class III/IV),
Otowi Bridge (Class III),
Red River (Class IV),
Rio Pueblo (Class V+), and
Rio Embudo (Class V+).
800cfs to 1500cfs is V
Greater than 1500cfs is V+ 1500 to 2000 is generally considered the most dangerous level as the rapids are very pushy with big holes, but the sieves haven't been covered up yet. Above 2000 the holes and waves are huge, but the sieve factor becomes non-existant
This reach gets dam release water from Colorado, which uses up most of it. The river will often start running in March or April and shut off just when it starts to get to a good level. Only in big snow years will there be a lot of water in here
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIO GRANDE NEAR CERRO, NM | ||||||||||||
| usgs-08263500 | 300 - 3000 cfs | V | 01h25m | 299 cfs (rc= -0.0 ) | ||||||||
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| When | River/Gauge | Subject | Level | Reporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1y20d12h38m | /Rio Grande-3-Chiflo Campground to Little Arsenic Trail [NM] |
January Box
|
low runnable level | Lee Timmons |
| 7y327d12h38m | Rio Grande [NM] |
Pleasure Plunge
|
700cfs low | Brian Adkins |
| 7y334d12h38m | Rio Grande [NM] |
Room of Doom
|
500cfs low | Brian Adkins |
| 7y335d12h38m | Rio Grande [NM] |
Little Arsenic Rapid
|
500cfs (low) | Brian Adkins |
| 7y345d12h38m | Rio Grande [NM] |
Hell Hole Sieve
|
500cfs | Brian Adkins |
| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | put-in | IV |  |
| 1.5 | Powerline Rapid | IV+ | |
| 2.0 | NCO | 5.0 |   |
| 2.3 | Hell Hole | 5.1 | |
| 2.5 | Long Rapid | 5.0 | |
| 3.5 | Pleasure Plunge | IV+ | |
| 4.0 | The Great Calm | I | |
| 4.5 | Boulder Fan Rapid | 5.0 | |
| 4.8 | Freight Train | IV+ | |
| 5.0 | Big Arsenic Rapid | 5.1 | |
| 5.5 | Little Arsenic Rapid | 5.0 | |
| 5.8 | Little Arsenic Rapid Junior | 5.0 | |
| 6.0 | Take-out | III |  |
NCO Brian
Hell Hole
Pleasure Plunge
Little Arsenic Rapid
Room of Doom reach
state
reachlink
3. Chiflo Campground to Little Arsenic Trail, Rio Grande New Mexico, US (mobile)
User Comments
The comments about the sieves are correct. They are everywhere! Plan for a full day on the river.
Scouting, setting safety, and portaging can be time consuming due the nature of the terrain. Took
us about 6 hours (excluding hike in/out) to run the river portaging NCO, Hell Hole, Big Arsenic and
setting safety at Boulder Fan. It is possible to take out on the left immediately after Little
Arsenic. A well worn trail is 50ft from the river bank. It adds an extra 0.3 of a mile to the hike.
I recommend skipping Little Arsenic as it is a somewhat junky rapid, setting safety is difficult,
sieves are everywhere, and it really difficult to find a safe line through it. It was stomping at
600cfs. I prefer to takeout at Big Arsenic as the trail is somewhat better it will skip the LIttle
Arsenic junk show / sieve dodging action. Some comments / Opinion<br>
1.) It is possible to put in at Bear Crossing, the trail is steeper and you will miss the class III
warm up section. I don't recommend it. 2.) NOC and Hell Hole, scout, portage left. 3.) Boulder Fan,
scout left. Might be a good idea to set safety 2/3's of the way down on river left hand side by the
obvious sieve. Possible to portage on the left but, hike is brutal and takes a lot of time. 4.) Big
Arsenic portage right above the big boulder on the screen field. Easiest portage on the river if
done correctly. 5.) Little Arsenic, ran this on river right mostly. Eddied out and portaged the
tail end of the rapid as it really starts to sieve out near the end. It is possible to take out
after sometime after Little Arsenic on river left and follow a trail to the trailhead for the
Little Arsenic / recommend take out. 6.) Wear long pants as Poison Ivy is everywhere!