Rio Brazos (New Mexico) abruptly west into the Brazos Box, one of the largest canyons in New Mexico with a maximum depth of more than . Here, it passes the Brazos Cliffs, receives Gavilan and Encinado Creeks, and picks up an unnamed tributary which feeds Brazos Falls, reputedly New Mexico's highest waterfall with a total drop of . Northeast of Tierra Amarilla, the river emits from the mountains, receiving Chavez Creek from the right. It passes the settlements of Ensenada, Brazos and Los Ojos before flowing into the Rio Chama about northwest of Santa Fe. The Brazos is a perennial stream, reaching its highest
Smith Rock State Park the Crooked River (elev. 2600 ft), making the cliffs about 600 feet high. The origin of the Smith Rock name is uncertain. One story, published the Albany "States Rights Democrat" in 1867, states that Smith Rock was named after John Smith, who was Linn County Sheriff and an Oregon state legislator in the 1850s and 1860s. The newspaper article credits Smith with "discovering" the rock. Another story claims the rock was named after a soldier named Smith who fell to his death from the rock in 1863 while his unit was camped nearby. The State of Oregon obtained the park