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Class V Spicy

Paddling the Rio Embudo

story and photos by Dunbar Hardy

Getting Started

Getting Started Where The Rio Embudo is located off Hwy 68, south of Taos. Hwy 75 is the road to the put-in passing through Dixon. The bridge over the Embudo is the legal take out and continues up Hwy 75 for 6.6 miles to a dirt road on the right and a bouncy ride down to the put-in. Season The paddling generally begins in mid-April and runs strong typically until early June, while the Rio Grande, just downstream, flows year-round. Flows Call (505) 758-8148 for New Mexico river flows, or http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt. Check the Embudo gauge at Dixon and look for flows in the 2.7 (low, scrappy) - 4.0 range (very juicy). Paddling The Embudo is 5 miles long and averages 170 feet/mile for class IV-V+ action (depending on the flow). Local Info To get a pulse on Rio Embudo and other area paddling, go to www.newmexicoh2o.com. Also check out the guidebook Colorado Rivers and Creeks by Gordon Banks and Dave Eckardt.

A big, warm sun. Hispanic culture. Sweet-smelling sagebrush. Snowcapped mountains of the Sangre de Cristo Range. Smooth granite gorges. Technical and continuous rapids. If you could wrap it all in a warm tortilla, you'd have a tasty meal of the Rio Embudo in northern New Mexico. For Four Corners paddlers desperate for some early-season spicy paddling, the Rio Embudo is a must-do. Not only are the setting and the warm weather worthy of the trip, but the paddling on this chili pepper is a good creekin' challenge to shake the early season rust off Class V skills that are dormant from a long winter season.

The Embudo, perhaps the rowdiest tributary to the Upper Rio Grande, means "funnel" in Spanish. Indeed, in high water the river is funneled through its rocky course of nonstop, continuous, technical class IV-V rapids. Triggered by early snowmelt, the Embudo comes on strong and fast, often the first Class V of the season for for eager Four Corners' paddlers. The remoteness of the run, tricky logistics (private property issues), stout and fast Class V and, for some paddlers, early-season paddling "rust" can create airs of "epic" for Embudo paddlers, but in an epic-friendly way.

The Embudo is special for the sexy, smooth granite gorges it cuts through. Carving through two distinct gorges, the squeeze-effect eventually chokes down into the crux known as Slots of Fun (or not so fun).

The First Gorge is a good warm up, providing an overall progression of difficulty. If your fun meter gets pegged in the first gorge, then think twice about venturing further into the Second Gorge, an entirely different animal.

But if you're feeling good, "on it," plug down into the Second Gorge and try not to overdo the fun in Slots of Fun. There, the whole river is less than 10 feet wide, and it is the scene of some unintentional wall splatting and hole riding. Wild moves can be had with very little effort (ha!). When the levels are up, eddies on the Embudo really are difficult to find, and the few there are whiz by awfully fast. Overall, because of its tight continuous nature, the Embudo is a little creek packed with fun and challenge.

Does the warmth of the early-season sunshine capture paddlers most about this northern New Mexico whitewater treasure? Is it the authentic Hispanic culture and otherworldly aura of the area? Or, could it be the run's stylish whitewater, a trait of the rivers that share the watershed? The answer is wrapped in the whole enchilada - the Embudo provides a total package.

The Rio Embudo calls, but don't rush out without sunscreen and elbow pads.

Durango paddler Dunbar Hardy will soon head to the Rio Embudo where he predicts a good runoff will in short order shake off his Class V rust. (www.dunbarhardy.com)