Rio Grande: Lower Gorge (Orilla Verde), New Mexico

An exciting Memorial weekend trip in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument and Recreation Area for a maximum of 15 boaters with solid class II boating skills.

Tentative itinerary:

Friday arrive and make camp at designated pavilion, scout the river, There are also lots of riverside recreation to do throughout the weekend including hiking, biking, fishing, swimming, geology, bird watching, climbing, and rock art exploring

Saturday, paddle the Orilla Verde Section class II about 6.5 miles of paddling(1/2 day); and take the rest of the day off to hike, boat, bike, sleep, etc. Merlin will likely lead the Racecourse, class III-IV in the afternoon for any play boaters about 4.5 miles

Sunday run the Bosque class II section about 6.8 miles(1 day) with a downriver restaurant/takeout location.

Monday, Campground checkout at 10 am.

Camp: We plan on camping at the Rio Bravo Campground where showers and RV hook-ups are available (arrange with camp host). Fees include cost of group campsite, pavilion, and various vehicle fees to park along the river

Trip Coordinators: If you are interested in this trip please contact Trip Coordinators Doug Hurcomb (Golden) at dhurcomb@msn.com or 303 809-7889, or Merlin Wheeler (Pagosa Springs) at corivers@centurytel.net or 970 903-1931