Trail Overview

Chama Canyon is an incredibly scenic trail that skirts the Chama River while being nestled amongst colorful cliffs. The entire area has several points of interest, including Abiquiu Reservoir, Ghost Ranch, and Echo Amphitheater, to name a few. Echo Amphitheater is right near the trailhead and is always worth a quick stop to yell at some rocks. Chama Canyon has several viewpoints that overlook the Chama River. The entire trail is peppered with pleasant campsites and picnic areas. There are a few parking areas along the shores of the river, one of which has vault toilets. The trail ends at a monastery where guests can visit and enjoy the architecture along with a beverage. This trail is great for individuals who want to take in the scenery with a cruise or do some hiking, fishing, dispersed camping, or boating (non-motorized). The western end of the trail has a boat launch site for kayaks, SUPs, and rafts (Chavez Canyon Boat Launch). Individuals can float from the launch downstream to the Big Eddy Boat take-out site.

Photos of Chama Canyon

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Difficulty

Chama Canyon is a maintained graded road. This trail has the potential for numerous washouts after heavy storms and can get incredibly slick and muddy with precipitation or snow melt. A small portion of the trail is a shelf road overlooking the river. Some sections of the trail may have washboard.

Technical Rating

Jon C.

Jun 19, 2025

Open

Very scenic drive with views of mountains and access to the Rio Chama. Decent number of weekend campers in a hurry to get to a camp site. Saw one pulling a camper driving too fast then breaking hard, he fishtailed and almost lost it. Fun visiting the Monetary at the end of the road.

Dean Dearing

Jan 10, 2025

Open

Clear trail. Minor washboard on a few spots. Say approx 5 vehicles in/out.