Thursday, November 5, 2026
Thursday begins cold and quiet in Questa, with a mostly cloudy start near 31 degrees giving way to sunshine and a high near 50 degrees. Sunrise came at 6:30 this morning and sunset is at 5:01 this evening, and no weather alerts are in effect for Questa or Taos County. It is a fine-looking fall day on the rim of the gorge, but down at river level the Rio Grande is still carrying the story of the last two weeks of rain, and that story deserves respect.
The gauge on the Rio Grande near Cerro read 1,450 cubic feet per second on Wednesday, November 4, according to United States Geological Survey data. That is up from 1,070 cubic feet per second on October 31, a second rise after heavy rain and flooding upstream in Colorado's San Luis Valley over the weekend, when communities along the upper Rio Grande faced evacuations and gauges downstream at Cerro were still rising on Monday. The river remains well below the 3,080 cubic feet per second flood pulse recorded on October 27, but it is far from settled: a statewide snapshot on November 4 found 95 of 111 New Mexico gauges running above normal. Anglers should treat the main current as off limits for wading and work only from the bank or in slower edge water.
For fishing, the most recent detailed report, published November 1 when the river was clearing at 1,070 cubic feet per second, found fish repositioning into the soft seams just off the main current and the inside bends of deeper runs, with midges hatching heavily in the middle of the day and blue-winged olives showing moderately. Brown trout, rainbow trout, and Rio Grande cutthroat trout are the main species in this reach. Because the river has risen again since that report, clarity may have suffered, and one Taos-area shop report describes the Rio Grande as dirty from the recent rains but improving as it clears. The smaller Red River offers a calmer alternative, reading 70 cubic feet per second near Questa and 127 cubic feet per second below the fish hatchery on November 4. Wherever you go, check the current New Mexico Department of Game and Fish regulations for the specific water before you fish.
At the Wild Rivers Recreation Area, the Bureau of Land Management reports the visitor center, campgrounds, picnic facilities, and trails available within the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, where the Rio Grande and the Red River meet at the bottom of an 800-foot canyon cut through volcanic flows. La Junta Point, the dramatic overlook above the confluence, remains open and is wheelchair accessible, and its campground remains open as well. The La Junta Trail itself remains closed until further notice for maintenance and safety, so visitors bound for the River Trail and the lower canyon should use the Little Arsenic Springs Trail or the Big Arsenic Springs Trail instead, and respect the closure.
The sensible plan for today is to enjoy the rim in the sunshine, take in the confluence from La Junta Point, and fish carefully and close to the bank if you fish at all, in seams and eddies rather than the main flow. The Bureau of Land Management notes that snow is possible in this country from November through March, so carry warm layers even on a bright afternoon. The river will settle in its own time, and when it does, the gorge in late fall light is one of the finest places in northern New Mexico to spend a day.