This hotspot was established in Spring 2021, but with 131 complete checklists being submitted by the end of 2022, there is enough data that eBird species-frequency bar charts are reliable indicators of the birds you might observe (though data for December is somewhat sparse).  Prior to 2021, birds observed on the Trail were listed at the general Oliver Lee Memorial State Park hotspot. Even today, campground or Dog Canyon Trail birders who do not want to go to the trouble of submitting separate lists are probably listing their Nature Trail sightings as observed at the overall Park hotspot. However, it is helpful to researchers and other birders if you are as specific as possible with respect to the location you birded. Of course, birders should not list for the Nature Trail observations made elsewhere at the park

Water from rain and snowmelt in the Sacramento Mountains makes its way through cracks and fissures in the limestone, coming out in seeps and springs in Dog Canyon, running for a short course on the surface before disappearing again below ground. These seeps from the canyon walls collect as surface water in the canyon bottom, creating an oasis for plant life such as wild grapes which feed and shelter diverse bird species.   The Nature Trail was constructed to facilitate observations of this riparian area.   

The Nature Trail has undergone many changes over the years. There was once a boardwalk along the portion east (upstream) of the point where the trail descending from the trailhead at the Visitor Center meets the stream, as well as a developed trail downstream from that point, first streamside and then along the mesa, finally up to Frenchy’s cabin and back to the VC. The boardwalk was destroyed in the 2006 monsoon flood, whereas most of the lower trail was destroyed during the monsoon season of 2008.  

As of early 2023, a narrow but easy trail extends about 500 feet from the Visitor Center down to a small picnic table beside a spring at the canyon base (beware of poison ivy here). From there, the hiker must clamber through brush and over slippery rocks to reach deeper pools upstream, frequented by Western Tanager during Spring. Adventurous birders may brave the smooth rock surfaces and loose stones to reach denser vegetation with larger trees even further upstream, before meeting the very narrow canyon passage which is likely to be dry. The southside canyon walls are much too steep to allow a person to reach the Dog Canyon Trail far above. East of the picnic table, then, your route would be up the canyon and back out the same way.

West of the picnic table, the narrow trail passes over the stream, which may lie in two beds depending on recent rainfall, a few hundred feet to a bench below mature cottonwood and other deciduous trees. Black-chinned Hummingbirds are known to nest here. There is no trail much beyond the bench and rarely water except in small pools after rain. To continue down the canyon, you have to scramble over the smooth rock surfaces until reaching the gravelly lower wash;  this is not a place to be caught during monsoon storms, as the canyon sides are steep and crumbly. Eventually, arroyo walls become low enough that a hiker can exit to the south near the group campground site. A well-developed portion of the trail leads from there through opuntia and ocotillo to Frenchy’s cabin, and back to the Visitor Center.   The lower Nature Trail thus forms a loop of not much more than half a mile and could be hiked in either direction.

The Riparian Nature Trail is a 0.5-mile loop.

Set against the dramatic Sacramento Mountains, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park features a historic ranch house, quiet camping in the Chihuahuan Desert, and a unique oasis of pools of water under the cottonwood trees of Dog Canyon.

Enjoy a short walk on the Riparian Nature Trail or a challenging hike up the Dog Canyon Trail.

The AllTrails website has a description and map of a hike on the Nature Trail.