Rio Grande National Forest · Colorado

West Fork Rio Chama

1.5 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 740 · trail class 3 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike

Begins at the forest's mile 0, 37.0638, -106.5502 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins

West Fork Rio Chama Trailhead - Trail #740 the Forest Service's write-up

The West Fork Rio Chama trail is 1 1/4 miles long. It begins at Forest Trail 738 and ends at the junction with Trail 741. Trail 741 was formerly numbered as Trail 740 from this junction on.

The West ChamaTrail provides access to upper Chama Basin, an area of virgin spruce-fir forests surrounding steep and coloful volcanic cliffs. Waterfalls tumbling over the cliffs can be seen from almost any vantage point. The fall is an especially good time to visit Chama Basin, when the slopes of aspen are in full splendor.

The West Chama Trail climbs steeply away from the Chama River along a small tributary stream within an aspen forest. As the trail leaves this tributary and follows the Chama River to the confluence of the East and West Forks, it stays high above the river and passes through dry subalpine meadows and scattered aspen stands. A spectacular view of the entire valley is afforded from the trail above the confluence. Banded Peak, a local landmark, rises massively on the left as one climbs up the trail. The strenuous climb up the cliff to the Forest Boundary rewards the hikers with a view of Chama Basin and south into New Mexico that is unsurpassable.

The trail is open for the following uses: Horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking, and backpacking.

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Rio Grande National Forest

All 227 trails in Rio Grande National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.