The live flow on the Racecourse — Taos's everyday whitewater run — against the bands American Whitewater publishes, with the put-ins, the season and how to be safe on the water.
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The Rio Grande runs the whole west side of Taos at the bottom of its gorge, and rafting the Racecourse — the 4.4-mile run along NM 68 below Pilar — is how most people meet the river. This page reads the live flow off the USGS gauge at the Taos Junction Bridge and shows where it falls against the flow bands American Whitewater publishes for the run.
Low water — 141 cfs
Below American Whitewater's recommended range — typical from late July, when the river can drop under 250 and sometimes under 150 cfs. The channel narrows and the ride gets slow and scrapey, but commercial outfitters report they have yet to find a level too low to run rafts on the Racecourse. Last reading July 29 at 2:30 PM.
The flow is read at the Rio Grande below Taos Junction Bridge. The gauge sits at the bottom of the gorge where the Taos Junction Bridge crosses at Pilar, about 15 road miles southwest of Taos Plaza — between the Taos Box take-out and the Racecourse put-in. It is the gauge American Whitewater ties both runs to.
These bands come from American Whitewater — Rio Grande, Quartzite to County Line (the Racecourse) and describe the river’s size and whitewater difficulty — not a judgement that floating is safe for you today. Cold, moving water is stronger than it looks.
| Flow | What it means |
|---|---|
| → Low waterunder 200 cfs | Below American Whitewater's recommended range — typical from late July, when the river can drop under 250 and sometimes under 150 cfs. The channel narrows and the ride gets slow and scrapey, but commercial outfitters report they have yet to find a level too low to run rafts on the Racecourse. |
| Runnable — Class III200–999 cfs | The bottom of American Whitewater's recommended range. Boaters report about 250 cfs floats the stretch from Sleeping Beauty to Souse Hole without dragging; expect a rocky, technical ride. |
| Good flow — Class III/III+1,000–2,999 cfs | American Whitewater calls 1,000–1,500 cfs an intermediate-to-advanced run: wide channels, few keeper holes, and the standing waves and drops the Racecourse is named for. |
| High water — Class IV3,000 cfs and up | At 3,000 cfs and up American Whitewater rates the Racecourse Class IV: Saddle Rock through Final Drop merge into Mile Long Rapid, Albert Falls becomes a mandatory scout, and Souse Hole forms a massive hydraulic. Experienced boaters only. |
Before you get on the river
The flow here follows the snowpack: prime whitewater season is roughly late April through early June on the melt, extending longer after a strong winter, and the river drops through late summer. Commercial trips run the Racecourse all summer at whatever the river gives; the harder upstream runs need spring water.
| Spot | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Quartzite river access | Put in | The Racecourse put-in, on NM 68 south of Pilar. |
| Albert Falls | On-river marker | A mandatory scout at high water — a large river-wide hole forms. |
| Glen Woody Bridge | On-river marker | At high flows stay left; the right passage closes as the water comes up. |
| Souse Hole | On-river marker | The run's famous play hole; a serious hydraulic at high water. |
| County Line river access | Take out | The take-out at the Taos–Rio Arriba county line on NM 68. |
The marquee run is the 15-mile Lower Taos Box, from the John Dunn Bridge down to the Taos Junction Bridge — predominantly Class III+ to IV in a deep, committing gorge. American Whitewater's recommended range for it is 600–5,000 cfs on this same gauge, so its season is short: when the reading above sits below 600 cfs, the Box is out for rafts even while the Racecourse still runs.
The reading above is a provisional measurement from the US Geological Survey gauge at the Taos Junction Bridge, updated around every 15 minutes. Flow is measured in cubic feet per second (cfs) — how much water is passing the gauge, which on this river is a good proxy for how big the rapids are.
Checked July 29 at 3:26 PM. Recent readings are provisional USGS data, subject to revision. Streamflow from the U.S. Geological Survey (public domain). Official gauge page: waterdata.usgs.gov.