Swim Beach at Abiquiu Lake closed through 10/15/2025 due to Hiring Freeze and shortage of Rangers

Submitted by Carol Bondy
Courtesy of the Army Corps of Engineers (first two paragraphs)

The Swim Beach section of the Cerrito Recreation Area will be closed to vehicle traffic beginning April 1st, 2025, and is scheduled to continue through October 15th, 2025.  This closure will affect the Swim Beach, Paddle Craft Launch area, and group shelters 4 and 5.

Visitors may park at the corral area at the Vista Trailhead, but will still need to pay the $5 day use fee.  Parking in front of group shelter 2 is reserved for visitors with group shelter passes only.  The restroom at the paddle craft launch will remain open for general visitor use, but restrooms at the group shelters are reserved for group shelter use only.

The Federal hiring freezes have left the Corps of Engineers unable to fill Ranger positions which have necessitated a reduction in services.

In an article in the New Mexican, district spokesperson Elizabeth “Lisa” Lockyear reports the area is being closed to vehicles due to a shortage of park ranger staff. The decision was made out of an abundance of caution, Lockyear wrote in an email to The New Mexican. Abiquiú Lake is short three park rangers, but the staff is “fully functional,” Lockyear wrote. “Public safety is our main priority at our lakes and we don’t want to stretch our park rangers to where they are limited in their ability to respond to public safety needs at the lake,” Lockyear wrote.

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