Explore Outdoor Activities: Rafting and Kayaking

Rafting Season runs late April through parts of September with high water typically running in May and June.

Ever gone swimming in the washing machine when it was spewing out sudsy water? How about sitting in a boat through a car wash? That's the problem with trying to describe the froth and mayhem of paddling down whitewater rivers to someone who hasn't experienced the real thing. It's like trying to describe a river that is the real thing, a 16-mile stretch of the Rio Grande through what's known as the Taos Box near Taos, New Mexico.

It's called “The Box” because of the steep walls that make the canyon nearly impassable without a raft. If you leave something at home or back at the motel, or even at the put-in, forget it.

Born and raised in New Mexico, I’ve rafted the Rio Grande, climbed most of the big peaks, and have fished almost every inch of running water that is open to the public. At an early age, I was taught that our state is the fifth largest in the nation and that our state bird is the roadrunner. I pride myself on my knowledge of my homeland, which is why I was floored to learn that there are more than 1,200 lakes speckled across its high desert expanse. New Mexico may not be Minnesota, but think of all the canoes and kayaks one could float on all that agua, the hours upon hours you could pass jet skiing, windsurfing, or sailing, or how many spectacular wrecks you could execute on your water skis. On top of all that, imagine all the fabulous fishing and the miles of gorgeous shorelines on which to lay a campsite.

If the water flows, they will come. That twist on a “Field of Dreams” cliché held true along northern sections of the Rio Grande this summer, where rafting companies have had a bustling season.

In a normal year, the majority of New Mexico’s land surface receives from 5 to 15 inches of precipitation. The rest of the state gets less than that. These two basic facts are why people who need a lot of water in their lives have difficulty surviving in our state, even if they want to. Such folks would do well, in my opinion, to sit down with one of our state’s many whitewater enthusiasts and talk about their water insecurities; maybe an actual rafting trip would help as well. These desert-phobes might be surprised at how easy it can be in this parched ecosystem to keep water in their lives, and in their ears, nose, eyes, clothes, and pretty much anything they might otherwise want to keep dry.

PILAR — The Rio Grande’s Racecourse section is getting rowdy. But its wildest rapid, Souse Hole, is just getting started.

“This is a guide’s favorite time of year,” said Neil Oberheide, a guide for New Wave Rafting, on a Memorial Day trip near the Taos County line. “We’re just as excited as you are.”

The reason the guides get excited each year at this time is the big water that spring normally brings. In an ordinary year, that means peak flows of around 3,500 cubic feet per second on the Rio Grande. But this is no ordinary year, with record-setting runoff resulting in unusually brisk flows.