Watersports in New Mexico? Absolutely! Here you'll find a variety of watersports activities, ranging from pleasure boating to white-water rafting and windsurfing.
New Mexico offers fantastic opportunities for white-water rafting and kayaking. The waters in the Chama River and the Rio Grande are generally at their best during the spring and summer (May-July); however, some areas of the Rio Grande are negotiable year-round, especially those that fall at lower elevations, where temperatures are warmer. If you opt not to schlep your own rafting gear with you to New Mexico, you can work with one of the many companies that will supply you with everything you need. Note: I recommend contacting some of the outfitters listed in later chapters no matter what you've brought with you or what your level of experience because white-water rafting and kayaking in certain areas of New Mexico (such as the Taos Box) can be quite dangerous. You should get tips from the professionals before you set out on your own. In addition to calling outfitters, you can also contact the Bureau of Land Management, 226 Cruz Alta Rd., Taos, NM 87571 (tel. 505/758-8851; www.nm.blm.gov), for information.
Opportunities for pleasure boating are available on many of New Mexico's lakes and reservoirs, with boat ramps at more than 45 state parks, dams, and lakes. Elephant Butte Lake is one of the best and most beautiful spots for boating (see chapter 10). Unfortunately, the rules and regulations vary greatly from one body of water to another, so you'll have to contact the governing agencies for each place in which you intend to go boating.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 4101 Jefferson Plaza NE, Albuquerque (tel. 505/342-3100; www.usace.army.mil), oversees the following lakes: Abiquiu, Cochiti, Conchas, Galisteo, Jemez, Santa Rosa, and Two Rivers. Most other boating areas are regulated by the State Parks Division, 1220 S. St. Francis, Santa Fe (tel. 888/NM-PARKS or 505/476-3355; www.emnrd.state.nm.us/nmparks), or by the New Mexico Game and Fish Department, 1 Wildlife St., Santa Fe (tel. 505/476-8000; www.wildlife.state.nm.us). Some are, of course, overseen by tribes and pueblos, and in those cases, you'll have to contact them directly.
Another popular pastime, particularly at Cochiti and Storrie lakes in summer, is windsurfing. Elephant Butte is good for windsurfing all year.
