Paddling near Albuquerque, NM

Sitting in Bernalillo County along the Middle Rio Grande, Albuquerque offers a rare thing for a major metro: an accessible flatwater river corridor running roughly 18 miles from Algodones to the Alameda Bridge. Paddlers drift through cottonwood bosque and braided channels with no technical rapids, while Cochiti Lake and high-country Fenton Lake add quiet reservoir options within a short drive.