Rio de los Pinos

Rio de los Pinos[1]
The river west of Osier, Colorado
The river's mouth in far southern Colorado
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	South San Juan Wilderness
• coordinates	37°6′44.03″N 106°30′0.12″W[1]
Mouth
• location	Confluence with the Rio San Antonio
• coordinates	36°59′53.05″N 106°2′8.08″W[1]
• elevation	7,970 feet (2,430 meters)[1]
Basin features
Progression	Rio San Antonio—Conejos River—Rio Grande
Tributaries
• left	North Fork Rio de los Pinos, Long Creek, Cascade Creek, Osier Creek, Cañada Jarosita
• right	Cumbres Creek, Apache Creek, Beaver Creek, Lola Creek

The Rio de los Pinos (also called Los Pinos River) is a river in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico.^[1]

Course

The river rises high in Colorado's South San Juan Wilderness near the Continental Divide in Conejos County, Colorado. From there, it flows generally southeast until it is impounded by the dam at Trujillo Meadows Reservoir. Leaving the reservoir, the river passes under Colorado State Highway 17 and turns south. Here, it receives a tributary, North Fork Rio de los Pinos. Continuing south, the river has its confluence with Cumbres Creek. Here, the river flows generally east until it passes by Osier, Colorado. There, the river turns south and enters Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. Next it passes through the Toltec Gorge. Then the river flows generally east and southeast through New Mexico until it reaches the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. At this point, it turns northeast, crosses the border into Colorado once again, still in Conejos County, and joins the Rio San Antonio.^[2][3][4]

Public lands

The river flows through both public and private lands. It flows through the South San Juan Wilderness, the Rio Grande National Forest, the Carson National Forest, the Cruces Basin Wilderness area (the river forms the northern boundary of part of this wilderness area), the Rio de los Pinos Wildlife Area,^[5] Bureau of Land Management land, and the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.

Monitoring station

The U.S.G.S. maintains a stream gauge along the river just south of the Colorado-New Mexico border near the river's mouth.^[6]

See also

• List of rivers of Colorado
• List of rivers of New Mexico
• List of tributaries of the Rio Grande

References

1. "Rio de los Pinos". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. December 31, 1981. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
2. "Los Pinos River Valley". Santa Fe Conservation Trust. n.d. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
3. "San Antonio and Los Pinos Watersheds" (PDF). New Mexico Environment Department, Surface Water Quality Bureau, Wetlands Program. 2006. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
4. The National Map
5. "Rio de los Pinos Wildlife Area" (PDF). New Mexico Department of Game & Fish. n.d. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
6. "USGS 08248000 Los Pinos River Near Ortiz, CO". United States Geological Survey. n.d. Retrieved August 30, 2024.