Taos News
Official Club weekend dates are May 17-18, 2008!
Take advantage of the early spring flows this year and don't wait until May 17-18 to go. Other spur of the moment spring trip dates will be discussed on our Yahoo group.
Subscribe to our FREE discussion group at 
Taos trip leader is Jeff Hodge at 719-687-6573. Our favorite hotel is Quality Inn in Taos, ask for Andy, and tell them you are from with Pikes Peak River Runners for the club discount room rate. ($65/night) at 800-845-0648 (505-758-2200). Regular room rates are $79.99 ($109.99 on Memorial weekend). Our special club rate rate is good for all of 2008, except Memorial weekend and July 4th (actual day). Quality Inn will give us a 10% discount on holiday weekends but book early or there won't be rooms left. Let Andy (or other front desk staff) know you are with Pikes Peak River Runners for our special discount. Reserve your room well ahead of time, they book up quickly. The parking lots at the Quality Inn provide great access for trailers/parking and they include a morning breakfast as well. Nice camping is also available at the takeout. Taos Box section River Information.
Schedule:
Friday - Sometimes we arrive on Friday during the day and run the Pilar section. A nice place for dinner is at the Embudo's Station restaurant (25 miles south of Taos) and relatively near the Pilar takeout. Great riverside restaurant! Or arrive after dark and camp above the rim before the put-in (when coming the back way from CO) or stay at Quality Inn in town (Taos).
Saturday - meet
at the
Taos Box put-in 8 am, be ready to dump your boat and get the shuttle
going quickly. Why? The put-in is very congested. The shuttle takes
about 2 hours. If you arrive late, you might get boxed in or out and not be able to
get the shuttle going in time (see the picture below of a typical Saturday in May).
We tend to get off the river and back into Taos around 4 pm (later if the flow is
low). Don't forget to pay the $3/fee per vehicle at the takeout. 
Favorite Taos Restaurants- Embudo Station (up for sale, not sure it's still open), Quadalajara Grill- 2 in Taos (south end location has easy trailer parking). Quadalajara Grill menu on our discussion group website Files section.
Sunday - Boat Taos Box section again or maybe do the Pilar section. Most people boat on Saturday and often skip on Sunday. Depends on the flow and weather.
Note about what to expect at the put-in: Please recognize that many boaters are all trying to access this put-in at about the same time. Try to unload your equipment quickly and move your vehicle out of the way. Otherwise you risk getting boxed in at the end of the dirt road and will have a difficult time getting out to begin your shuttle. The ranger will ask all boaters to move their boats (to keep unloading moving smoothly) either across the river or down/up river to maximize the cramped put-in space. This really helps everyone while the 2 hour shuttle is being run and other boaters arrive as you wait for your shuttle. Contact the River Ranger Mark Sundin if you have any questions/suggestions. The takeout is not quite as congested but the same principle applies here. Try to load up quickly and move out of the way because it seems like we all arrive at the takeout in staggered groups. Sunset Rapid is the photographer's favorite rapid to shoot and you can find your photo at www.raftphotos.com. I noticed that they take quite a few good photos of every boater that you can view/order a few days later.