The Spring River Park and Zoo is the only Free Zoo In New Mexico and has within its boundaries, a youth (age 15 and under) fishing lake. an antique carousel and miniature train that the kids and young at heart can ride, picnic facilities, playgrounds and the eastern terminus of the Spring River Recreational Trail. A Longhorn Ranch, Prairie Dog Town and a Children's Zoo area can also be found in the park. The Zoo features native and exotic animals and birds. The original Zoo exhibit area is being transformed into a series of enclosures that one would see on a hike from the Spring River to Capitan Park. Along the way, one can see the plants and animals of the River Bottoms, the Plains, the Foothills and the Mountains.

Some of the highlights of the Capitan Trail include the River Bottoms Exhibit in which several of our small native animals are showcased against a red clay river bank including foxes, bobcats, and raccoons. Further along is the wonderful natural Plains exhibit with bison, prairie dogs and burrowing owls. The prairie dog town features about 80 of these fascinating critters descended from a dozen or so animals brought here when the Wool Bowl Stadium was built. The Coyote Country and Wolf Woods each cover 2500 square foot exhibits across from the large paddock where the deer and the antelope play! The trail culminates in the spacious, naturalistic enclosures of the Mountain Habitat housing mountain lions and black bear.

The Children’s Zoo features a variety of animals that are child friendly including lemurs, birds of prey and a herd of pigmy goats. The ranch area has Texas Longhorns and miniature horses. The replicated ranch house façade has many of the types of plants and flowers our grandmothers planted around the ranch houses at the turn of the century. The World Safari is planned around the existing train track and currently houses South American Llamas.

Unique to our park is the antique wooden horse carousel located in the heart of the park. This rare treasure is one of about a hundred left in the country and features hand carved horses from various artisans and even a few from foreign countries. People come from all over to see the carousel on their travels. The miniature train was added in 1976 to give rides around the park and has become a popular tradition. The park also features a small lake, covered picnic shelters, an accessible play ground and shade trees for the visitor’s comfort.