It was awesome. My son loves it here, he catches the little ones so dad can catch the big ones!

Want to fish? Take a peaceful walk or jog? Join in events such as the Water Lantern Festival? Go to Sandia Lakes Recreation Area then! Aptly named, this place affords its visitors a breathtaking view of the Sandia Mountains, and there are three lakes in which one can enjoy. Another plus? Indoor bathrooms placed throughout the park! There are several covered seating areas as well (perfect for a picnic, a first date, time with family, or an outdoor venue to use as an exercise start or stopping point), and PLENTY of parking. I recommend this place to New Mexico natives and visitors to the state as well.

Love the cleanliness of this place. Excellent open space for fishing. Only down side was that they didnt stock the lake prior to opening for the 4th of July weekend. But was still enjoyable nonetheless. Had fun catching some Bluegill and Crappie. Catfish were hard to come by but again it was only because they didnt stock prior to opening.

I caught 1 decent size catfish. I didnt see anyone else catch anything. Place is always clean but the price is the same and the limit went down.

Shady lakes is a great place to fish with kids. They are well stocked, kids are guaranteed a catch. The area is beautiful with mature trees ponds and staff are friendly. No fishing license needed, but he ready to pay for what you catch!

We did our engagement photos here and a bit pricey but they are just gorgeous, the whole location is beautiful, Crystal is so sweet!! Thank you Sandia lakes !!

Such a beautiful area! The staff was friendly and taking necessary precautions.

It was nice getting out and having a day with the family. I caught a catfish so I was proud! Used salami!

Nice and clean lake. Restrooms available, lots of benches and covered picnic tables. Maintenence guys friendly and helpful as far as information. We cant wait until we get to come again.

Great little place for a family outing good fishing or picnic.

Always clean and the staff is generally friendly. A gorgeous view if you stay on the westside of the lakes. It will get packed on a weekend so be prepared if you go after 8 am to deal with lots of people. We were also saddened to find a duck with a hook in its beak.

There are some decent fish here. A supply shop and a good walking path if you want to excercise. Beginner level

Great place to get outdoors and get some fresh air for some fishing.

Kinda pricey for adults but, good place for the kiddos to fish!

Great spot for fishing. We had an awesome time there catching fish the first half of the day. The restrooms are clean- always grateful for that. The staff were friendly and helpful. Carving station was left in a mess by previous customers, but even then staff were quick to fix the problem of a messy gutting/ carving station. We had a great time there and will be returning!!!

It would be nice if the actual hours listed were true. Says its open, but is closed. May I suggest an edit for the public?

There are lots of restrictions for having picnic in here. If you are there for fishing it is different treatment than regular entrance.

Restrooms are super clean grounds keepers are on top of things !!! Its just no fish !?

Charged me $21.00 to fish and got kicked out minutes later for having out of state plates..Wouldnt give me a refund cause they said i had already fished

Beautiful place. Clean & well maintained.

Super nice fishing ponds.We were there during The lantern festival.

Sun fish is all they had biting not worth the cost

We enjoyed a company picnic here. It was a beautiful evening in their pavilion with bathrooms, grass areas and playground, kitchen, and outdoor grills. Very clean and great views of the Sandia mountains! Very well maintained and reasonably priced for the event.

A boat load of fun(no boats allowed... LOL)!We always catch our limit!!!

Peaceful the geese were interesting

This place is pleasing to the eye and very well maintained, HOWEVER, you have to pay $20 plus tax to fish here so for the price one would expect an outstanding fishing experience. It was exactly the opposite! Sandia Lakes were stocked 12 days ago and today nobody around me has even gotten a nibble. The fishers here are fighting against the weather, children throwing rocks, workers feeding ducks near fishing lines causing chaos, and the netting at the bottom of the lake catching lures and hooks. I have read on multiple benches that This lake sucks and nobody catches anything at this lake so therefore I know my problem isnt only rooted in today. Not worth the drive or the price.

Was lovely

Pricey, but great place to fish! Only caught a couple, but both were good fish!

Best place to fish hands down

Catch and release fish are big and healthy and plentiful. Had a great day.

So fun and you have a big chance of catching lots of fish and there is geese and ducks

Nice place to get some fresh air and be out doors. Was told they stocked channel catfish on June 14th. Fishing however, wasnt up to par. Was out from noon til 4pm and not a single fish. Used liver, worms and stink bait..no luck.

Nice facility. Bathrooms were very clean and well supplied.

Great place to see the balloons. Thank you.

I found this location by pure chance to be honest. When I had moved out to New Mexico, I would open up my Google maps and look for spots while zoomed in and here this was, a blue spot of water very faint on my maps application.I clicked the spot and GPS us here and the kids and I were surprised at how cool it was, They have a small playground and a small lake and a hand and fish washing station.We enjoyed our time here and got some good memories along the way, the drive there also was quite fun, we went through a part of Albuquerque that was unknown to me at the time, all in all, didnt take long from Rio rancho.I definitely recommend checking this place out, you get a good beautiful and clear view of the Sandia mountains from here.

Absolutely beautiful venue for a wedding!

Nice and relaxing area. We went on a beautiful day, and there were a lot of people fishing, which was nice to watch. I have never seen so many geese in one place! The drawback to that, is that they were very messy. There were geese droppings EVERYWHERE. We also found several dead catfish on the sidewalks that surround the lakes. It was a nice, quiet place to spend an afternoon in the desert.

Went for the lantern glow in the dark festival and it was nice. Well maintained and kept very clean!!Hoping for more event at this location.

Was nice 4 neices wedding, Except! During vows someone decided to Mow The Grass! WTH? Lol, not too cool. Yes I laughed then I didnt.....Most Got a bit distracted. Other than that it was a really cute place with them big ole trees out in the open under a blue blue sky. Pretty.

Wonderful place to take children to learn how to fish! Very helpful and polite people!! My grandson and I loved the experience!!

Beautiful ️ place to go relax on a Saturday.

I did not like it this time because there were bluegill in the water but other times i have cought 13 pound catfish so i think i is a good lake every once in a while

Nice place for a picnic! Quiet, beautiful view of the mountains.

The lakes are beautiful, it was hot and we had no bites but my grandson and I enjoyed our time there. 4 stars because I think its a little expensive.

I will DEFINITELY do the Water Lantern Festival again next year...

Was a good wonderful day....went over there with the in-laws for fishing and birthday party

We went to a wedding here and it was a wonderful place!

Had a great time. Staff was friendly and welcoming. Most definitely be back

The Best Place to Take The Kids.Loved it

Nice place but no BBQ grills there. You can only bring gas grills BTW. Enjoy

Very nice. Both scenery and employees.

What a well maintained fishing property.

Very relaxed, peacefull and beautiful place.

Fishing with the unknown fisherman. Was he really at Sandia Lakes?

Had hopes but huge disappointment. Muddy all over which is simply poor planning on their part since we are in the middle of a major drought. Scenery pretty, view and setup nice. But staff less than helpful and prices ridiculous considering what you get. We took 3 kids fishing and went here so we had more guarantee of success since they are young and we wanted a good existence for them. Tried a variety of bait and not a single bite. The place was pretty busy with at least another two dozen folks fishing within eyesight and over 4 hours not a single one got even a bite. For over $50, they have done obligation to stock better than that. We wont be coming back. We can do that kind of fishing for free elsewhere.

Love it here. Beautiful and peaceful!! Great family or self day.

We were here for 5 hours and we did not get one bite. My kids were really looking forward to the excitment of catching their first fish. We used many different types of bait that were recommend by many people. Dissatisfied!

Seems like they are never open. Which tells me they are not open enough. Seems like they keep it closed more than they keep it open. Hog much ?

Pretty nice. Closed way to early but very nice to bring out the family

Fishing was poor.. no bites.. used just about every method. Fished on top & bottom of water.. this is the worse lake I ever fished at...

High prices, good customer serv,

I been fishing as well as coming here since I was a kid.. Fishing just isnt the same here. Yesterday we came here and they advised everyone to fish off the south side because they said the fish were biting. We talked to many folks around the lake on the south side since there so many and nobody was really catching anything . I think a total of 11 fish came out the lake yesterday . Its almost as if they keep charging to make money knowing that there are no fish in there except for the seasonal fish that have been in there for awhile. We used to always catch our limit. We even spoke to a guy who was a professional Angler and GE caught nothing the whole day. Then you have the station to check fish, tell me why nobody checking limits on the way out or picking up the comment cards? Because you know the days people arent going hit limits it catch anything. After reading reviews, its apparent this owner doesnt like to be called out on the negative and you get fired up when commenting back. Not very professional. . Yes it may only be cheaper then going to other family places however you also have to compare what you are getting out places vs fishing..Yes movies are over priced yet you cant compare indoor activities vs outdoor activities. I pay $100 for my family and catch nothing and out there all day bringing my own food, drinks. We can get a fishing license for that price...I get that its right outside the city so its convenient but there were a lot of upset people 2/2/19...... Not to mention all the new staff that is here are not very friendly.. However there is one lady with blondish short hair who was putting out all the orange flags, she was pretty cool and friendly especially to my kids. This place isnt horrible but some changes could be made. Oh FYI bathroom stall locks in womens bathroom on south side are all messed up. So normally I would give it a 5 but in the last Year I have to say its gone down ... I give it a 3

Nice place to relax and fish.

Super cool place to fish without having to take a long roadtrip

Great place we go every year the Bunny rabbit was a Little to Late To come out

Enjoyed the water lantern festival there

This place is awesome, clean, beautiful, not to mention the staff were very friendly!

Was a great day with the in laws was sunny and breezy but was a great day

Decently priced. Wish there were trout to catch.

Great views

Fun place to hangout.

This lake looks beautiful and clean. The reason for my low rating is the fishing rules. Im no expert, but to get fined if you catch certain fish is BS, who has control over that? And the price to fish is ridiculous. What bothered me were the bug bites. Those bites arent mosquito, they muy be from the geese but the bite areas kept getting inflamed and itchy for at least a week. Overall, I wasnt all that impressed.

I been going here all my life and still its the best family fishing experience to date

$100 fine for catching a carp! I will never go back again!

It is a little pricy and also bot too many fish but its a good place to soend quality time with family and friends.

Absolutely beautiful and scenic. Stunning bodies of water surrounded by powerful mountains.

Wonderful place to visit. Great grounds! You can fish or just bring the family members for a B-day party or a picnic. Lots for children to do. The kids will be worn out at the end of day! Highly recommend !!!

I went here on a Saturday around 11 AM and the only catch-and-release lake was closed...so I left. The lady in the office said its usually only open during the week, which makes no sense to me.

I loved it. This was my first time fishing there. It was a gorgeous day. The fish werent biting, but I had a great time anyway.. Beautiful setting.

$20 is a little steep for fishing when a New Mexico license is only $35 and thats for a full year. The fish were really good sizes though, and it was very convenient to be so close to albuquerque. Service was good, and caught the limit. I will go back for sure and would recommend it to others.

Love this place.

Excellent ! Very well kept well manicured. Like going to a park. Very impressed will definitely go back again. $3.00 to get in but what you get out of it makes it a bargain. A hidden jewel right outside the city limits!

ExpensiveVery nice. But no fish n a bit

Just did a wedding there. What a beautiful place. Views out of this world

Beautiful clean & groomed park. Needed some duck pictures & found even wood ducks & a great blue heron in addition to the regulars. Several families fishing, spread well apart on the 2 public lakes.

Awesome place !!! And I came out winning !!!!

Friends wedding was here and it was beautiful. First thing my wife and I said as we drove in was that we couldnt believe there was a place like this so close to the city.

Great Venue for the Water Lantern Festival

Caught my limit of trout with some family in 2 hours!

Loved it 20 bucks to fish 5 is the limit and if you just spectate its a easy 3 bucks. Take a lunch enjoy this unique pkace.

Terrible lake, Overpriced, few fish. I have a floating a fish finder and i would pick up like one fish an hour lol. The staff is rude. If you don’t believe me just look at the owners responses to all the negative reviews. Very unprofessional and childish. You need to hire a professional in charge of social media. Guaranteed you’re losing customers with your responses. Ps. IFish every weekend, I fished at every lake in New Mexico. This is definitely the worst. Call it a pond. It’s so weird that they stop you at the exit as well.. pretty creepy place.

Great fishing and a great family place

Actually we only came here for Nomads BBQ.. their food is delicious.

Great event, Google maps was off.

Since the owner replied to my review and I didnt have any text explaining my rating,Few reasons for rating it that:1. Saw 2 dead catfish up at the top of Lake 3. Just floating at the edges.2. Saw live catfish swimming like they were severely damaged at the top of the water.3. Saw almost dead catfish at the edge, that we caught with just a landing net and then released back.The only reason its not a 1 star, is the place looked nice and was well organized.I will try to dig up some pictures for proof and post them when I get a chance.

For the most part I always catch fish here, very clean and well kept grounds.

This place has very nice scenery but if you want to catch a fish yell have the same luck catching one in a bath tub its a big rip off you pay 20$ to just catch a sun burn and Im not just giving this place a crappy review from just going ones Ive quite a few times and only cought small perch and Im a vary experienced fisherman Ive fished all over New Mexico and Texas so its not me that the problem Just drive to one of the Lakes thats close to Albuquerque and youll even end up saving money dont waste your time here if you want to catch fish

We had a wonderful day. Cooked out (propane only...no charcoal allowed). Fishing was slow. Great place to bring the family.

Nice place. Very relaxing.

Place is great, always clean free of trash and debris. The water is always really clean. Great place to fish.