El Vado Reservoir

About El Vado Reservoir

El Vado Dam and Reservoir, features of the Middle Rio Grande Project, are located on the Rio Chama about 160 miles north of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Recreation at El Vado Reservoir is managed by the New Mexico Division of Parks and Recreation under agreement with the Bureau of Reclamation. The Park is open 24 hours and is a fee area. The boat ramp is located at the north end of reservoir via State 95, and is limited to high water use. No concessionaires. No food service. No lodging within park. Nearest lodging 23.5 miles from headquarters to Chama. Year-round fishing for rainbow and brown trout. State license and trout stamp required. Kokanee salmon season Nov. 1-Jan. 31. Stream fishing downstream from dam. Boating must conform to New Mexico regulations.

How to Get There

The Park headquarters are located 14.5 miles southwest of Tierra Amarilla via State 112 and 4.5 miles of gravel road to park.

Plan Your Visit to El Vado Reservoir

Heading to El Vado Reservoir? A few things to know before you go:

• Reservations: popular sites fill up fast — check Recreation.gov 6 months in advance
• Fees: day-use and camping fees vary; check current rates on the official park page
• Trash & pack-out: follow Leave No Trace principles
• Wildlife: store food in bear boxes where provided; never feed wildlife
• Weather: the 5-day forecast above is updated every 6 hours; verify just before you go

References & Official Resources

• Official Recreation.gov page
• Park map (PDF)
• View on OpenStreetMap
• Driving directions (Google Maps)