City Trails Remaining Open Through Forest Closure

By City of Santa Fe

After the Forest Service announced a full closure of the Santa Fe National Forest, effective Friday, June 1^st, City of Santa Fe Fire Officials and Acting City Manager Erik Litzenberg met today to discuss the possibility of closing City Trails that enter into or are adjacent to National Forest land.

The City is pleased to announce that we will keep these trails open, preserving access to these City trails during the closure of the National Forest.

Acting City Manager Erik Litzenberg, who is also the Fire Chief, said, “There is never any open burning allowed within City limits, regardless of drought conditions. These trails are primarily used by runners, hikers, and mountain bikers, and it was important to us to preserve day use access for our residents as much as possible.”

He added, “We also see having regular users on the trail as one of our best deterrents to the kind of illegal camping or campfire building that could otherwise fly under the radar.”

The Fire Department will be increasing its patrols of the trails, watchful for uses that could lead to catastrophic wildfire.

At each junction with a trail that leads into closed National Forest Land, the City Parks and Recreation Department will clearly mark the closure with signage warning users from entry. That includes the Dale Ball Trail system, the St. John’s Trailhead at the base of the Forest Service’s Atalaya Trail (which is managed by the Forest Service and will be closed), the La Piedra Open Space Trail, and the Dorothy Stewart Trail System.

Find out more about the current closures and fire restriction in and around Santa Fe at  firerestrictions.us/nm  and updated fire information at nmfireinfo.com .