Lakes / New Mexico / Rio Arriba County / El Vado Reservoir
El Vado Reservoir, New Mexico
3,108.34 acres
Surface Area
Where It Sits, and How Deep It Goes
Locator - New Mexico
36.62 degrees N, 106.75 degrees W - Rio Arriba County. State and county outlines drawn from Census boundary data; the lake marker is placed by its USGS National Hydrography Dataset coordinates, not by eye. Schematic - not a survey map.
How El Vado Reservoir Stacks Up
- Ranks #10 for surface area among the New Mexico lakes counted so far - 3,108.34 acres.
- About 66 miles from Taos, as the crow flies.
Lakes Nearby
| Lake | County | Distance | Surface Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thompson Lake | Rio Arriba | 4.1 mi | 87.48 acres |
| Heron Reservoir | Rio Arriba | 5.6 mi | 4,497.07 acres |
| Stinking Lake | Rio Arriba | 6.2 mi | 751.82 acres |
| Stone Lake | Rio Arriba | 9.5 mi | 470.49 acres |
| Horse Lake | Rio Arriba | 13 mi | 192.74 acres |
| Enbom Lake | Rio Arriba | 14 mi | 30.89 acres |
Straight-line distance between lake centers.
Facts and Figures
Questions About El Vado Reservoir
How Big Is El Vado Reservoir?
El Vado Reservoir covers 3,108.34 acres in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico.
What Is the Largest Lake in Rio Arriba County?
Heron Reservoir is the largest lake in Rio Arriba County, at 4,497.07 acres.
Largest Lakes in New Mexico
| # | Lake | County | Surface Area | Max Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Navajo Reservoir | San Juan | 15,363.3 acres | - |
| 2 | Elephant Butte Reservoir | Sierra | 10,908.51 acres | - |
| 3 | Ute Reservoir | Quay | 5,446.35 acres | - |
| 4 | Caballo Reservoir | Sierra | 4,617.43 acres | - |
| 5 | Heron Reservoir | Rio Arriba | 4,497.07 acres | - |
All 309 New Mexico lakes ranked by surface area
Sources: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (The National Map) lake data (ID 130614937). Verified October 30, 2026.