Rio Grande Nature Center State Park

Parks › New Mexico › Rio Grande Nature Center (NM)

Quick Facts

Rio Grande Nature Center State Park

New Mexico

(505) 344-7240

Map Directions

Things To Do

Overview

Venture the winding trails that pass along the lush cottonwood riverside forest and beautiful Rio Grande. New Mexico's Rio Grande Nature Center offers naturalist-led hikes, bosque exploration, exhibits, hands-on activities, teacher workshops, seasonal classes, and special events for visitors of all ages. One of the highlights of the Nature Center is its glass-walled library, which provides a unique opportunity to view bosque birds and other wildlife in their natural habitat. A unique speaker system transmits the real sounds of pond life into the room.

Map of Rio Grande Nature Center (NM)

Latitude, Longitude: 35.128607, -106.683275

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Activities

  • Bird Watching

    Rio Grande Nature Center State Park is the winter home to Canada geese, sandhill cranes, and various species of ducks and other waterfowl. There are indoor and outdoor wildlife viewing areas overlooking ponds.

  • Bicycling

    Bikes can use the Candelaria Trail through the park to the Paseo del Bosque Trail (a 16-mile paved urban trail): http://www.cabq.gov/openspace/paseodelbosquetrail.html. To ensure quality wildlife viewing, bicycles are not permitted on the nature trails.

  • Hiking

    The bosque, or riverside forest, features three-miles of nature trails which wind through tall cottonwoods, past willow thickets, and open sand flats alongside the Rio Grande.

    The 1.7-mile network of trails between the Nature Center and the Rio Grande offers excellent birding opportunities. To ensure quality wildlife viewing, bicycles* and dogs are not permitted on the nature trails. *Bikes and dogs can use the Candelaria Trail through the park to the Paseo del Bosque Trail (a 16-mile paved urban trail): http://www.cabq.gov/openspace/paseodelbosquetrail.html.

  • Picnicking

    The park has picnic tables and a group picnic shelter.

  • Wildlife Watching

    Reptile, insect, and mammal inhabitants of the park include turtles, toads, lizards, bull snakes, native bees, butterflies, moths, dragonflies, beavers, muskrats, porcupines, cottontail rabbits, pocket gophers, rock squirrels and coyotes.

Park Partners

Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center

Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center is a non-profit 50l(c)3 organization that supports the Nature Center's mission to preserve and protect the Rio Grande bosque, to educate the public about Rio Grande ecosystems, and to foster positive human interactions with those systems. The Friends fund classes for over 12,000 schoolchildren each year, manage the Nature Shop and support a number of ecological research projects. Led by a force of 170 trained naturalists, the Friends serve a total of 130,000 Nature Center visitors with classes, guided walks,and other educational activities.

(505) 343-1373

Directions

Driving

Rio Grande Nature Center State Park is at the west end of Candelaria Road NW. From I-40 take exit 157A onto Rio Grande Boulevard north for three blocks, and turn left onto Candelaria Road; from I-25 take exit 227 (Frontage Road) and turn right onto Candelaria Road.

Phone Numbers

Primary

(505) 344-7240

Links