Visiting the Bosque
The Bosque del Apache sits on State Highway 1, eight miles from the village of San Antonio, NM. It is open year-round, from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. Visitors pay a nominal entrance fee.
The visitor center offers a bookstore, informational videos, maps, and schedules. Front desk staff are available to answer questions. A 15-mile scenic automobile loop winds through the wetlands, with observation platforms for close wildlife viewing. Hiking trails and picnic sites are also available.
Camping and overnight parking are not allowed within the refuge. Nearby campsites and RV parks provide accommodations, and hotels in Socorro (20 miles north) and Truth or Consequences (60 miles south) make it easy to catch sunrise or sunset at the preserve.
Nearby RV Parks:
- Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park – 1481 NM-1, San Antonio, NM 87832 | 575.517.6841
- Chupadero Mountain View RV Park – 1523 NM-1, San Antonio, NM 87832 | 575.518.8264
Exploring the Middle Rio Grande Valley
The Owl Bar and Café
Most visitors pass through San Antonio, home to three local burger joints. The most famous is the Owl Bar and Café, run by the same family since the late 1930s. Prospectors—and scientists working between Los Alamos and the Trinity atomic bomb site—once frequented the café.
The Owl Bar has served its signature green chile cheeseburger since 1945. Pair it with fries or onion rings and a cold beer for a true New Mexico experience.
The Very Large Array
Fifty miles west of Socorro lies the Very Large Array (VLA), a radio telescope facility operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Twenty-seven dish antennae (plus a spare) form a Y-shaped configuration that catches faint radio waves from space. Each dish measures 82 feet across, and tracks can stretch from two-thirds of a mile to 23 miles.
The VLA visitor center includes a theater, science exhibits, gift shop, and an outdoor self-guided walking tour. Standing beneath the massive dishes, it’s humbling to realize scientists are detecting signals from millions of years ago.
Through the Flower Art Space
Feminist artist Judy Chicago and her husband, photographer Donald Woodman, live and work in Belen, just south of Albuquerque. In 2019, they opened Through the Flower Art Space, a permanent exhibition dedicated to their work.
The nonprofit originally began in 1977 to support Chicago’s iconic The Dinner Party. Today, it continues to provide education and opportunities to learn about women’s history through art.
Truth or Consequences
Truth or Consequences, formerly Hot Springs, NM, changed its name in 1951 following a radio show contest. It serves as a convenient base for exploring southern New Mexico.
The town offers easy access to the Bosque del Apache (60 miles north), recreation at Elephant Butte Reservoir, geothermal hot springs, and quirky galleries and shops. Riverbend Hot Springs and Hotel provides themed rooms, private and public mineral springs, and an RV park overlooking the Rio Grande.
Story by Mara Christian Harris
Photo Credits: Judy Chicago
The Dinner Party, 1974–79
Ceramic, porcelain, textile
576 × 576 in (1463 × 1463 cm)
Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, 2002.10
© Judy Chicago/Artist Rights Society (ARS) New York; Photo ©Donald Woodman/ARS NY
