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Wildlife West Nature Park

Nature & parks
In Edgewood, New Mexico
0.4 mi from Route 66

Directions OpenStreetMap

Wildlife West Nature Park covers 122 acres in Edgewood, NM, less than a mile off the old road. The New Mexico Wildlife Association runs it as a nature park and zoo, giving a permanent home to animals that cannot be released into the wild. For Route 66 families it is an outdoor stop east of Albuquerque, with parking, wheelchair access and plenty for kids to see.

What is Wildlife West Nature Park?

Part nature park, part zoo, part event venue. The animals living here are non-releasable, meaning they cannot survive on their own in the wild, and they are kept in settings meant to resemble their native habitats. The grounds also give shelter to wild animals that roam freely or pass through on migration.

The park runs educational programs for all ages. It has an unusual claim: it may be the only zoo anywhere built entirely by young people, with youth participants doing the construction work.

Visiting Wildlife West Nature Park: tips

Allow an hour or two to walk the grounds. There is parking, the park is wheelchair accessible, and it is set up with children in mind. Wear good shoes and bring water, since most of the visit is outdoors.

It makes a natural pairing with the drive through Tijeras Canyon, about 10.4 miles away, on the approach to Albuquerque. The US Southwest Soaring Museum in Moriarty, a small museum about gliding, is about 12.7 miles in the other direction.

Practical info

Address: 87 N Forntage Rd, Edgewood, NM 87015
Phone: +1 505-281-7655
Website: wildlifewest.org
Hours: Daily 10–6
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

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Wildlife West Nature Park with the 6 closest stops. Tap a marker for details.

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Stops near Wildlife West Nature Park

All of New Mexico

American Vaudeville Museum

Edgewood, New Mexico · 4.3 mi from Route 66

A former vaudeville memorabilia museum in Edgewood whose collection now lives in Arizona and online.

4.2 mi from Wildlife West Nature Park

Tijeras Canyon, New Mexico

Tijeras Canyon

Tijeras, New Mexico · on Route 66

The mountain pass east of Albuquerque that Route 66, and now I-40, uses to cross the Sandia–Manzano range.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

10.4 mi from Wildlife West Nature Park

US Southwest Soaring Museum

Echo Ridge, New Mexico · 1.4 mi from Route 66

A small aviation museum in Moriarty dedicated to gliding history across the western United States.

12.7 mi from Wildlife West Nature Park

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, NM

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Albuquerque, New Mexico · 0.4 mi from Route 66

The nation's chartered museum of the nuclear age, in Albuquerque near Sandia Labs and Kirtland Air Force Base.

MuseumPhoto credit

18.6 mi from Wildlife West Nature Park

La Puerta Lodge in Albuquerque, NM

La Puerta Lodge

Albuquerque, New Mexico · on Route 66

A 1949 motor court named for its carved wooden door, now closed and fading on Albuquerque's east side.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

19.0 mi from Wildlife West Nature Park

Luna Lodge in Albuquerque, NM

Luna Lodge

Albuquerque, New Mexico · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A 1949 motor court at Albuquerque's eastern edge, rescued from ruin and turned into affordable apartments.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

19.3 mi from Wildlife West Nature Park

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