Los Alamos County volunteers to repair Tent Rocks Trail for Celebrate Trails Day

Keeping 1.7 miles of Tent Rocks Trail usable will take more than a handout and a trash bag. Los Alamos County Open Space and Trails is calling on volunteers to spend Celebrate Trails Day repairing rock bridges, rebuilding water diversions, fixing eroded sections and clearing overgrown vegetation along a stretch of trail in NM 502 and Pueblo Canyon.

The work day is set for Saturday, April 25, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Volunteer Los Alamos. The posting says the event is family friendly, open to volunteers ages 15 to 99, and rain or shine, with 11 spots remaining. County officials are treating the effort as practical maintenance, not a symbolic cleanup, because the trail corridor needs repeated attention to keep foot traffic moving safely and to keep runoff from cutting the route deeper.

That matters at Tent Rocks because the surrounding landscape is both fragile and heavily used. Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, the landmark that gives the trail its name, is open by reservation only Thursdays through Mondays, with entry allowed from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and exit required by 4 p.m. The monument includes a national recreation trail and sits between 5,570 and 6,760 feet above sea level. Its cone-shaped formations were created by volcanic eruptions 6 to 7 million years ago and are made of pumice, ash and tuff deposits more than 1,000 feet thick.

Los Alamos County has seen what happens when weather and use outrun maintenance. A 2023 local report said heavy monsoon rains left county-owned trails overgrown and eroded, prompting monthly volunteer work and help from contractors and the Youth Conservation Corps. Eric Peterson, the county’s Open Space Specialist, said the goal was to get water off the trail as fast as possible. That principle still drives the work at Tent Rocks, where eroded tread, brush and poor drainage can quickly turn a well-used route into a damaged one that costs more to fix later.

Celebrate Trails Day is also part of a broader county schedule that turns trail upkeep into a recurring Saturday habit. Los Alamos County’s 2026 volunteer calendar lists May Volunteer Day on May 16, National Trails Day on June 6, July Volunteer Day on July 11, August Volunteer Day on August 26, Public Lands Day on September 26 and Dia Del Rio on October 17, all from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The pattern underscores a simple reality in Los Alamos: trail access is a public asset, and keeping it open depends on steady hands as much as scenic setting.