LOCAL TRAIL LOOKOUT

Santa Fe River Trail In downtown Santa Fe, the Santa Fe River Trail is a paved, multi-use trail that runs beside the river. There are currently 4.6 miles of trails, but plans will extend the trail from downtown Santa Fe to La Cienega. “It’s an easy trail for beginners,” Pickard says. “And in a summer like we’re having now, you get the added benefit of hearing the waterfalls along the side and seeing the river, which [may be] running now.” Santa Fe Rail Trail One of the city’s most popular trails, the partly paved, 16.1-mile Santa Fe Rail Trail begins in the Santa Fe Railyard District, where you can park a car, and follows the Santa Fe Southern rail spur. The trail ends before Lamy, but a planned extension will reach the neighboring town. Las Campanas Loop Just a few miles outside of Santa Fe, the nearly 12-mile Las Campanas Loop begins at the La Tierra Trailhead, with parking available in the La Tierra Trail parking lot. “It’s not a terribly long ride — just around the loop,” Pickard says. “If you do it from Santa Fe, that would add another 12 miles onto it.”