San Juan Co. residents weigh in on proposed Lower Animas Valley Trail

San Juan County residents got their first look at how a potential new trail adjacent to the Animas River between Farmington and Aztec might look during an open house Thursday, May 9 at the Flora Vista Fire Station.

County officials held the event to acquaint folks with the idea of the proposed Lower Animas Valley Recreation Trail, a proposed 7-mile section of trail. The several dozen people who showed up for the open house were invited to fill out a questionnaire in which they expressed their preferences for where the trail should be located, what it should look like and if it should be built at all.

The project is still in its preliminary stages. According to The Daily Times archives, San Juan County received a $250,000 grant from the Outdoor Recreation Division of the New Mexico Economic Development Department in June 2022 to put together a feasibility study for the project, with the San Juan County Commission awarding a contract to the Farmington office of Souder, Miller & Associates for consulting services.

County officials have said the trail is envisioned to begin at the east side of the Farmington city limits near Piñon Hills Boulevard and run east to Hartman Park in Aztec, which is located south of the river and just southeast of Riverside Park. If built, it would serve as the middle link in a 17-mile system of trails that would extend from Aztec Ruins National Monument to the west side of Farmington.

Nick Porell, the county’s public works director, said the county has identified four corridors through which the trail might run — along Southside River Road, along County Road 3000, along N.M. Highway 516 and along the historic Denver & Rio Grande Railroad right of way. While the railroad right of way is the most attractive option, he said, each of the four alternatives has issues that would make locating a trail there problematic.

County officials originally targeted the railroad right of way for the project, believing it was the most obvious, straightforward and attractive choice. But since receiving the grant two years ago, they have learned there would be several challenges to constructing a trail there, Porell said.

The railroad right of way was donated to the county and the municipalities when the railroad ceased operations, he said. But over the ensuing decades, parts of that land have been sold, while, in other locations, adjoining private landowners have encroached on the property, Porell said.

“That becomes problematic,” he said.

More: County Commission will vote on contract for new section of Animas River trail

So the county is considering other options. The study Porell and his staff are putting together is designed to determine which of those four options is preferred by the public. The county also is prepared to listen to feedback from those who might not want the trail built.

“Absolutely, as with any project,” Porell said, noting that the proposal could be shelved if it becomes clear there is significant public pushback. “We’ll gather those comments and include them in the study. Then we’ll be presenting our findings to the commission sometime this summer.”

The specifics of the trail itself have not been well defined by county officials, but, in general, they are proposing a multiuse trail that would be 8 to 10 feet wide.

Since they don’t know when construction on the trail might begin or what kind of terrain it would run through, county officials do not have an estimate for how much the project would cost. But Porell said the county recently completed a similar raised, roadside trail in Kirtland, and that project cost $1 million per mile.

If the trail is built, it likely would be paid for through a grant or grants, he said, noting that there is a relative abundance of federal and state programs that fund such projects these days. He said if the County Commission decides to move forward with the project, chances are good some of that grant money could be accessed.

“If the county decides to do this, I think we could find a way to get there,” he said. “Maybe not all at once. But we could get there, I’m sure.”

Porell was referring to the idea that the trail could be built in sections as different grants are received from a variety of state and federal programs.

County Manager Mike Stark said the citizen input that was being collected at the open house was the most important part of the study process. But it was clear the idea of building the trail was something he was excited about, as he said he believed it could rival the Paseo del Bosque in Albuquerque, a popular, 17.7-mile trail adjacent to the Rio Grande.

“We would have a similar 16-mile system in San Juan County,” he said. “You could actually commute on a bike in a connected fashion from Farmington to Aztec through Flora Vista.”

Stark said he believes the project holds great promise as another addition to the county’s inventory of outdoor recreation attractions, a list that has grown considerably in recent years as government officials throughout the area try to broaden the economic base.

In 2021, county officials opened the East Glade Trailhead Skills Park in north Farmington, a project completed in partnership with the federal Bureau of Land Management. They said then they hoped it would serve as an attraction not just for local residents, but for out-of-state cyclists, as well.

That appears to have been the case. Stark smiled when he recounted paying a visit to the park one day this winter to get in a ride, noting with delight that, of the dozen or so vehicles in the parking lot, his was the only one with New Mexico plates.

More: San Juan County, BLM partner on new mountain biking skills park in Farmington

The Lower Animas Valley Recreation Trail could have a similar impact, he said.

“This would put us on the map of having a recreation asset of this magnitude,” he said, explaining that the project also could rival the Animas River Trail & Greenway in Durango, Colorado, just upriver from where this project would be built.

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This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Lower Animas Valley Recreation Trail would connect Aztec, Farmington