Waterfall Hero Hikes: Potrero Falls (El Rito)

Potrero Falls is a 25-foot waterfall in a slot canyon through Cañada del Potrero in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. The waterfall is located in the El Rito Ranger District of Carson National Forest.

Hike Length: 1.6 miles
Estimated Time: 1 to 2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: El Rito Ranger District of Carson National Forest.
Trail Users: Hiking
Dogs: Yes
Features: Waterfalls (1)
Crowds: Moderate
Warnings: The rocks around the waterfalls are very slippery. It is difficult to get into the slot canyon in dry conditions and impossible to do safely if wet.
Trailhead GPS: 36.39835,-106.19931
Waterfall GPS: 36.40773,-106.20557

Directions:

From Española, head north on US-84 for about 19 miles and turn right on NM-554 north. Drive 12.4 miles to the town of El Rito and turn left on gravel County Road 247 where NM-554 turns right. The road becomes FR-44 as it enters the forest. Go a total of 3.8 miles to a parking area on the left just before FR-44B1.

Map:

Hike Description:

Hike down FR-44B1 past the primitive campsites. The road ends after about a half-mile and an obvious path continues to follow the creek upstream to the base of the lower section of the waterfall.

On river left, you can climb up alongside the slot canyon to a point where it's reasonable to scramble into the canyon.

If it's dry, you can stay against the canyon wall, to the right in the picture above, and climb into the slot canyon and reach the base of the main drop of the waterfall. The water level was low when we visited.