When the springtime sun finally melts the snowcapped Rocky Mountains, the Rio Grande turns into a wild play for watersports. With the water level higher than it’s been in many years, the normal stretches of the river already classified as Class IV rapids feel as massive as any Class V, bringing rafting and kayaking enthusiasts from around the region to try and tackle the Rio Grande at its mightiest.

During this season’s peak, Visit Taos and Los Rios River Runners took twelve Lobo Life explorers for a day trip down the river’s most iconic section, The Taos Box. A fifteen-mile ride covering 60 rapids all at least Class III, The Taos Box is a remote chasm of rugged basalt cliffs plunging 800 feet down to the Rio Grande. The river bends under the Taos Gorge Bridge offering an incredible perspective of the famous bridge while offering high chances of spotting wildlife like bighorn sheep, river otters, elk, beavers, falcons, eagles and even the occasional mountain lion.

An unforgettable adventure, white water rafting the Rio Grande in Taos is one of the greatest adventures offered in the wild New Mexican wilderness, and one worth sharing with a boat full of friends.

White Water Rafting in Taos