Rio Grande Nature Center State Park

Rio Grande Nature Center State Park Review

Along the banks of the Rio Grande, this year-round 270-acre refuge in a portion of the Bosque (about midway up on the Paseo del Bosque trail) is the nation's largest cottonwood forest. If bird-watching is your thing, you've come to the right place: this is home to all manner of birds and migratory waterfowl. Constructed half aboveground and half below the edge of a pond, the park's glass-walled interpretive center (an interesting small-scale building by noted New Mexico architect Antoine Predock) has viewing windows that provide a look at what's going on at both levels, and speakers that broadcast the sounds of the birds you're watching into the room. You may see birds, frogs, ducks, and turtles. The park has active programs for adults and children and trails for biking, walking, and jogging. Keep your eye out for what appears to be a game of jacks abandoned by giants: these jetty jacks were built in the 1950s to protect the Rio Grande levees from flood debris.