Updated July 2026
Soda Dam
A travertine mineral dam on the Jemez River where the river breaks over an ~50-foot calcium-carbonate formation, viewable right from NM Highway 4 north of Jemez Springs.
Before you go
Waterfalls are hazardous by nature — wet rock, cold water, and unstable edges — and flow varies enormously with season and recent rain. Trail figures here describe the route as documented, not conditions today. Check Santa Fe National Forest (USFS) for closures and current conditions, and confirm land status before setting out.
Graded lakes within 25 miles
- AFenton Lake · Sandoval County · 6.5 mi
- CSan Gregorio Deep Lake · Rio Arriba County · 19.2 mi
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Frequently Asked Questions
Soda Dam drops about 50 feet. That makes it the 400th-tallest documented waterfall in this inventory, taller than roughly 42% of the falls listed here. Height comes from published land-manager and survey records, not from our own measurement.
Access is documented as roadside. No trail distance is on record for Soda Dam. The nearest town is Jemez Springs. Confirm access and land status with Santa Fe National Forest (USFS) before setting out — some documented falls have no public route at all.
year-round. Waterfall flow swings enormously with snowmelt and recent rain, so a fall that roars in spring can be a trickle by late summer.
More New Mexico waterfalls
- Bluff Springs Waterfall
- Bridal Veil Falls · 45 ft
- Catwalk Falls (Whitewater Canyon)
- El Salto del Agua Falls
- Jemez Falls · 70 ft
- Nambe Falls · 100 ft
- Rio en Medio Falls · 20 ft
- Sitting Bull Falls · 150 ft
Sources
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