River rafters are headed to the Rio Grande River near Taos to go rafting in the high water resulting from an unusually heavy snowmelt this year.
“We’re busier this time of year than we’ve been in quite a few years,” Cisco Guevara, the owner of Los Rios River Runners told KRQE News. “There’s a lot of excitement. People are aware of the amount of water that’s up in the mountains that’s starting to come down. It’s getting higher every single day.”
The higher water from the snowmelt has made it a busier season for Guevara. His company operates rides through the Chama River and the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande normally has more white-water rafting, Guevara said.
“This is the time that people are very excited about rafting because high water is way (more) fun,” Guevara said. “All rafting is fun -- even low water -- but high water is way (more) fun. It’s a lot more exciting.”
Guevara said his guides and their boats raft down the river quicker in Taos due to stronger running water. According to KRQE News, the U.S. Geological River Gauge said the Rio Grande reached over 6 feet high last weekend near Taos and reached more than 2,600 cubic feet per second.
“The snowpack is way above average and there’s a lot of it,” Guevara said. “More importantly, it’s staying really cold at night, which is saving it to melt later, which is exactly what us river rafters want.”
The Bureau of Reclamation in Albuquerque said that based on current water levels, it’s unlikely the Rio Grande will go dry as it did in 2022. That’s good news for the rafters.
“I don’t get to run this stretch a whole lot, and it’s usually not worth it to me to even come out and make the effort, but in this case, it definitely is,” rafter Yates Sanford told KRQE News.