Rio Chama Wilderness Study Area

The Rio Chama Wilderness Study Area is a scenic landscape in northern New Mexico managed by the BLM's Taos Field Office, consisting of gently rolling sagebrush plains and a 900-foot-deep canyon carved by the Rio Chama with colorful siltstone and sandstone walls. The area features pinon woodlands on hillsides and ponderosa pine and Douglas fir forests on north-facing slopes, providing diverse wildlife habitat. The Rio Chama is designated as a Wild and Scenic River, offering excellent opportunities for river rafting, and the area is adjacent to the Chama River Canyon Wilderness managed by the U.S. Forest Service.