Rio Chama

The Rio Chama is a major tributary of the Rio Grande. Because of the San Juan-Chama Project, a trans-basin diversion, the Rio Chama often supplies more water to irrigators in the Rio Grande valley than the Rio Grande does late in the season. The Rio Chama below El Vado Dam has a "wild and scenic river" designation. It cuts an impressive gorge through Mesozoic rocks.

For more details, see our guidebook: "The Rio Chama A River Guide to the Geology and Landscapes" by Paul W. Bauer, Matthew Zimmerer, J. Michael Timmons, Brigitte Felix, and Steve Harris, 2021.