Coyote Creek SP

Coyote Creek SP

Guadalupita, New Mexico 87722

Official Website
Coyote Creek State Park map

Tips for Birding

If (except for winter) you don’t spot Belted Kingfisher at the state park, head north less than three-quarters mile to the pond on the east side of NM-434, just north of the private RV park. There they often fish from the utility wires late spring and summer, into the fall. A pull-out allows you to park and watch the action.

Birds of Interest

Though the park is open year-round, there are few lists for winter months.

All Year:   White-breasted Nuthatch, Mountain, and Black-capped Chickadees
Winter/Fall:  Dark-eyed Junco
Summer: Rufous and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Western Wood-Pewee, Cordilleran Flycatcher, Black-headed Grosbeak, MacGillivray’s, and Yellow Warblers

Willow Flycatcher has been reported on multiple occasions during the summer months.

About this Location

On the east side of NM-434, about halfway between Mora and Angel Fire, lies Coyote Creek State Park, one of the top five hotspots in Mora County, with over 130 species observed. The creek flows south through the park for over three-quarters of a mile through dense willow and brush. Boggy grassland on the west drains into the creek, whereas spruce-pine woodland having oak understory quickly rises to the east.

Notable Trails

An undeveloped fishing track passes through the park on the west side of the creek.

A developed three-quarter-mile-long trail east of the creek wanders from the group campsite at the north end of the park to the south end below the Encino Loop Campground. The trail can be made into a loop route by parking near the camp host site or on the west side of the creek across from the group site, hiking south through the campground, picking up the trail at its southern trailhead, and hiking north back to the group site. This takes you through meadowland, riparian willow-gooseberry habitat, and into spruce-pine woodland with oak understory.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Entrance fee

  • Roadside viewing

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

Content from Official Website, Northeast New Mexico Birding and Nature Trail, and John Montgomery

Last updated August 8, 2023