Paseo del Bosque: a day trip in Albuquerque

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One outdoor gem in Albuquerque is the Paseo del Bosque Trail. This open space surrounds the Rio Grande and spans the entire Albuquerque metro area from North to South.  There are many little trails to explore as well as a 16 mile paved, uninterrupted multi-use trail.

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The Bosque is beautiful.  In fall, cottonwood trees glow gold. (It’s a great place to take family Christmas pictures.)  This time of year it’s filled with green foliage and speckled with wild flowers.  For desert dwellers, the river’s mesmerizing.

The Bosque can be accessed many places along the river, some access points have parking and some don’t–Check the city’s website here for details on the various access points.   I usually choose Alameda or Central.  These are nice since there are winding dirt trails for my kids to explore without me worrying about a bike running over a toddler studying a leaf or bug.

Last Saturday we packed a picnic lunch and went exploring.  Although it was quite warm, there was adequate shade and a slight breeze making it comfortable.  Close to the river there were some mosquitoes, so you may want to wear repellent or go earlier in the day.  My 2 and 4 year olds loved running around and collecting various leafs and sticks.

There’s a lot to see in the Bosque– see if you and your kids can spot some of these.

Cottonwood trees

These majestic trees are one of my favorites parts of the Bosque.  There are many downed trees that are perfect to climb on as well.  The trees have large, heart shaped leaves.

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The Cottonwood trees in the fall.

Dogs

Pretty self explanatory.  My daughter loves pointing them out.

Coyote Willow

This narrow leaf  small willow litters the entire Bosque area, some are large and some are small.  The leafs can be green or silver gray.

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my son exploring some Coyote Willow

Bicycles

Also self explanatory.  Try taking yours!

Rio Grande

It’s water.  Need I say more?  You can usually find birds and ducks on it.  I hear there are also beavers, but I’ve not seen one before.

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the Rio Grande

Weather you pack a picnic and spend an hour, take your bikes, or spend all day there’s plenty to explore at the Bosque.  If you’ve been, what entrance do you like?

2 COMMENTS

  1. We went on a little hike from the entrance at Coors and Montaño, down to the river and along it for a short way. We were with a homeschool group and took note of all the different plants and then went to the tables at the entrance and the kids did some amazing art inspired by the walk. It was beautiful!

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