See all 11 routes on San Juan River
New Mexico | San Juan River / Vereda del Rio to Kirtland
San Juan RiverVereda del Rio public launch to Kirtland Lions Park public river access
A full-day San Juan itinerary from Vereda del Rio through the Farmington access chain to Kirtland Lions Park, the City-marked end of navigable river segments.
Checking current river conditions…
Route location
Loading the route snapshot. This usually takes a few seconds.
Need to know
Why this call
Route overview
Trip details
Access rules, camping, seasonal conditions and trip length.
Distance, difficulty, rules and camping
Plan ahead
Tomorrow and the weekend
Forecasts can change. Check current conditions again before leaving.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
A full-day San Juan itinerary from Vereda del Rio through the Farmington access chain to Kirtland Lions Park, the City-marked end of navigable river segments.
Access map
Put-in
Vereda del Rio public launch (water-entry edge)Vereda del Rio, Among the Waters, Westland Park and Kirtland Lions are named public river accesses; Among the Waters is walk-in only.
Take-out
Kirtland Lions Park public river access (water-entry edge)The City marks Lions Park as the end of navigable segments; do not plan to continue downstream.
Road shuttle
Choose a shorter tripOptional
Access planner
Choose your launch and take-out
This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.
Vereda del Rio public launch (water-entry edge) to Kirtland Lions Park public river access (water-entry edge) is about 24.6 mi. Use the planner to compare shorter access pairs.
Access notes and hazards
Access caveats
- Vereda del Rio, Among the Waters, Westland Park and Kirtland Lions are named public river accesses; Among the Waters is walk-in only.
- The City marks Lions Park as the end of navigable segments; do not plan to continue downstream.
- Farmington parks and river accesses are open 6 AM–10 PM March–October and 6 AM–6 PM November–February.
- Remain on the water between designated public accesses and respect private property.
Watch for
- Low or changing water, diversion dams, submerged fences and strainers
- Long exposure, heat, wind, monsoon storms and cold water
- Limited shade and emergency exits; plan bailouts at Among the Waters and Westland
Plan this paddle
Choose your trip times
No account needed. Check the selected access points above, then choose both dates and times. For an overnight paddle, set take-out to the following date.
Times use the selected time zone. Check it against the river’s location before saving or sharing.
Browser plans stay on this device. Sharing opens your device’s share tools or gives you text to copy.
Download GPX Route geometry only; no schedule required.
Conditions
Water levels, gauge history, and hourly forecast
Check how the river is changing and what weather to expect.
USGS measurements
More about this gauge
These measurements come from the gauge station. Water depth and current can differ along your trip.
River camera · USGS
View at the gauge
San Juan River at Farmington, NM. This view may be outside your paddling reach. Images are periodic and do not establish safe conditions.
Gauge detail
Water-level history and forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampWeather
Hourly forecast
Checking weather.
Loading today's forecast.
Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route gallery
Photos
Check each caption: some photos show the surrounding area rather than this exact trip.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today’s call.
Why this scoreData reliability: checking
This rating reflects whether the gauge measures this part of the river, whether published water-level guidance is available, and how recently the data was updated.
- Checking data sources and update times.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreWater levels, published guidance and update times
These readings and published water-level limits help explain today’s score.
| Gauge site | San Juan River at Farmington, NM |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Preferred range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | 300 cfs |
| High threshold | Water-level guidance unavailable |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Local route guidance |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | Southwest Paddler San Juan River New Mexico access and hazards |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Named public access and distanceVereda del Rio public launch to Kirtland Lions Park public river access; 24.64 miles
Southwest Paddler lists the access coordinates and river-mile sequence; New Mexico Tourism corroborates the upper corridor as a popular relaxing float.
- Scoring floor300 cfs minimum planning cue; 500 cfs target
The 300 cfs cue is reach-specific community guidance. Verify direct gauge telemetry, release trend and local conditions before travel.
- Direct telemetryUSGS 09365000 San Juan River at Farmington, NM
Use the gauge nearest the selected reach and recheck current discharge and trend.
- Safety and campingPFD, diversion/fence portage, public access and nearby basecamp
New Mexico State Parks identifies low-head dams and strainers as serious hazards; Navajo Lake State Park documents developed camping near the upper reach.
- Published access-chain distancesVereda–Among: about 16.9 mi; Among–Westland: 2.24 mi; Westland–Lions: 5.5 mi; total: about 24.64 mi
The route combines the published Southwest Paddler upper leg and two adjoining City of Farmington segments, with both public intermediate bailouts retained.
- Water-edge endpoints and intermediate accessVereda del Rio: 36.6995333, -107.9794694; Among the Waters: 36.7214944, -108.2238722; Westland Park: 36.7331514, -108.2494733; Kirtland Lions: 36.7217139, -108.325675
Coordinates follow the existing reviewed San Juan water-entry anchors. Farmington identifies the parks as public access points and marks Lions Park as the end of navigable river segments.
- Direct telemetry and flow cueUSGS 09365000; 300 cfs minimum planning cue, 500 cfs target
Direct same-river telemetry near Farmington; Southwest Paddler supplies the community minimum/target cue. Recheck live conditions and do not treat it as a guarantee.
- Overlap and consolidationIncludes san-juan-river-vereda-among-waters, san-juan-river-among-waters-westland-park and san-juan-river-westland-lions-park
The longer route provides one continuous day-trip choice through the public access chain. Component and macro routes overlap intentionally; shared mileage is not counted as a separate corridor.
- Gallery image and reuse rightsSan Juan River near Navajo Dam, New Mexico
Phil Slattery’s CC BY-SA 4.0 photograph is an honestly captioned same-river context image, well upstream of this route; it is not a route endpoint or current-conditions image.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- Southwest Paddler San Juan River New Mexico access and hazards
- New Mexico Tourism San Juan River paddling overview
- New Mexico State Parks paddlesports safety guidance
- Navajo Lake State Park boating and camping
- City of Farmington San Juan River signage and access map
- 2024 San Juan River fish tissue study sampling locations
- San Juan River near Navajo Dam photo, Phil Slattery via Wikimedia Commons
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
Share your trip
Keep exploring
More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or explore different rivers within 75 straight-line miles.
More in New Mexico
All 38 routesMore on San Juan River
All 11Nearby routes within 75 miles
Quick answers
San Juan River paddling FAQ
What water level is best for the Vereda del Rio public launch to Kirtland Lions Park public river access route on the San Juan River?
Paddle Today watches San Juan River at Farmington, NM and uses 300 cfs as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does the Vereda del Rio public launch to Kirtland Lions Park public river access route on the San Juan River start and end?
This route starts at Vereda del Rio public launch (water-entry edge) and ends at Kirtland Lions Park public river access (water-entry edge), about 24.64 river miles via Among the Waters and Westland Park (16.9 + 2.24 + 5.5 mi) on the water.
Is the Vereda del Rio public launch to Kirtland Lions Park public river access route on the San Juan River suitable for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.