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Rio Grande Nature Center State Park, Albuquerque, NM

Photo: Mike Pedroncelli, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & Outdoors

Rio Grande Nature Center State Park

A day-use nature park beside the Rio Grande known for birdwatching, wildlife ponds, and native plant gardens.

2901 Candelaria Rd., NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107 · Albuquerque, NM

About Rio Grande Nature Center State Park

This New Mexico state park sits along a major migratory bird route and offers birding through the year. Visitors can watch wildlife from indoor and outdoor viewing areas that overlook ponds, and can stroll a native plant garden and a pollinator garden. Hiking and interpretive trails run through the grounds, and adjacent city trails lead toward the river and the bosque. The visitor center has exhibits and a nature shop. Schools, scout troops, and other groups may visit on a self-guided or guided basis after registering in advance. The park is day-use only, and leashed pets are allowed only in the parking area and on the adjacent city trails.

  • #birdwatching
  • #wildlife viewing
  • #nature center
  • #native plants
  • #pollinator garden

What's around here?

The closest stops to Rio Grande Nature Center State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

    Under $25

    Museum created by New Mexico's 19 Pueblos showcasing Pueblo art, history, and living traditions.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

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  • Tours
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    World Balloon

    $50+

    Sunrise hot air balloon flights over Albuquerque's Rio Grande Valley and Sandia Mountains.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    2.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Shopping
    Local Gem

    Old Town Albuquerque

    No admission fee

    Adobe storefronts, turquoise jewelry stalls, and a 300-year-old church around a shaded plaza.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    2.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Sports & Outdoors
    History Buff

    Petroglyph National Monument

    No admission fee

    Thousands of images carved into volcanic rock by Ancestral Puebloan and Spanish settlers over 700 years.

    3.8 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Cerrillos Hills State Park

    Check prices

    A day-use state park near Santa Fe and Albuquerque with about five miles of trails through old mining country.

    38 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Outdoor Adventure

    Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

    $25–$50

    Hike among cone-shaped tent rocks up to 90 feet tall on a slot canyon trail and a cave loop on Cochiti Pueblo land.

    40 mi awayMore like this

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