Heron Lake (New Mexico)

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Location of Heron Lake within New Mexico

Heron Lake is a reservoir in Rio Arriba County, in northern New Mexico in the southwestern United States. The lake is part of the San Juan-Chama Diversion Project, which transfers water from the upper reaches of the San Juan River through the 12.8 mile Azotea Tunnel (and under the Continental Divide), into Willow Creek and the Rio Chama (and ultimately into the Rio Grande). Water is impounded in Heron Lake by the 1250-foot (381 m) long, 263-foot (80 m) high Heron Dam, which was completed in 1971. The 5900 acre lake is approximately 4 miles long and 3 miles wide (7 x 5 km), and lies at an elevation of up to 7186 feet (2190 m).

The Brazos Cliffs, Heron Lake, and the north wall of the Rio Chama Gorge, looking east.

The southern shore of Heron Lake is a state park, featuring over 200 camping and picnic sites, and two improved boat ramps. The lake is an excellent destination for salmon and trout fishing, as well as for small boat sailing. Boat speeds are restricted by a 'no-wake' policy. A 5.5 mile (9 km) hiking trail crosses the Rio Chama Gorge via a pedestrian suspension bridge, and then runs southwest through wooded terrain to the grounds of El Vado Lake State Park.

The lake, dam, and state park are named after Kenneth A. Heron, an engineer in the early 1900s who realized that water could be diverted from wetter areas to the north, to the benefit of more arid regions to the south.