Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eagle Nest Dam Eagle Nest Lake outlet - head of the tailwater | Dam / hazard | 36.53177, -105.22940 | Everything on this page is below the dam. The canyon runs on releases, so the level can change between morning and afternoon; read the gauge 150 m downstream before you commit to a reach. |
| 2 | USGS 07206000 Cimarron River below Eagle Nest Dam Real-time flow and stage - the gauge this page reads | USGS gauge | 36.53213, -105.22814 | Sits immediately below the dam, so it reports the release rather than the whole canyon. USGS 07207000 near Cimarron, 33 km downstream, is the one to read for the lower river. |
| 3 | Tolby Trailhead Cimarron Canyon State Park - parking at the head of the canyon | Access / boat ramp | 36.53693, -105.22478 | First pull-off below the dam and the parking for the Tolby Creek trails. The park's Tolby free angler access area is signed near the campground entrance just downstream. |
| 4 | Tolby Campground Cimarron Canyon State Park - park office at the east end | Campsite | 36.53834, -105.22220 | Uppermost of the park's four campgrounds and where the park office sits. The state's special trout water begins at this campground's east end. |
| 5 | Special Trout Water - upper limit East end of Tolby Campground - marker on the river | Regulation section limit | 36.53794, -105.22207 | Upper boundary of the state's special trout water, which runs "from the east end of Tolby Campground downstream 1.4 miles to the first U.S. Highway 64 bridge". See NM Game and Fish for what applies inside it. |
| 6 | Blackjack Campground Cimarron Canyon State Park - tent and day-use area | Campsite | 36.52975, -105.17300 | Tent camping and a day-use area on the south side of US 64, in the narrow middle of the canyon. OSM spells it "Black Jack"; the park's own map calls it the Blackjack Tent Area. |
| 7 | Palisades Picnic Area Cimarron Canyon State Park - day use, opposite the Palisades | Access / boat ramp | 36.53682, -105.15205 | Day-use parking and picnic ground across the river from the Palisades Sill, the 120 m granite wall the canyon is known for. Short walk to the water. |
| 8 | Maverick Campground Cimarron Canyon State Park - Gravel Pit Lakes | Campsite | 36.54554, -105.13394 | The park's largest campground, beside the Gravel Pit Lakes. The lakes are stocked and are the usual fallback when the river is low or off colour. |
| 9 | Ponderosa Campground Cimarron Canyon State Park - US 64 | Campsite | 36.54745, -105.13061 | Easternmost of the park campgrounds, a few hundred metres below Maverick and close to the lower end of the park water. |
| 10 | Ute Park Trailhead Trailhead parking at Ute Park | Access / boat ramp | 36.56080, -105.08872 | Parking at the village of Ute Park, at the lower end of the canyon fishery. OSM spells it "Ute park Trailhead". |
| 11 | NM State Forestry Office (Ute Park) State agency office on US 64 at Ute Park | Agency / conservation office | 36.56482, -105.07761 | The one staffed agency office between Eagle Nest and Cimarron, on the highway a few hundred metres off the river. Useful for fire restrictions and road status in the canyon. |
| 12 | USGS 07207000 Cimarron River near Cimarron Real-time flow and stage - lower river | USGS gauge | 36.51983, -104.97861 | Second station on the river, at the mouth of the canyon above the town of Cimarron. Reads the whole canyon's accumulated flow rather than just the dam release. |
Gauge: USGS 07206000 — CIMARRON RIVER BELOW EAGLE NEST DAM, NM. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout
Regulations: wildlife.dgf.nm.gov/fishing/
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Below Eagle Nest Dam - the gauge reach and the top of the tailwater.
Cimarron Canyon State Park, Gravel Pit Lakes - the main developed access and campground.
Maverick Campground - midcanyon access with parking and trails to the water.
Ponderosa Campground - upper canyon access off US 64.
Blackjack Canyon trailhead - walk-in access to less pressured pocket water.
Tolby Campground - lower canyon access near the park boundary.
Town of Cimarron - the bottom of the canyon reach and the Philmont boundary water.
Spring: runoff and irrigation releases can blow the river out, but edges fish well.
Summer: the prime season, with cold releases and strong terrestrial fishing in the canyon.
Fall: brown trout color up and move, and the canyon is at its best scenically.
Winter: limited access in heavy snow but the tailwater stays open and fishable in mild spells.