Little Chasm Falls
Little Chasm Falls is about 25’ high up the Rio en Medio a small 20’ high
falls on the Rio En Medio way up high
beta facts:
name- Little Chasm Falls
height- 25’
elevation-7800’
GPS coordinates- ±35°49.128’N 105°51.865’W
flow- perenial
season- spring, summer and fall
accommodations- none
ownership- Santa Fe National Forest
access- 2˝ mile trail hike
nearest town- En Medio
is about 2˝ miles east of here
fun fact- …nice waterfalls close to Santa Fe
Story by: Rob Weiner
Take 285/84 north of Santa Fe toward
Tesuque. Take exit 172 to Tesuque then right on Bishop's lodge road #73 and in
a quarter mile go left on 592. Follow
the signs to the village of En Medio… about 5
miles. Follow 592 all the way to where
the road becomes dirt. There you will see a sign for hikers to stop and park
(there is a parking area on the right side of the road) do not go beyond here
as it upsets the residents.
Walk up the road a few hundred yards and
you will see a trail going up on the right side of the road. It parallels the
road for a while. This is trail
#163. It drops along beside the Rio En Medio for most of the hike and crosses it numerous
times.
After 2˝ miles you will see a canyon going
off to the left of the trail and you can hear the roar of the falls. Leave the
trail and enter this canyon. You will probably get your feet wet following the
watercourse but it’s worth it. This
canyon leads to the waterfall in less than 100 ft.
If you choose to follow
the trail past this main fall, you will have a steep but short climb taking you
to the top of the fall. Following the trail farther up leads to a number of beautiful
cascades and Upper Rio En Medio Falls.
All the way to Santa Fe
Ski Basin is seven miles… this can be a car-shuttle hike all down hill from the ski area.
See also: Chupadero Falls
Enhanced USGS 7.5’ topo
map
the thin red lines above represent one mile
squares
Send questions and comments to dscott@themarblesculptor.com