The Virtual Open House is now closed. Thank you to the nearly 800 people who participated!

Thank you to everyone who has participated in the Fall Rio Grande Trail Virtual Open House. So far, we’ve received 750 responses.

The Virtual Open House will be open through Tuesday, October 9.

The next Rio Grande Trail Commission meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 25th from 1-3 pm at Coronado Hall in the El Taoseño Room, 120 Civic Plaza Drive, Taos, NM 87571. The Commission will be discussing the designation of 35 miles of trail within the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Additionally, Alta Planning + Design will present the draft master plan documents and draft alignment map book for Commission review and feedback.

In November and December 2017, over 1,000 people from across the state participated in the first Rio Grande Trail Virtual Open House. Participants learned about the master planning process, described how they would use the trail, and gave feedback on trail design and amenities. Building on the first event, this Fall 2018 Virtual Open House offers recommendations and updates from the Rio Grande Trail master planning process.

Participate online anytime. Share the link with friends and colleagues!

Using social media? Be sure to tag #RGTNM!

The next Rio Grande Trail Commission meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 29^th  at 1:00 in the Wendell Chino Building’s Porter Hall, 1220 S. St. Francis Drive in Santa Fe.

The purpose of the meeting is to present and potentially decide upon logos created by New Mexico Magazine, to hear reports from the work groups, and to receive an update from Alta Planning and Design on the Rio Grande Trail planning project.

The next Rio Grande Trail Commission meeting is on June 12 in Las Cruces and is open to the public.

The master planning team has been busy. At this meeting, the Commission will be discussing the draft preferred trail alignments, draft design guidelines, trail management recommendations, and upcoming Rio Grande Trail outreach. We would love to hear from you! Check out the meeting details below:

• Date: Tuesday, June 12, 2018
• Location: NM Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, Organ View Terrace Room, 4100 Dripping Springs Rd in Las Cruces
• Time: 1-3pm
• Meeting Materials
  • Agenda
  • Rio Grande Trail Commission Update Memo
  • Rio Grande Trail Master Plan Maintenance and Management Chapter Draft
  • 10 County Maps of Draft Preferred Trail Alignment (coming soon)
  • Draft Design Guidelines

We look forward to seeing you there!

In November and December 2017, nearly 1,000 people from across New Mexico participated in the Rio Grande Trail Virtual Open House. We’ve analyzed the responses and summarized a few important takeaways from the event. This community feedback will shape the recommended route, design, and amenities of the Rio Grande Trail. Input from the Virtual Open House complements in-depth stakeholder outreach, data analysis, and robust fieldwork. The project team will use public insights from the Virtual Open House to help plan a world-class trail network that New Mexico residents and visitors can enjoy.

Key Findings:

1. Participants are well-versed in long-distance trail features and willing to travel to visit a long-distance trail. Half of all people who filled out the survey have traveled to another state to experience a long-distance trail.
2. Access to nature was the most important benefit, followed by exercise opportunities, and biking or walking for transportation.
3. The Virtual Open House confirmed that the trail will have a large audience of local and regional users on foot. And with at least 10% of participants choosing every offered trail use, it also showed that the trail will attract a broad range of users.
4. Most participants are interested in historic and cultural tours, as well as birding or wildlife viewing experiences along the trail. Rafting, canoeing, and kayaking, as well as archaeological tours, were also listed by more than half of participants.
5. For hospitality provisions, campsites and showers/bathrooms were clear favorites. Picnic sites and playgrounds, along with places to purchase food were also popular suggestions.

See more Virtual Open House Results

In order to create attractive, cohesive Rio Grande Trail materials, the project team built a customized graphic identity. This package of colors, fonts, and hand-drawn illustrations of New Mexican flora and fauna invokes the striking landscapes and vibrant communities of the Rio Grande River corridor. The Rio Grande Trail graphic identity works its magic on all our project documents, creating a unique look and feel that is instantly recognizable. Please download, print, and share widely to get the word out about the Rio Grande Trail project!

After four exciting weeks, the Virtual Open House is now closed. 993 people from across the state took the survey and offered their visions for the Rio Grande Trail. We are so inspired by the community passion for this project.