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By Root 807 0

to rafting New Mexico’s most celebrated stretch of white water. You can either run the 15-mile-long Taos Box with a commercial trip – Los Rios River Runners are just one of a dozen companies who offer rafting trips here – or in your own boat. The most exciting rafting is between May and June, when water levels are at their peak. The rapids to keep an eye out for include “Dead Car” and “Powder Line Falls” (both Class IV) and the “Rock Garden,” the biggest rapid of them all, a technical Class IV plus. If you have your own boat, it’s free to run the Taos Box, but you need to register at the launch site. To get here, take Hwy 522 east from Taos to Arroyo Hondo and turn left just north of Herb’s Lounge (a bar). The John Dunn Bridge put-in is about 3 miles down the dirt road. The takeout is off Hwy 68 near Pilar. Make a right on NM 567 and retrace your steps nearly 5 miles upstream to the Taos Junction Bridge take-out.

Return to Taos for dinner at historic Doc Martin’s. Relax by the kiva-style fireplace and pop the cork on one of its award-winning wines, then dive headlong into the most delicious chiles rellenos. The Alley Cantina is the oldest building in town, constructed in the 1500s by forward-thinking Native American capitalists. Today it’s a good bar to catch live music ranging from Zydeco to rock and jazz. Devote day three to fly-fishing. Visit Los Rios Anglers in Taos for the scoop on good spots and to pick up bait. The company also runs tailored trips to unspoiled private lands threaded with secret sparkling streams. Some of the best public fishing is just south of Pilar on the Rio Grande. The quiet portion of the river north of the Racecourse is where to go for cutthroat trout and northern pike up to 32in in length – the record fish was 54in long, which is just shy of 5ft!

Historic Questa, 40 miles to the northwest, is your final destination. It’s the jumping-off point for your final rafting trip. Have an early dinner at the Questa Café, a Southwestern diner beloved for its Frito pie, chile-cheese fries (go for red) and homemade desserts. And get a good night’s sleep at the basic but comfortable Kachina Motel. The 6-mile-long Upper Box is New Mexico’s most technical white water and can only be run in spring. Congress designated this portion of the Rio Grande one of the nation’s eight original Wild and Scenic Rivers in 1968, and this set of rapids is in a remote, steep-walled volcanic canyon. The three biggest rapids – NCO, Hell Hole and Big – all start with huge drops in a fast-flowing current. The hardest part of the ride, however, is the straight-up, nearly mile-long hike after taking out!

Becca Blond & Aaron Anderson

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HOT (SPRING) BOXING WITH BUBBLY

If you’re lucky enough to be rafting the Taos Box in a private boat, bring some bubbly to sip while soaking in the hot springs along the way. The first homemade set of pools is just south of the put-in on the left bank. The second set is about 2 miles further downstream – and easier to spot. Watch for a gash in both sides of the sheer canyon wall. The remnants of an old stagecoach trail, it signals your next soaking spot on the river’s right bank.

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TRIP INFORMATION

GETTING THERE

Pilar is 116 miles north of Albuquerque. Take I-25 for 57 miles to Hwy 285 north, continue for 28 miles and merge onto Hwy 68 north; Pilar is another 28 miles north.

DO

Los Rios Anglers

This tackle shop sells fishing licenses and runs personalized, guided fly-fishing trips. Staff are friendly; don’t be shy about asking where to cast your reel. 575-758-2798; www.losrios.com; 126 W Plaza; day trips 1/2/3 people $250/275/450

Los Rios River Runners

The best-known company rafting the Taos Box and Racecourse. 575-776-8854; www.losriosriverrunners.com; Rio Grande Gorge Visitors Center, Hwy 68, Pilar; Taos Box $100, Racecourse $50; 8am-6pm

EAT & DRINK

Alley Cantina

Live music almost nightly. 505-758-2121; 121 Terracina Lane; pub grub $6-14; from 11:30am

Doc Martin’s

Bert Philips (the Doc’s bro-in-law)