Rafting & Kayaking Guide to the Rio Grande's Racecourse in August

The Racecourse on the Rio Grande is the most popular stretch for river rafting and kayaking in New Mexico. It’s called the Racecourse because there is an annual raft and kayak race around Mother’s Day that has been going on since the early 1950s. With a gradient of 28 feet per mile, the Racecourse is a far more demanding run than the Orilla Verde or the day Chama. The OV is wide and slow and leisurely, while the RC is steep and fast and filled with rocks. Although at low water (below 400 CFS) the RC isn’t considered scary or dangerous per se, it is technically challenging, and so if you’re looking for a relaxing float down the river, then you’re better off running the Orilla Verde.

The first mile on the Racecourse offers enough time to get warmed up, but at low water there are a couple of small rock gardens to negotiate. At about ¾ of a mile, you’ll encounter a group of large boulders called the Maze. It has very little gradient, so all you’re doing is maneuvering around boulders without much current. Below 300 CFS, the line is to the far right.

Sneaking down the right side in the Maze at 207 CFS.

Downstream of the Maze is Albert’s Falls, a class II+ rapid at low water, that was named in honor of Albert Einstein by the Los Alamos scientists who pioneered the Racecourse in the 1940s. At high water there is a keeper hole that forms near the bottom of the rapid. Boats easily get surfed in this hole and then flip, and people often end up swimming several hundred yards or more before being rescued or swimming to shore. Albert’s is where people die during high water years, but we’ll save that subject for next spring. We’re talking low water now, and at 250 CFS Albert’s is more of a fun pinball game than a killer.

Albert's at 300 CFS. The move is to the right of the top boulder and then boogie back to the left side of the river.

At the top of Albert’s, there is a large boulder on river right. The current is going to channel to the right and around this boulder. Above 350 CFS you can go down the middle, but below that, the line is to the right. After you swing around the boulder, the river will drop a bit and pick up speed, and now you’re headed toward another rock in the middle of the river. You want to make it to the left side and around this second rock and then follow the wave train until you get to another set of rocks that will force you to the right. If you don’t make it back to the left after getting around the boulder at the top, you can pinball your way down the right side but expect to get stuck. Eventually you’ll make it.

Downstream of Albert’s, the river looks like an asteroid field—it’s wide and there are rocks strewn everywhere. You want to make it to the left side of the river. There is a large coyote willow growing out of a rock that is split in two, called Herring Bone. You want to be left of it. How you get there is up to you. There are sleepers everywhere, and so you’ll have to make some “twister” moves to get over there.

Once you’re past Herring Bone, stay in the current; it’s lined with rocks on both sides. The river is now heading straight at a giant boulder in the middle of the river. The current will pillow off the giant boulder and veer to the left. You have to stay in the current and then paddle to the left and away from the boulder at the last moment. There are rocks lining the left side of the current, so you can’t go far left without getting stuck. This boulder creates a large eddy behind it that you can slide into once you get around it.

From this river right eddy, look downstream and about 30 away, you’ll see several large boulders that are lined up just right of center, with the current moving to the left of them. This is Eye of the Needle, and its main hazard is the Birth Canal. Two of the most downstream boulders form a set of goal posts with a gap between them. This gap is called the Birth Canal, and it’s too small for a raft to slip through. You want to move to the right of the Birth Canal and through the Eye of the Needle. To make this move, the boater needs to set an upstream ferry angle to the right and move to the right of the Birth Canal. The boater can also go far left, but at low water several small rocks are waiting for you that are hard to maneuver around.

Eye of the Needle -- the kayaker is getting sucked back into the Birth Canal. You want to be right of where she is.

The Narrows is the longest rapid on the Racecourse and stretches about a ¼ of a mile. It’s narrow and steep at the top, wide and flat in the middle, and then narrow and steep again at the end. At the top of the Narrows, most of the left side of the river is blocked by some low-level rocks. There is a gap between these rocks and a boulder on river right. The entrance is just to the left of that river right boulder. Immediately downstream, there are more rocks in the middle of the river waiting for you. Above 250 CFS, you can get over them, but below that, you’ll be forced to move to the left and around them and then follow the wave train for twenty yards or so. As you enter the second part of the Narrows, the gradient will flatten out, and there will be rocks everywhere.

Middle section of the Narrows. Pinball your way just left of center and then move right to the Fangs.

The biggest boulder out there is in the middle of the river, and it’s called “Mother.” Go left of it and then keep it straight as you approach more rocks. I usually pinball my way through these rocks and then head right and through a set of jagged boulders called the Fangs. If you’re in a raft, getting through the Fangs is the preferred route; otherwise, you’re going to get really stuck for a while. Kayaks have a lot more options and don’t have to make it over to the Fangs to get through.

Middle of the Narrows at 380 CFS. The boater needs to make it to the right and through the Fangs.

Once you make it through the Fangs and past an irritating little rock called Hemorrhoid, there is a safety eddy on the left. You can regroup here and look downstream. The river is going to dogleg to the left and past a medium-sized rock in the middle of the river called Nemesis. The current will be pushing you toward Nemesis, and you want to go to the left of it. If you go right of Nemesis, you’ll end up in the Mouse Trap, a large eddy that is safe, but it’s also enclosed by a ring of rocks. There is a way out; you just have to look for it.

3rd Part of the Narrows. Move left of Nemesis Rock.

Cruising to the left of Nemesis, just follow the wave train down the left side to Dead Foot Rock, a low-angled boulder that you can ramp and spin off of, or park on it and hang out for a bit. Years ago, someone got foot entrapment and drowned upstream in the Taos Box. The foot was eventually separated from the owner’s leg and ended up floating downstream. The dead foot was found bobbing in the eddy behind this rock (just a tennis shoe with a foot still in it). Since this incident, this boulder has been called Dead Foot. Downstream there are some more small rocks to avoid and then a final drop with a wave train and a fun hole at the bottom. After the Narrows, the river calms down and flattens out, and everyone can take a breath and hydrate.

Glen Woody Bridge will soon come into view. It’s a suspension bridge that was built in 1932 when the property on the right was a fishing dude ranch. At low water, getting under it is no problem. Downstream from the bridge marks the beginning of Big Rock, a definite class III, especially at low water. The river will carve an “S” as the gradient increases and the current picks up speed—first it will turn to the right—then back to the left—and then slightly to the right again. As you enter the second right turn, you’re going to see quite a few really big boulders. The first two are on the right, Pilot & Co-pilot, and they are both shaped like jagged loaves of bread. The current will be pushing your boat right at Pilot, and it’s your job not to let the current do that. Making it harder, there are annoying rocks just upstream that will keep you from making an early move to the left. Across from Pilot is a large sleeper rock called Velcro. Bouncing off of Pilot most often results in the boat getting stuck on Velcro. Inflatable kayaks often flip off of Pilot, or they get stuck between Pilot and Co-Pilot. If this happens, someone may need to throw you a rope.

Overview of Big Rock rapid (III) at 380 CFS. Move left of Pilot and then run the Slot to the right of Big Rock.

Immediately downstream of Pilot is Big Rock itself. It’s a pyramid-shaped rock, kind of like the Prudential rock, and it’s been there for a long time. To the left of Big Rock is a sieve called the Toilet Bowl. You don’t want to go into the Toilet Bowl. A few feet upriver and to the right of Big Rock is a shelf of rock and some more rocks that prevent a boat from going far right. Rafts and kayaks have to go through the slot between Big Rock (left) and the shelf rock (right). At low water, a raft will likely get stuck, so it’s a good idea to move your crew to the left tube to help grease the boat through. Kayaks won’t get stuck, but it’s easy to flip off of Big Rock or the Micro-Slot rocks that are to the right of Big Rock and downstream of the shelf rock.

Looking upstream at the Slot and Big Rock. It's a tight squeeze at 207 CFS.

After you’re through the Slot, you’re going to run into some sleeper rocks that will try to get you stuck, particularly in a raft. Now you’re looking up at a massive boulder, the legendary Baby Huey, named for an Elephant cartoon from the 50s or 60s. It weighs an estimated 360 tons and has resided in its present location since the summer of 1991.

Souse Hole is about a mile downriver from Baby Huey. The shorelines will constrict, and there will be a significant horizon line on the river. The commercial river photographers will likely be set up on the left shore. Souse is a fun little drop at 207 CFS, but nothing like it is at higher flows. There is a good-sized boulder just right of center, and you want to be left of it. You can run as far left as you like but expect to bounce and spin off the shore. Souse is also a popular place to surf. The boulder creates a strong enough eddy below it that you can use to surf the small wave at the bottom of the rapid.

Souse Hole at 207 CFS. Hit the top wave and then move left of the boulder.

The “Mellow Mile” closes out the run. There are a couple of places to swim and one more gradual drop called Swimmer’s Rapid—don’t swim through it at low water. The final hundred yards are a bit bony and you may get stuck. The Countyline takeout is on the left. There are nice concrete boat ramps here, plus outhouses and picnic areas. At low water, the Racecourse is a challenge, but it’s still more fun than hiking in the desert, and it will improve your overall boating skills.