The Nature Conservancy closed Santa Fe Canyon Preserve on July 10, 2026. TNC gave increased wildlife activity in and around the preserve as the reason. As of early October the preserve page still reads "CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC," with a July note that the closure holds "until further notice." No reopening date has been posted.
The closure tells the east side something. The drought that pushed animals across the preserve also brought them down Canyon Road and into town. The preserve did not close because it failed. It closed because this year it stopped working as a buffer between the canyon and the neighborhood. That shapes which walks make sense this October, and it puts a few household chores on the list alongside the walking.
What the Notice Actually Says
The preserve covers 525 acres near the corner of Upper Canyon Road and Cerro Gordo Road. In a normal year it draws more than 30,000 visitors and 5,000 students. Its loop passes the ruins of Old Stone Dam, built in 1881, and the remains of Two-Mile Dam, finished in 1893. TNC has removed the steep grade and steps at the start of the Santa Fe Canyon Loop Trail. It also widened a quarter mile of the 1.5-mile trail and added handrails on both sides. Those improvements are waiting for the gate to open.
TNC's announcement gives the reason in one quote:
"This has been a challenging summer for wildlife across New Mexico. Many species are experiencing environmental stress and moving across larger areas in search of food and water." Terry Sullivan, state director, The Nature Conservancy in New Mexico
The release calls wildlife encounters uncommon but says conditions had made human-wildlife interactions more likely. It describes the closure as protecting visitors and animals alike. The Santa Fe New Mexican put it more plainly. It said the hiking area off Canyon Road closed because of bear activity.
A Summer of Bear Calls, Counted Two Ways
The New Mexico Department of Wildlife issued an August 12 release on the rise in conflicts between people and bears. It blamed severe drought, low snowpack and heat, which cut natural food supplies. It also said bears were ranging farther for food as they prepared for winter. A week later the department reported capturing several bears around Albuquerque and Santa Fe over the previous month. Those bears had learned to find food and water in populated areas.
The local numbers depend on who is counting. Santa Fe police data reported by the New Mexican showed 18 bear calls so far that August. The same month brought zero calls the year before and one in 2024. The department logged three calls in July, three in June and one in May. In a separate New Mexican story, a state Wildlife Department spokesperson said the department had not received an abnormal number of Santa Fe-area calls that year. The two agencies are probably counting different streams of reports. On the police side, the jump is hard to explain away.
Garrett VeneKlasen of New Mexico Wild called it a "triple threat of bad conditions." He said this summer's bear activity was the worst he had seen as a lifelong New Mexican. At the end of August, KOB reported that a black bear spent the day high in a tree at Fort Marcy Park, which was set to host Zozobra later that week. Wildlife crews chose not to tranquilize it because they feared a fall, and by the next morning the bear had left on its own. On the foothill side of town, the New Mexican described residents posting bear photos and doorbell footage on Nextdoor. One post came from the Tano Road area on July 1.
That is the backdrop for picking a walk this October.
Where the Canyon Still Lets People In
Just up Upper Canyon Road from the closed gate, the Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary at 1800 Upper Canyon Road keeps its grounds open. Admission is free and no reservation is needed. It is also a working wildlife sanctuary, and its rules show it. Dogs, other pets and smoking are not allowed anywhere on the property, though service animals are welcome. The Nature Discovery Area has no trash cans, because, as Audubon puts it, "any trash or food crumbs are risks to the bears, deer, foxes, bobcats, and birds that live here."
| At Randall Davey | Details |
|---|---|
| Grounds and trails | Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Sundays |
| Visitor center and nature store | Usually 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., depending on volunteer coverage |
| Guided bird walk | Every Saturday at 8:30 a.m., free, no RSVP, loaner binoculars available |
| Davey House and Studio tour | Fridays at 2 p.m., $8, limit of 12 people |
| October dates | House tours Oct. 9 and 16; bird walks Oct. 10 and 17; Story Hive Grand Opening Oct. 10; Kids Singalong with Queen Bee Music Association Oct. 17 |
| Holiday closure | Indigenous Peoples' Day, which falls on Monday, Oct. 12 this year |
The house tour covers a room many people miss. Davey's home and studio are kept as they were in the mid-1900s, with original furnishings, mural paintings and a hidden bar from the Prohibition era. The house is not ADA accessible, and tours run between one and one and a half hours. For a shorter outing, the Haiku Trail covers a quarter mile of mostly flagstone and brick paths. Local poets wrote each poem at the spot where it stands.
Audubon's main center page currently shows a "Closed" label that conflicts with the hours on its visit page. The Nature Discovery Area can also close for private events or maintenance, and the center asks visitors to email [email protected] to confirm a date. Check before driving up.
Farther Down the Hill, Different Ground
The Dale Ball Trails cover 24.4 miles of foothills, according to the Santa Fe Conservation Trust. Cerro Gordo Road and Upper Canyon Road are among the access points. From the Cerro Gordo Trailhead, the trails head into the central section and the steeper southern section. The preserve's own loop is still closed even though it sits within reach of that network. No official notice this fall confirms conditions at the east-side trailheads, so the posted signs at the trailhead are the best guide on a given morning. Audubon offers a downloadable Santa Fe Foothills and Dale Ball trail map on its visit page.
Atalaya Trail #170 starts at the large parking lot at St. John's College and climbs toward the summit of Atalaya Mountain. The Forest Service page was last updated in October 2025. The agency's alerts list closures elsewhere but nothing for Atalaya, so current conditions on the trail are unconfirmed. The area is also wildlife country in ordinary years. A trail camera on private land off Camino de Cruz Blanca, near the upper Atalaya trailhead, once recorded a female mountain lion with two dependent young. A state spokesperson described the family group as normal. The advice for a lion encounter is to stop, face the animal, back away slowly if it is safe to, and give it room to leave.
The flattest option runs along Alameda. The City's September 25 Orange Barrel update says the new River Park bridge frame is in place and work continues on the stone facade. All sidewalks remain open, and no major traffic interruptions are expected. Water in the river will be scarce. In May, the Santa Fe River Commission set a 2026–27 Living River target of 300 acre-feet, with releases tapering through the season and stopping in fall.
October on the Yard Side of the Fence
The August release said bears were ranging farther as they prepared for winter, so the season behind the preserve closure is still underway. The department's guidance for homeowners comes down to a short list:
- Secure garbage, food and anything with a scent.
- Pick up fallen fruit under any fruit tree in the yard.
- Bring in pet food, and take down bird feeders for now.
- Never feed or approach a bear.
- If you meet one, stay calm. Don't run. Back away slowly while facing it, leave it an escape route, and never step between a sow and her cubs.
The New Mexican reported that hummingbird feeders were among the things knocked down in the foothill neighborhoods this summer. VeneKlasen explained why an easy meal matters: "Once they get a taste for food and/or water, they stay there, and that's when you have those really bad bear-human interactions." A tidy yard on the east side helps the canyon's animals get back to the canyon, which is also what has to happen before the preserve can reopen.
Canyon Road Keeps Its Calendar
Down the hill, the gallery calendar is unchanged. Canyon Road's Paint & Sculpt Out runs Saturday, October 17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with artists working along the road. The Halloween Stroll follows on October 31 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. October 17 makes an easy pairing. Join the 8:30 a.m. bird walk at Randall Davey, stay for the Kids Singalong, then walk down to Canyon Road for the afternoon.
TNC says it will keep monitoring conditions and post updates on visitation as they come. For now, the Santa Fe Canyon Preserve page is the one to check before planning a morning on the Old Stone Dam loop.
If you're a Historic Eastside neighbor thinking about how a property near the foothills fits with the canyon's seasons, from yard routines to which trailhead is closest, Reagan Nickelson & Mary Guzman are happy to talk it through over coffee. Contact Us whenever it suits you.
