A Upper Canyon Road  
The Randall Davey Audubon Center and The Nature Conservancy Santa Fe Canyon Preserve are located at the very end of Upper Canyon Road, 2.5 miles from The Plaza. The elevation starts at 7500 feet. These properties contains several life zones. The Upper Sonoran life zone is represented by the mixed woodland of Piñon and Juniper trees. The Transition life zone is represented by a mixed forest of Ponderosa Pines and is found as you go up in altitude. Douglas Firs, White Firs and spruces are more representative of the Canadian life zone and can also be found in the colder, moister areas on the nearby mountain slopes. A fourth community of trees, though not a described Life Zone is the Riparian area along the Santa Fe River. This community is composed of plants adapted to wetter conditions, such as cottonwoods, willows, Boxelder maples and the introduced Siberian Elms.

The Randall Davey Audubon Center has 135 acres of pinyon-juniper, ponderosa pine and mixed spruce-fir. There are two major trails on the property. El Temporal is a half-mile loop trail through piñon/juniper habitat. After a short initial climb up to the acequia, it is relatively level throughout. El Temporal means dry farm: tilled land in an arid region without benefit of irrigation and entirely dependent upon seasonal rains. Despite its name this trail can be icy in the winter and muddy in the spring, so wear proper footwear. Bear Canyon is a side canyon of the Santa Fe River Canyon. You are able to hike up this lovely canyon about a mile and a half before the walls become too steep to climb, and then you must turn around and retrace your steps. This trail is accessible by following the El Temporal trail around to the wooden bench and then following the side trail off to the east. There is a birdlist for the Randall Davey property as well as plant and mammal lists for the Santa Fe River area.

The Santa Fe Canyon Preserve is 190-acres of open space that offers a thriving bosque of cottonwood and willow trees, a pond, the ruins of an historic Victorian-era dam, hiking trails, more than 140 species of birds and the original route of the Santa Fe River. Owned by the Nature Conservancy, the preserve is nestled between the Santa Fe National Forest and Upper Canyon Road just 2.5 miles from Santa Fe's city center. The Conservancy has worked to restore the land to its natural state and constructed a 1.5-mile interpretive loop trail detailing the colorful history and fragile ecology of the place. Interpretive panels along the preserve trail provide details of historical and ecological information.