APD warns against motorized vehicles in dry Rio Grande bosque

Motorized vehicles do not belong in the dry Rio Grande riverbed or the cottonwood bosque, Albuquerque police said, as drought, heat and wind make the river corridor more fragile across Bernalillo County. The warning comes with the Fourth of July season approaching, when fireworks and open flames can turn a scenic recreation area into a public-safety problem in minutes.

The City of Albuquerque says the Paseo del Bosque Trail is its "premiere multi-use trail," a paved route that runs about 16 miles from Alameda Boulevard to Rio Bravo Boulevard through the Rio Grande bosque. The city’s open space rules include specific restrictions on motor vehicles, and the Albuquerque Open Space Division says APD Open Space Unit officers patrol these areas by foot, vehicle and mountain bicycle to educate visitors and enforce the rules.

City officials say the danger is not just to the landscape. New Mexico remains in drought, and the city warns that dry vegetation, high temperatures and high winds create conditions ripe for large-scale fires. The New Mexico State Forester’s statewide restrictions, effective April 6, 2026, prohibit fireworks, campfires, open burning and related activities on covered lands. Local rules also prohibit fireworks and open flames in the bosque, city parks and open space areas.

The city may enforce Level II or Level III Bosque closures when fire danger rises, especially in spring and early summer. During a Level II closure, the paved Paseo del Bosque Trail and the levee roads on both sides of the river remain open, keeping legal access in place while closing off the most vulnerable stretches of the bosque.

Rio Grande Valley State Park, established by the New Mexico Legislature in 1983, is managed cooperatively by the City of Albuquerque Open Space Division and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District. The city says the bosque and open space lands are protected for scenic, ecological, recreational and cultural value, which is why off-road driving and fire risk draw quick attention from officers and firefighters.

The concern has become routine by the holiday calendar. Albuquerque Fire Rescue responded to 140 outside fires and four structure fires linked to fireworks during the 2024 holiday weekend, and in June 2025 city officials said multiple bosque fires were human-caused and stepped up patrols and surveillance ahead of July 4. With dry conditions lingering, police are again urging residents to keep vehicles on roads, keep flames out of the river corridor and treat the bosque as protected open space, not a shortcut or a playground.