San Juan County Announces Improved Outdoor Recreation Opportunities in the County

Aztec, NM—To increase the inventory of outdoor recreation opportunities, San Juan County has just finished a project to add infrastructure and recreation as well as enhance recreation which already exists.

In partnership with the New Mexico Department of Transportation and the Bureau of Land Management Farmington Field Office, San Juan County was awarded a $700,000 grant from the Recreational Trails Program for projects north of the City of Farmington in the Glade Run Recreational Area. The projects were all recently completed.

Specific projects include:

• Archeological and Biological surveys and clearance in all areas where work was performed
• Trailhead maps and trail signs
• A new parking area for 60 vehicles off Calle Norte Trail to provide access to the Glade Run East trail system. This replaces inadequate parking using the road right-of-way
• New motorized and non-motorized trail connections to Farmington Lake from the Glade Run Recreation Area
• Approximately 4 miles of new single-track mountain bike trails within the Anasazi trail system located off Hood Mesa Trail
• New single-track mountain bike trail between the Glade Run East and Glade Run West trail systems along, NM 574 at the north end of the Glade Run Recreation Area
• Approximately 5 miles of trail rehabilitation

“It is vital to the four corners that we diversify our economy, and making outdoor recreation a crown jewel of the area will draw people to play outdoors, even if their work isn’t in an outdoor industry,” said San Juan County Commission Chairman Jack Fortner. “We are so glad to be able to support a burgeoning outdoor industry and provide our local residents world-class opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.”

San Juan County is proud to be partners with the State of New Mexico and Bureau of Land Management for projects of this nature.

"BLM Farmington Field Office is proud to partner with San Juan County, NMDOT, and other agencies to provide outdoor recreational opportunities for the public," said Rick Fields, Bureau of Land Management Farmington Field Manager.

An additional Recreational Trails Program $500,000 grant has been awarded from the NMDOT for additional trail projects in the Glade Run Recreation Area. Those projects are planned for early 2021.

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