Friday, October 30, 2026
It is a Halloween weekend in Questa and the northern Rio Grande valley, and the calendar and the sky are both busy. Friday starts fair and cool, in the low 40s this morning, with afternoon showers possible and a high near 59 before rain turns likely late tonight, dropping to about 38. Saturday is the pick of the weekend, with morning clouds giving way to afternoon sun, a high near 55, and a chilly 37 by nightfall. Sunday changes the rhythm twice over: the clocks go back an hour as daylight saving time ends, and rain is likely through the day with a high near 54. Sunset moves from 6:07 p.m. Friday to just after 5 p.m. on Sunday, so evening plans will feel earlier than they did last week.
Halloween itself belongs to the valley on Saturday. In Taos, the Town of Taos hosts its free Community Halloween event from 3 to 6 p.m. across the historic downtown, including Taos Plaza, Teresina Lane, Juan Largo Lane, the John Dunn Shops, and Bent Street. Families can expect trick-or-treating, decorated trunks, carnival games, and prizes, and the first 1,500 children will receive free Halloween treat bags. Closer to home, Red River keeps the evening going with a free Halloween Carnival at the Red River Conference Center from 5 to 7 p.m., a family-friendly stop after trick-or-treating; admission is free, and donations at the door support RRVC's Ski Days with the RRSA.
If your weekend leans outdoors, the Wild Rivers Recreation Area in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument is the valley's big backyard, where the Rio Grande and Red River meet at the bottom of an 800-foot canyon. The Bureau of Land Management says the La Junta Point Overlook and Campground remain open, but the La Junta Trail itself stays closed until further notice, so plan rim walks and viewpoints instead, and reach the River Trail and the lower canyon by way of the Little Arsenic Springs Trail. Go prepared for wet rock and cold shade in the canyon, especially after Friday night's rain.
One caution for anyone drawn to the river this weekend: the National Weather Service flood advisory for the Rio Grande at Embudo, in Rio Arriba and Taos counties, runs through Friday afternoon, with minor overbank flows reported above the Embudo gauge and riverside picnic access above Pilar possibly limited if the river rises further. After the wet week the valley has just had, treat every riverbank stop with respect, keep a close eye on children and dogs near fast, cold water, and give flooded or muddy access points a wide berth rather than testing them.
Sunday is the quieter, wetter day, and a good one for a slow morning after the time change, a warm kitchen, and the Dia de los Muertos observances that families across northern New Mexico mark at the start of November. If you are driving in for the weekend from Colorado, Texas, or Oklahoma, build the Sunday rain into the trip home, and if you are staying put in Questa, enjoy the pause: the gorge will still be there, green-banked and running high, when the clouds lift early next week.