The Rio Bosque Wetlands Park is a 372-acre park along the Rio Grande on the southwest side of El Paso.
The description of the wetlands in the Mission Trail brochure we picked up at the downtown El Paso Visitor’s Center convinced us to take this much-needed nature escape.
The park includes trails, restored habitats, riverside woods, and native ecosystems. After visiting their website for operating hours, directions, and information on specific trails, we made plans to go the following day. On Sunday, November 6th, we packed the dogs in the car and headed out.
Getting There
The Rio Bosque Wetland Park is located south of Loop 375, off the Pan American Drive in El Paso, Texas. This map highlights the landmarks to assist with navigation. It also shows where each trailhead is located.
The Visitor Center is a short walk from the Bosque Trailhead parking lot. After picking up brochures for the three trails, we chose the 1.5-mile Wetland Loop Trail for our much-needed nature walk.
A group of hikers heading back in passed us as we headed out on the trail. They were the only people we saw on the trail that day. And because of that, we let the dogs go off-leash for most of the walk.
It was their first time off-leash since we left home in mid-October.
It was a treat for all of us!
The Trails
Along the trail, there are posts with numbers corresponding to an item of interest on the trail map. We followed the trail as much as possible. Except, when we saw something interesting in another direction, we took a detour onto one of the other trails. Luckily, we’d picked up maps for all three trails, which helped us navigate back to the Wetland Loop trail each time.
We saw many of the plants and trees listed in the brochures we picked up at the Visitor’s Center and have tried to identify them as much as possible in our pictures.
These are pictures of a Willow Baccaris tree and a close-up of its leaves and flower heads. Hanging from a branch are the seed pods of the Tornillo. Also known as Screwbean Mesquite. The delicate white flowers are found on the Seepwillow tree.
As we continued along the trail, a windmill came into view. Near the windmill was a weathered structure that held trail signs.
The trail narrowed as we arrived at the wetlands. One of the first things we noticed was a snake on the side of the trail. As we approached, it slithered down the bank toward the water, which was good because Max wanted to check it out.
Wetlands
We moved from the Wetland Loop Trail to the Rio Loop Trail at a junction to see more of the wetlands. However, we did not take the trail to the far side.
Cattails are very abundant here, with and without tail inflorescences.
Back on the Trail
We continued along the trail past markers 8 and 9, where we saw more Tornillo trees with interesting screwbean pods. Reaching an irrigation canal at marker 10, we stopped to read how the canal waters the bosque.
At this point, we saw another windmill in the distance and the vibrant yellow leaves of the Rio Grande Cottonwoods. Fall colors!
We turned off the orange duck trail and followed the yellow dragonfly trail toward the windmill for a closer look.
While Andy took pictures of the windmill, the dogs and I rested in the shade. They had been very active since we started the hike.
It didn’t take long before Sadie was ready to go. She turned around to find Andy walking towards us. Max’s paws were muddy from walking in the wetlands. Thankfully, they were white again when we got back to the car.
The remainder of the trail followed a water channel. According to the trail guide, the channel is an old bend of the Rio Grande that was cut off when the river was straightened to its current location in the 1930s.
It was a very scenic part of the trail and we took our time as we headed back towards the trailhead at the Visitor’s Center.
When we arrived at the parking lot, the dogs were ready to get in the car and rest. They were exhausted and happy. We were refreshed and talked about taking the longer Rio Loop trail next time.
If you enjoy nature and trails, check out Hiking the Old Tin Mine Trail, another El Paso gem.
UPDATE: Since we visited the Rio Bosque Wetlands, a highway project has been proposed adjacent to the wetlands that would have damaging effects on the environment. Read more about it Here.
Peggy Staver, the author of this blog, is a freelance copywriter specializing in outdoor recreation and hospitality. You can contact her at PSCopywriting.com. The majority of photos are taken by Photography by Andreas. Visit his portfolio here.
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Beautiful shots!
Thank you!