9 Albuquerque pools offer free admission through Sunday

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Starting today, nine city pools are free.

“In light of these extreme temperatures, we felt like we should take some action to cool down the city and give people a chance to get wet, get in the pool, get in the splash pads,” said David Simon, director of the city’s Parks and Recreation department.

So, city officials are launching a new initiative.

“Operation Cooldown has four main components that we are really excited about,” Simon said. “First of all, we want our swimming pools and splash pads to be 100% full.”

Starting on Thursday, the three pools that are near capacity will be $1 to get in – West Mesa, Eisenhower and Sierra Vista. The other pools will be completely free.

“At the other nine pools, we really want to encourage Albuquerque residents to come and get in the pool at some of our other pools, take a dive, come jump in at some of our other pools that aren’t as utilized,” Simon said.

The city is also extending the hours at its three splash pads. On Saturday, they will be open from noon to 5 p.m.

On Sunday, the splash pads at Cesar Chavez and Wells Park will stay open until 5 p.m.

The pools will be free through Sunday.

The Parks and Rec department is also planning on running sprinklers at four different parks around Albuquerque to help people cool off, starting Friday. We’ll keep you updated when they release those locations.

FREE ADMISSION

• Highland Pool
• Los Altos Pool
• Betsey Patterson Pool at Sandia HS
• Valley Pool
• East San Jose Pool
• Montgomery Pool
• Rio Grande Outdoor Pool
• Sunport Pool
• Wilson Pool

$1 ADMISSION

• West Mesa Aquatic Center
• Eisenhower Pool
• Sierra Vista Pool

For more information on pool and spray pad locations, click here.