El Vado Reservoir, also known as El Vado Lake, is a reservoir on the Rio Chama in northern New Mexico in Rio Arriba County. At about 6,900 feet above sea level, it covers roughly 3,200 acres and stretches about 5 miles long and more than 1 mile wide. It was formed by the earth-filled El Vado Dam, completed in 1935, which is 642 feet long and 175 feet high. The reservoir flooded land once part of the Tierra Amarilla Land Grant and submerged the former town of El Vado, which had 1,000 residents in 1910. Today the lake is also a recreational area with boating, fishing, camping, and a trail linking to Heron Lake State Park.