La Piedra Trail ~ connecting the city to the sky

The Santa Fe Conservation Trust (SFCT) is building a new public trail connection in Santa Fe!

The La Piedra Trail will provide three miles of new recreational public trails connecting Dale Ball Trail North with the Little Tesuque Creek Trail. When completed, the La Piedra Trail will allow trail users the opportunity to enjoy breath-taking views of the Tesuque Valley as well as shaded forests of piñon and ponderosa pines as the trail winds its way through diverse terrain and alongside cool, running creeks.

This link, connecting urban “wilderness” trails with the Santa Fe National Forest via Santa Fe County Open Space and the 13,000-foot high peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains high above Santa Fe, will enhance and expand the hiking, trail running and mountain biking experience for those who take to the trails each and every day; the La Piedra Trail promises to be one of the most important non-motorized trail connections in Santa Fe.

Since the founding of our city over 400 years ago, trail access to the mountains – and nature – has been important to residents and visitors alike. However, with increased development on private land, the construction of paved roads and the continued practice of fencing lands, all of the major routes over natural surfaces have either been closed to the public or abandoned altogether. Our goal is to reestablish this lost connection by constructing a new trail link: connecting the city to the sky. The many public and private partnerships between the land trust, landowners and our public agency partners make this project unique; there is no other private entity like the Santa Fe Conservation Trust in Santa Fe working on important public trail issues of this magnitude.

How Can You Help?

SFCT now has site control of over 50 acres of land to design and build the trail. Many steps remain before this trail connection becomes a reality: land surveying, trail construction, stewardship planning and implementation of best management practices. Your financial support will help us make this connection by year’s end. In order to complete construction of the La Piedra Trail, our goal is to raise $120,000 in private funds by November 30, 2011.

Whether large or small, your gift will have a direct impact on the ongoing success of the

La Piedra Trail and land conservation in northern New Mexico

La Piedra Trail Map PDF Download ~ Large Format

 

Arroyo Hondo Open Space — You can see forever from here!

Now open to the public

Located just outside Santa Fe and only a 12-minute drive from the Plaza, 86 acres of natural lands known as the Arroyo Hondo Open Space are forever protected by Santa Fe County in partnership with the Santa Fe Conservation Trust.

A mile-long, fairly level loop trail affords spectacular views of Santa Fe, the northern stretch of the Galisteo Basin, Sandia Mountain, and, on a clear day, Mount Taylor—99 miles away.

To reach the Arroyo Hondo Open Space, take Old Pecos Trail south out of Santa Fe, crossing over Interstate 25, until it dead-ends at Old Agua Fria Road. Turn left and follow Old Agua Fria nearly to its end to find the parking lot on your right.

Open sunrise to sunset, year round. Suitable for hiking, easy mountain biking, photography, nature study, and equestrian use. Please stay on trails to prevent damage to extremely fragile erosive soils and native vegetation. Don’t miss the views down to the wetlands and historic, early 1900′s dam site that was never completed and, in summer, claret cup and prairie zinnia in gorgeous bloom.

Arroyo Hondo Open Space PDF Location Map

The Santa Fe Conservation Trust in partnership with the Trails Alliance of Santa Fe, the City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe County engage volunteers — individuals, clubs, schools, businesses, and non-profits — as advocates and stewards of the trails that make our community an outstanding place to live and to visit.

The following trails are our primary focus:

• The Dale Ball and Santa Fe Foothills Trails
• The La Tierra Trails
• The Santa Fe Rail Trail
• Arroyo de los Chamisos Trail
• Galisteo Basin Preserve with partners Commonweal Conservancy

Read Margaret Alexander’s Neighborhoods and Trails: Resolving Issues to learn how trails benefit your neighborhood.

Help the Santa Fe Conservation Trust keep us all connected, one mile at a time. What can you do to stay connected?

• Trails maps
• Trails events
• Contact us for more information
• Volunteer opportunities through Trails Alliance of Santa Fe

The Trust is a long-time supporter of the La Tierra Torture Race in Santa Fe.

The Galisteo Basin Preserve open space is planned to include 50 miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails. These publicly accessible paths are intended to invite exploration and celebration of this landscape by Preserve residents and visitors alike. For more information and a trail map click here

For additional map resources, click here.