New Mexico's winters are a sun-lover's dream, even during the darkest days of December and January. In Albuquerque, residents enjoy 310 days of sunny rays shining on us (and we feel like this number is actually low). Fans of snow sports can find their bliss in the mountains just outside Albuquerque (see previous post on cross country skiing and snowshoeing in the Sandias), but for those seeking dry land walking, bird watching and cycling, the woods around the Rio Grande are a playground.
The Paseo del Bosque (forest trail), or simply "the bosque," is open space that parallels the arroyos (ditches or diversion channels) near the Rio Grande. Spanning the city from Alameda Blvd. in the north to Bridge Blvd. to the south, the 16 miles of paved trails offer cyclists, dog walkers and joggers with strollers uninterrupted level ground with a view.
Several access points allow for free or low-cost parking and boast public restrooms, including the Rio Grande Nature Center at the west end of Candelaria. The bosque is a winter home to sandhill cranes, Canada geese and a variety of ducks who flock the Nature Center pond and can be heard and seen in and around the river during these cooler months. Other feathered friends spotted in the bosque include owls, herons and even bald eagles.
Visitors to the trails can enjoy public art installations including carvings made from the aftermath of the 2003 bosque wildfire at Montaño Blvd. The historic Tingley Beach at Central Ave. provides free parking by its three fishing lakes, and is another great spot for easy bird watching.
There are a few wildlife reintroduction ponds just to the west of Tingley Beach and east of the Rio Grande where turtles, coyote and beavers are flourishing, among a gaggle of birds and numerous other critters. Step off the paved trails most anywhere along the 16 miles to find less-traveled, tree-lined gravel paths, often with access to the river.
And not just the usual woodland creatures abound, but while rollerblading or cycling near Tingley Beach, elephants can often be seen over the fence of the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo which backs up to the street paralleling the bosque trail. Check out the botanical gardens and take a ride on the narrow-gauge trains operating out of the BioPark.
Since the bosque is super popular with locals and visitors to Albuquerque alike, keep dogs on leashes and on the trails, cyclists and rollerbladers must yield to walkers and everyone yields to horseback riders.
Comments