Reliable for Sandhill Cranes in October and November.
Lesser Yellowlegs are reported here from late July through mid-August. Greater Yellowlegs may be present at the same time.

Restrooms are located at the Visitor Center, though not along the walking path itself.

Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, the Southwest’s first urban wildlife refuge, serves as an urban oasis for both wildlife and people.

On a former dairy farm just a few miles south of New Mexico’s largest metropolitan area, the refuge works to create a conservation stewardship legacy by working with community partners to establish a 21st-century conservation ethic and reconnect people, especially young people, to the natural world. The new refuge was established due to the partnership efforts of many in the community that recognized the importance of having a wildlife refuge in this urban setting.

Valle de Oro offers a unique environmental education and recreation opportunity in a highly-populated area while promoting a wildlife conservation message.

Valle de Oro NWR is a designated Urban NWR. Valle de Oro was a former dairy farm and is still currently in agricultural fields on a majority of the property. Long-term Refuge plans are to make the refuge into a mosaic of native Middle Rio Grande Valley habitats and an oasis for both wildlife and people. At this refuge, staff, partners, and the community are collaboratively building a refuge from scratch, keeping in mind wildlife, people, environmental justice, and more.

Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge offers spectacular vistas of the Sandia Mountains, Vulcan volcano tubes, and the lush Rio Grande Bosque.

Located on the east bank of the Rio Grande, the refuge is seven miles south of downtown Albuquerque. The 570 acres of refuge land is currently in transition from irrigated fescue and alfalfa farm fields to a diversity of Rio Grande floodplain habitats including shallow seasonal wetlands, bosque, grasslands, and upland habitats. Farming will be phased out as restoration continues.