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New Mexico
Rio Vallecitos
No verdict for this water
We won't guess. Here is exactly what we do and don't know.
What we do know
Inside Carson National Forest
2 managing-area boundaries mapped — agency alerts for them feed this page automatically.
Boundary data
What's missing
No access route mapped
We don't yet know which road reaches this trailhead, so we can't tell you if it's gated.
Nobody's filed a report here yet — be the first.
Why you'll love it
River facts
- Water
- Seasonal — can run dry
- Average flow
- 35 cfs
- Average current
- 1.5 ft/s
- Gradient
- 92.3 ft/mi
- Drainage area
- 190 sq mi
Long-term averages modeled by USGS (NHDPlus HR), not today's conditions. Check a gauge before you go.
Here's your day on the water, mapped
Rio Vallecitos
AI-suggested draft · review before you go
Photos
Directions & GPX
Permits & access
- Managing agency
- Forest Service
About this water
Rio Vallecitos is a 33-mile paddling stretch near Vallecitos, New Mexico. It is intermittent and may run dry in some seasons. USGS models an average flow of about 35 cfs and a gradient of about 92.3 feet per mile. Land along it is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
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Keep exploring — more water worth the drive
Photo: Carptrash, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Embudo Creek
~55 min drive
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Lone Juniper Boat Takeout
~47 min drive
Lone Juniper Boat Takeout is a boat launch in New Mexico.
Photo: Billy Hathorn at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Red River
~1h 3m drive
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Taos Junction Bridge Boat Launch
~48 min drive
Taos Junction Bridge Boat Launch is a boat launch in New Mexico.
Photo: Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)Rio Chama
~1h 4m drive
Rio Chama is a 12-mile paddling stretch near Chama, New Mexico. It is intermittent and may run dry in some seasons. USGS models an average flow of about 537 cfs and a gradient of about 101.4 feet per mile.
Big Eddy Access
~50 min drive
Big Eddy Access is a boat launch in New Mexico.
Photo: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Santa Cruz River
~1h 9m drive
Santa Cruz River is a 9.2-mile paddling stretch near La Puebla, New Mexico. It is intermittent and may run dry in some seasons. USGS models an average flow of about 34 cfs and a gradient of about 70.2 feet per mile. Land along it is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Photo: JustTooLazy, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Conejos River
~1h 16m drive
Conejos River is a 14-mile paddling stretch near La Jara, Colorado. It flows year-round. USGS models an average flow of about 395 cfs and a gradient of about 31.3 feet per mile. Land along it is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Photo: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Costilla Creek
~1h 21m drive
Costilla Creek is a 53-mile paddling stretch near Amalia, New Mexico. It is intermittent and may run dry in some seasons. USGS models an average flow of about 70 cfs and a gradient of about 55.7 feet per mile.
Rio Ojo Caliente
~29 min drive
Rio Ojo Caliente is a 11-mile paddling stretch near La Madera, New Mexico. It is intermittent and may run dry in some seasons. USGS models an average flow of about 74 cfs and a gradient of about 37.0 feet per mile. Land along it is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
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