Paddling near Santa Fe, NM

Set in Santa Fe County at the edge of the Santa Fe National Forest, this high-desert city sits within reach of northern New Mexico's best paddling. The Rio Grande and Rio Chama — both managed under federal Wild & Scenic protections — draw whitewater paddlers to runs like the Taos Box and the multi-day Chama wilderness float, while Cochiti Lake, roughly 20 miles southwest, offers the closest flatwater. Nearly all of these waters run on melting mountain snowpack.