The Canadian River is a very long, major U.S. waterway that flows from its headwaters in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in far southern Colorado border near Raton Pass, down through eastcentral New Mexico, then east across the Texas Panhandle into Oklahoma, where it drains a sizeable portion of that state before reaching its confluence with the Arkansas River just west of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Starting as a narrow river in New Mexico, the Canadian gains in size after entering Oklahoma, and becomes a waterway that, in places, is more than a mile wide. In New Mexico, the river has a navigable flow that is usually limited to years of above normal rainfall in the desert between Raton and Tucumcari. Its major tributaries include the Vermejo, Ute, Mora, Conchas and Cimarron Rivers, most of which offer paddlers really great whitewater runs when they flow. The geology of the Canadian River includes granite cliffs and canyons hear the headwaters and a deep sandstone canyon with historical ancient ruins between the Cornudo Hills to the west and the Kiowa National Grasslands to the east. Golden and bald eagles can be seen soaring high over the river valley, but few signs of civilization will be found along the river and its tributaries.

Click the links below for information regarding the section of the Canadian river and its tributaries where you want to paddle.

[ Raton to Springer ] [ Springer to Conchas Reservoir ] [ Cimarron River ] [ Conchas River ] [ Mora River ] [ Ute River ] [ Vermejo River ]