Farmington, Aztec plan eight-mile Animas Valley recreation trail

Farmington and Aztec are planning an eight-mile, non-motorized trail along the former Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad alignment, a route linking the Animas River Trail System to the Hartman and Riverside Park complex. The project still sits inside a tangle of right-of-way ownership, grant matching and state review before it becomes a finished path.

The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad was built in 1902 and abandoned in the 1960s, leaving a corridor now recast as public infrastructure. The remaining right of way was transferred to the City of Farmington, the City of Aztec and San Juan County, so any final trail connection depends on coordination across all three governments.

Farmington City Council adopted Resolution No. 2022-1845 on April 12, 2022. The resolution backed San Juan County’s application for a $250,000 Outdoor Recreation Trails+ grant from the New Mexico Economic Development Department’s Outdoor Recreation Division and identified a required $75,000 local match. The city will help maintain the grant-funded project for its usable life.

The route is also listed in the Farmington Metropolitan Planning Organization’s transportation improvement plan as a planning and design project from Aztec to Farmington along the former railroad right-of-way. The connection still needs design work and the approvals that come with moving from concept to construction.

Aztec’s Animas River Trails System plan traces the idea back to September 2003, with an update in 2010. Its goals include reconnecting the community with the river, linking the river to the historic downtown district and creating alternatives to motorized transportation.

The N Animas Trail will add 1.66 miles to the River Trail system, start behind Middle Fork Square and extend upstream to a point south of the Pinon Hills Boulevard Extension, with access and parking near Herrera Road. Project design is complete and under review at the New Mexico Department of Transportation.