With the Canyon Preserve Closed, Upper Canyon Road's October Runs on Randall Davey's Rules

"This has been a challenging summer for wildlife across New Mexico," Terry Sullivan, state director for The Nature Conservancy in New Mexico, said in July. "Many species are experiencing environmental stress and moving across larger areas in search of food and water." With that, TNC closed the Santa Fe Canyon Preserve. The preserve page still has a July 2026 update saying it is closed "until further notice," and its access line reads "Temporarily Closed."

That shuts a lot of people out. TNC counts more than 30,000 visitors and 5,000 students on the preserve each year. It covers 525 acres with a 1.5-mile loop past the ruins of Old Stone Dam, built in 1881, and Two-Mile Dam, finished in 1893. For anyone on the Historic Eastside who walks up the canyon in fall, there's now one gate left at the top of the road. That gate comes with its own hours, its own parking limits and its own rules about who can come.

One gate at the top of the road

Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary sits at 1800 Upper Canyon Road. Its grounds and trails are open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., February through December. Staff usually keep the visitor center open from 9 to 4. Dogs and other pets aren't allowed on the grounds or trails. Service animals are welcome.

Parking is where fall gets tricky. Audubon's lot is free but small. From September through November, the upper lot may be held for school buses, and Audubon asks groups to plan ahead and carpool. So the canyon's only open destination has its tightest parking in the same months people most want to walk there. And with no Sunday hours, a Sunday walk at the top of the road now means Dale Ball or nothing.

Who you bring along decides where you can go:

The leash decides the trailhead

The Santa Fe Conservation Trust describes Dale Ball as a 24.4-mile network for hiking, running and biking, generally dog-friendly on leash. The Cerro Gordo Trailhead leads to the central section and the steeper southern section. It also connects to the Canyon Preserve trail, which is closed for now. Dogs and bikes weren't allowed on the preserve's trails even when it was open, so this split was already there. With the preserve closed, the dog-free side of the canyon is down to Randall Davey alone.

TNC's parking advice still applies at Cerro Gordo. Don't park along Upper Canyon Road or Cerro Gordo Road. If the trailhead lot is full, TNC suggests the Sierra del Norte or Lower Atalaya trailheads. The SFCT page gives an overview of the network but doesn't report trail conditions. Check which Dale Ball segments are in good shape before committing to a longer loop.

October 10 is the canyon's biggest day

On Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Randall Davey celebrates the grand opening of the Story Hive. It's a permanent literary art sculpture in the center's garden, and visitors can add art, notes, poetry and stories to it. The free, family-friendly program includes live music by Madi Sato, bilingual storytelling with puppeteer Michelle Adam, spoken word by Savannah Rodriguez and David Cook's Recovering the Lost Words art exhibit. ASL interpretation will be provided.

The parking problem has an answer that day. A free shuttle runs between the center and the Atalaya Elementary School parking lot at 721 Camino Cabra. Here's a morning that uses it:

1. Be at the center for the free guided birding walk at 8:30. The October calendar lists one on Oct. 10.
2. Stay on the grounds when the walk ends. The Story Hive program starts at 10.
3. If you're coming later, park at Atalaya Elementary and take the shuttle. Don't count on the upper lot, which may be held for buses this season.

There's one catch with the bird walks. Audubon's program page says the Saturday walks run 8:30 to 9:30 and describes them going into the Canyon Preserve. The event listings say 8:30 to 10. With the preserve closed, the route has to change, so ask Audubon where the walk is going before you plan around a certain distance.

Saturday the 17th, from the top of the road down

The Oct. 17 calendar lets you start at the sanctuary and end on lower Canyon Road. Audubon lists another 8:30 bird walk that morning and a Kids Singalong from 10:30 to 11:15. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Canyon Road Paint & Sculpt Out has artists working and demonstrating along the street. At 409 Canyon Road, Canyon Road Contemporary has "Mesa Skies," with work by Mark Bowles and Ali Rouse, up through Oct. 18.

Getting from the top of the road to the bottom is harder this month. For Canyon Road events, the Canyon Road organizers point people to side streets like Delgado, Garcia and East Alameda for parking. But Garcia Street is under construction. The city's Orange Barrel report, updated Sept. 25, 2026, says the contractor Sub Surface is putting in a new water line up Garcia Street to Camino del Monte Sol. Traffic control will stay in place, drivers should use other routes, and the work may run through October. Your best bets are Delgado and East Alameda, or leaving the car at home and walking down.

What the birds and the color can and can't promise

Audubon has recorded more than 220 species at Randall Davey across woodland, forest, riparian and grassland habitats. Its list of spring and fall migrants includes Rufous and Calliope hummingbirds, Plumbeous Vireo, Western Tanager, Virginia's Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler and Pine Siskin. That list tells you what to watch and listen for. It isn't a record of what's been seen this October, and Audubon sends people to eBird for recent sightings.

Fall color is a forecast too. The state tourism department says color moves from the high country down into the valleys through October, and river corridors and cottonwoods often peak later in the month. It also says weather shifts the timing from year to year. The cottonwood and willow bosque below the closed preserve fits that description. TNC notes that the old Two-Mile reservoir was drained and its earthen dam removed in 1994, so the water there now is a pond, not the reservoir some longtime residents remember. For now, Randall Davey's riparian habitat is the closest open place to see that canyon-bottom color.

The month's last two days

Randall Davey's October ends with two programs on consecutive days. Friday, Oct. 30, has Nature Story Time from 10:30 to 11:15 and the month's last house tour from 2 to 3:30. Saturday, Oct. 31, starts with the last scheduled bird walk of the month at 8:30. That afternoon, the Canyon Road Halloween Stroll runs from 4 to 5:30. TNC hasn't given a reopening date for the preserve and says it will post updates as conditions change. Check its preserve page before your first walk in November.

We keep track of changes at the top of Upper Canyon Road the same way we keep track of any Eastside block. If you own a home nearby and want to know how access to places like the preserve and Randall Davey plays into its value, Ralph Alan Real Estate Group can talk it through with you. You can also start with an instant home valuation.