| Red River | |
|
The Red River of New Mexico
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | New Mexico |
| Source | Mount Wheeler |
| - location | Taos County |
| - elevation | 13,161 ft (4,011 m) |
| - coordinates | [1] |
| Mouth | Rio Grande |
| - location | Taos County |
| - elevation | 6,578 ft (2,005 m) |
| - coordinates | [1] |
| Basin | 187 sq mi (484 km2) |
The Red River of New Mexico, USA, is a short, perennial river that flows down the north slope of Mount Wheeler in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, flows west past the towns of Red River and Questa and then south into the Rio Grande just south of the La Junta Campground.[2]
The Red River is noted for its trout fishery[3] and its lower portion is part of the Wild Rivers Recreation Area.[2] Located below Questa on the river is the New Mexico Red River Fish Hatchery.[2]
The Red River derives its water from snowmelt and summer season convective storms and due to the relatively consistent patterns of orographic precipitation it is a perennial stream.[4]