El Vado Dam is a part of the complex Rio Grande Conservancy District
flood and irrigation project. It holds the water of the Chama River,
which flows west, south, and then east into the Rio Grande. The country
surrounding El Vado Lake is beautiful and contains some of the finest
trout fishing streams in the state. At the lake itself there are camping
facilities, including trailer spaces (no hookups for water or
electricity). The lake is at an elevation of 7000 feet and is one of the
important flood-control bodies of water in New Mexico.