Mesilla Valley Bosque

New Mexico's newest state park, Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park opened up to the public in December of 2008. It encompasses 300 acres of bosque along the Rio Grande and 600 acres of adjacent desert. This past Wednesday I had some free time and it was a beautiful day so we decided to go check it out. It was nice to get out of the city and enjoy the quiet. The park is mainly used for bird-watching, and we saw a few birds and waterfowl, as well as a rabbit. The park also has a very nice little visitors center with information on the bosque as well as the history of the Mesilla Valley. As with all state parks in New Mexico, there is a fee charged, which was $5.00. That might be a little high for this park, but I understand they must get funding from somewhere. It was a nice little hike and is a great place to get away from the noise of Las Cruces or El Paso for a little while.

Looking south towards the Franklin Mountains and El Paso


The trail we took through the bosque. There is another trail that goes into the desert vegetation. These trails are just old roads.














Organ Mountains