Little Chasm Falls

rio enmedio         upperRioEnMedio

Little Chasm Falls is about 25’ high up the Rio en Medio                               a small 20’ high falls on the Rio En Medio way up high

 

beta facts:

name- Little Chasm Falls

height- 25’

elevation-7800

GPS coordinates- ±35°49.128’N 105°51.865’W

flow- perenial

season- spring, summer and fall

accommodations- none

ownership- Santa Fe National Forest

access-  mile trail hike

nearest town- En Medio is about 2˝ miles east of here

fun fact- …nice waterfalls close to Santa Fe

 

Story by: Rob Weiner

Take 285/84 north of Santa Fe toward Tesuque. Take exit 172 to Tesuque then right on Bishop's lodge road #73 and in a quarter mile go left on 592.  Follow the signs to the village of En Medio… about 5 miles.  Follow 592 all the way to where the road becomes dirt. There you will see a sign for hikers to stop and park (there is a parking area on the right side of the road) do not go beyond here as it upsets the residents.

 

Walk up the road a few hundred yards and you will see a trail going up on the right side of the road. It parallels the road for a while.  This is trail #163.  It drops along beside the Rio En Medio for most of the hike and crosses it numerous times.

 

After 2˝ miles you will see a canyon going off to the left of the trail and you can hear the roar of the falls. Leave the trail and enter this canyon. You will probably get your feet wet following the watercourse but it’s worth it.  This canyon leads to the waterfall in less than 100 ft.

 

If you choose to follow the trail past this main fall, you will have a steep but short climb taking you to the top of the fall.  Following the trail farther up leads to a number of beautiful cascades and Upper Rio En Medio Falls. 

All the way to Santa Fe Ski Basin is seven miles… this can be a car-shuttle hike all down hill from the ski area.

See also: Chupadero Falls

Enhanced USGS 7.5’ topo map

Little Chasm Falls

the thin red lines above represent one mile squares 

 

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