Laws and Regulations

Rules and Regulations
  • The Refuge is open one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset for Refuge permitted activities.
  • The 3-mile Wildlife Drive is open year round to automobiles, foot travel, horseback, and bicycling, including e-bikes.
  • The 4-mile out and back Rio Grande Nature Trail and 2-mile out and back Bluff Nature Trail are open to foot travel. Depending on snowfall, cross-country skiing and snow shoeing during winter months are permitted. Hikers and snowshoers are asked to be respectful of tracks set by skiers and hike to the side.
  • The Rio Grande Nature Trail is seasonally closed from April 15th to September 1st to protect the southwestern willow flycatcher, a federally endangered bird, during the breeding season.
  • Pets must be leashed, and their waste picked up.
Prohibited Activities
  • Traveling off of designated trails or roads.
  • Entering Closed Areas of the Refuge.
  • Camping and fires.
  • Possession of a controlled substance or drug paraphernalia (including marijuana).
  • Unmanned aircraft systems, including drones.
  • Littering, including pet waste.
  • Searching for or removing cultural artifacts, fossils, or animal parts, including antler sheds.
  • Off-highway vehicles, such as snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), or utility terrain vehicles (UTVs).

Alamosa Refuge General Brochure

An aerial view of pelican island.
National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act

The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act provides authority, guidelines and directives for the Service to improve the National Wildlife Refuge System; administers a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management, and restoration of fish, wildlife and plant...

Laws, Agreements & Treaties