{"id":84,"date":"2019-03-10T03:29:47","date_gmt":"2019-03-10T03:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rgnc.org\/?page_id=84"},"modified":"2025-08-14T16:27:46","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T22:27:46","slug":"park-info","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.rgnc.org\/index.php\/park-info\/","title":{"rendered":"Park Information"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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General Information\"\"<\/h3>

The Rio Grande Nature Center State Park (RGNCSP) is one of 35 parks in the New Mexico State Park system. To contact the Park, call (505) 344-7240. To view the State Parks\u2019 web site, click here<\/a>. For matters pertaining to the Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center,\u00a0 please call our office at (505) 343-1373 or email us at friends@rgnc.org.<\/p>

To download a Park Map click here<\/a>.<\/p>

To contact Wildlife Rescue, a wild animal rehabilitation facility located just inside the entrance to the park, call (505) 344-2500.<\/p>

Parking fees<\/strong>\u00a0(applicable all year):
Motor Vehicles (Residents and non-residents) – $5
NM Resident School Bus – free
Non-resident School Bus – $15
Commercial charter bus – $50
Walk-in\/bicycle – free (bike racks are available)<\/p>

All schools and other groups of eight or more people visiting the Park, whether you are self-guided or attending a guided program, please complete a Field Trip Request Form on the Rio Grande Nature State Park\u2019s website<\/a>\u00a0or by going to the Field Trips and Group Programming page.<\/p>

Don\u2019t want to pay fees each time? Become a member of the Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center, which includes an annual day-use pass, by clicking\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0 New Mexico State Parks Annual Camping and Annual Day-use passes (NOT valid at Rio Grande Nature Center State Park) can be purchased online<\/a> or at the park\u2019s Visitor Center during open hours (cash or check only for in-person purchases).<\/p>

Hours:
<\/b>Open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year\u2019s Day<\/span><\/p>

Gates: 8:00am – 5:00pm
Visitor Center: 9:00am – 4:00pm
Nature Shop: 10:00am – 2:00pm (Monday – Thursday), 10:00am – 4:00pm (Friday – Sunday)<\/p>

Park Rules<\/h3>

Pet and Bicycle Restrictions:<\/strong>
Pet walking and bicycle riding are not permitted on the grounds of the park, with the exception of the gravel parking lot.\u00a0 However, the City of Albuquerque Open Space Division allows leashed dog walking and bike riding on trails within and along the bosque (but outside the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park itself). Visitors with pets or bicycles may access these trails via the Candelaria access path that links Candelaria Road with the Paseo del Bosque bike path. Per ADA standards, dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities are welcome in the park.<\/p>

Fire Restrictions:<\/strong>
The Rio Grande Nature Center State Park and the adjacent CABQ Open Space bosque are permanently under Stage One fire restrictions. There are NO places where smoking or fires are permitted in the bosque. During times of high fire danger, access to the bosque may be limited or closed.<\/p>

No Remote-Controlled Aircraft:<\/strong>
Launching, landing, or operating unmanned or remote-controlled aircraft within the park area is prohibited per NM Administrative Code 19.5.2.9.<\/p>

Inclement Weather:<\/strong>
The gates of the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park normally open at 8:00 a.m.; however, if Albuquerque Public Schools are closed or delayed due to inclement weather, the park will open at 10:00 a.m. In the event of inclement weather when school is not in session, please visit the State Personnel Office website<\/a> for delays or closures of State Facilities in Albuquerque.<\/p>

Facility Rental:<\/strong>
Per the Park\u2019s Management Plan, facility rental must align with our mission, \u201cTo preserve and protect the Rio Grande bosque, to educate the public about Rio Grande ecosystems, and to foster positive human interactions with those systems.\u201d For inquiries regarding facility rental, contact the Park Superintendent Levi Dean at levi.dean@emnrd.nm.gov or at 505-344-7240.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Facilities and Outdoor Spaces<\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\"Visitor<\/figure>

Visitor Center<\/h3>

The Visitor Center at the Rio Grande Nature Center was designed by architect Antoine Predock and completed in 1982. It contains interpretive exhibits about the plants, animals, geology, and hydrology of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque ecosystem. At the Visitor Center, front-desk volunteers are available to answer questions, sell park memberships, offer trail guides, and loan binoculars and field guides. The Discovery Room offers children a chance to explore and play with exhibits, puzzles, games, puppets, arts & crafts, and more. The Observation Room overlooks a three-acre pond offering up-close encounters with ducks, turtles, dragonflies, and more; it has comfortable seating and brings in the sounds from the pond via a microphone located near one of the bird feeders. It also contains a non-circulating reference library filled with publications on birds, herbs, trees, and other aspects of natural history. Restrooms and water fountains are also located in the Visitor Center.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\"Adult<\/figure>

Education Building<\/h3>

\nOpened in July 2011, the Nature Center\u2019s education building offers 5,500 square feet of space to meet the educational needs of 130,000 children and adults who visit the park each year. Located east of the entrance road, the half-acre site, previously bare dirt where a house once stood, now creates new habitat for wildlife. This multifunctional building contains offices and classrooms\/meeting rooms for talks, public screenings, and special events as well as student activities.\n\nThe structure itself is a showcase of green building techniques and features: It is heated and cooled with high efficiency rooftop photo-voltaic power panels, resulting in net-zero energy use as it generates as much energy as it consumes. Materials incorporated in the construction use recycled content wherever practical, such as countertops and steel. Materials obtained from local manufactured sources include cement, gypsum board, aggregate, and SIP panels. The building incorporates rapidly renewable materials, such as straw in door cores and other panels, as well as local New Mexico materials like stone. Cisterns store storm water for restrooms and irrigation of native plants.\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\"Nature<\/figure>

Nature Shop<\/h3>

Inside the Visitor Center, the Friends Nature Shop is open from Monday - Thursday 10:00am - 2:00pm and Friday - Sunday 10:00am - 4:00pm and carries a wide variety of educational materials and just-for-fun merchandise for adults and children. In addition to the first-rate books on birds, animals, plants, and other natural history topics, the shop contains unusual nature-related gift items, including clothing, jewelry, glass, pottery, and fabric art, much of which has been created by local artists and volunteers. Friends members receive a 10% discount on merchandise and a 20% holiday discount throughout December. All purchases are tax-free and support the park.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\"Cottonwood<\/figure>

Park Grounds<\/h3>

About one third of the Park grounds are open to the public. The remaining areas provide quieter habitat for wildlife. The public areas of the Nature Center offer short trails leading to wildlife viewing areas, views of the Sandia Mountains, the Native Plant and Mariposaville gardens, and a group shelter for picnicking. There are four constructed ponds on the grounds of the Park. While all are closed to the public, two have special areas for viewing wildlife and one, the Discovery Pond, is reserved for education and research and is made available for field trip groups throughout the year.\n <\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\"Flowers<\/figure>

Native Plant Garden<\/h3>

Discover the special beauty of native plants. Enjoy the magic of nature all around you: birds, bees, butterflies, lizards, the occasional porcupine, and, of course, the native plants. The Native Plant Garden is a place to photograph, birdwatch, inspire, paint, draw, write a poem, read, relax, ponder peacefully, and marvel at a changing garden-scape every season of the year.\n\nIn the 1.5-acre garden area, there are more than 200 individually labeled plants representing 63 plant families to educate visitors and inspire ideas for home gardens. A kiosk near the garden entrance includes a large map to orient visitors and offers educational tidbits. The garden has water features and feeding stations for birds. Try to locate the partial foundation of a slaughterhouse that operated here in the 1950\u2019s. See if you can find the fairy glade. See what else you can find! Come for a visit and let the garden surprise you.\n\n\n\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\"Native<\/figure>

Mariposaville Pollinator Garden<\/span><\/h3>

South of the parking lot is a small garden devoted to providing habitat to pollinators and teaching us all about these important creatures' lives and the job they do for the ecosystem. Visitors can also learn about strategies for dry land gardening. When exploring in this garden, make sure to be mindful of staying on the trail as ground-nesting bees often build hives throughout the planted areas.\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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