The Rio Grande Trail is New Mexico’s cross-state recreational trail for hiking, biking, and horseback riding along the Rio Grande. Trail users explore, learn about, and connect with a tapestry of diverse natural habitats, rich history, striking landscapes, and vibrant communities. The trail contributes to cultural and environmental awareness, healthy lifestyles, spiritual growth, and economic prosperity for New Mexico and its visitors.
The Rio Grande Trail Vision Statement
The Rio Grande is not merely a geographical feature but a source of inspiration, a symbol of continuity that connects generations. Its ancient banks have witnessed the ebb and flow of time, standing as silent witnesses to the rich tapestry of human history etched into the New Mexican soil.
The Rio Grande Trail follows this extraordinary journey through mountains and desert landscapes, passing through critical ecological systems, wildlife refuges, monuments, and heritage areas. This landscape is the ancestral homeland to many; it is the lifeline for cultures and communities; it is an irreplaceable natural resource providing habitat to rare aquatic and riparian habitats found nowhere else.
As the central artery of New Mexico throughout history, the Rio Grande corridor has been a well-traveled route for more than a thousand years. The river has brought together cultures, societies, ecosystems, and economies, forming a complex social-ecological system.
The Rio Grande Trail follows the river corridor. It is envisioned as “…New Mexico’s cross-state recreational trail for hiking, biking, and horseback riding along the Rio Grande. Trail users explore, learn about, and connect with a tapestry of diverse natural habitats, rich history, striking landscapes, and vibrant communities. The trail contributes to cultural and environmental awareness, healthy lifestyles, spiritual growth, and economic prosperity for New Mexico and its visitors.”
Trail Planning History
The Rio Grande Trail was conceived decades ago as a cross-state trail that would serve as a cultural and recreational artery through the heart of New Mexico. Following authorization by the state legislature, institutional support from the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD), and the contributions of time and resources from volunteers, local jurisdictions, and partner agencies, the Rio Grande Trail vision is materializing.
The vision for the trail preceded the various planning efforts. It started taking shape when, in 2005, the Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District (MRGCD) formalized an agreement to initiate the development and implementation of the Rio Grande Trail, spanning the corridor between Belen and Sunland Park. In 2008, a Rio Grande Trail Corridor Study Surfacing Report was first conducted.
In 2015, the trail received authorization through state legislation (HB 563), leading to the establishment of a dedicated commission. The legislation focused on creating the Rio Grande Trail Commission and establishing the Rio Grande Trail Fund. The Commission’s primary role is to oversee the trail development by defining the trail alignment, addressing challenges, and proposing features for the trail’s enhancement. To learn more about the Rio Grande Trail Commission, click here:
To fund the development of the Rio Grande Trail, the bill establishes the Rio Grande Trail Fund within the state treasury. This fund, composed of appropriations, donations, grants, and investment income, is dedicated solely to trail-related purposes.
In 2007, the commitment to the project took a more structured form with the creation of the Rio Grande Trail Coordinating Committee. Tasked with drafting a comprehensive charter, this committee played a pivotal role in guiding the trajectory of the trail development. From 2007 to 2009, the committee organized regional stakeholder meetings, garnering input from key players invested in the Rio Grande Trail initiative.
The momentum continued with significant milestones such as the 2008 Rio Grande Trail Corridor Study Trail Surfacing Report, providing essential insights into the trail’s physical characteristics.
Many of America’s greatest trails are overseen by a non-profit organization, like the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and Arizona Trail Association, to name a few. Each has succeeded in trail planning, promotion, fundraising, education, and conservation. Establishing a Rio Grande Trail non-profit is one of the many missions of the Rio Grande Trail plan to ensure the longevity of project development and stewardship.
Rio Grande Trail Master Plan
In the following years, the Commission oversaw the development of the Rio Grande Trail master plan (2018). This document establishes a vision for this cross-state recreational trail. The Vision still guides the development of the trail:
The Rio Grande Trail 