Leaving the reservoir, the river passes under Colorado State Highway 17 and turns south.

Here, it receives a tributary, North Fork Rio de los Pinos.

Then the river flows generally east and southeast through New Mexico until it reaches the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.

At this point, it turns northeast, crosses the border into Colorado once again, still in Conejos County, and joins the Rio San Antonio.

It flows through the South San Juan Wilderness, the Rio Grande National Forest, the Carson National Forest, the Cruces Basin Wilderness area (the river forms the northern boundary of part of this wilderness area), the Rio de los Pinos Wildlife Area,[5] Bureau of Land Management land, and the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.