Lobo Canyon Trails

Lobo Canyon Trail work Every Thursday night Starting March 14, 2024 thru October 24, 2024: from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM

We will not work on Thursday July 4, 2024

email president@cibolatrails.org for location or directions

CTA will provide the work tools, we have a few hard hats and gloves for some, but we recommend if you have your own hard hat and Gloves you bring those please. You must wear closed toe shoes (no Sandals), a long sleeve shirt, long pants and no shorts. We are volunteer partners of the Mt Taylor Ranger District and we must follow all safety procedures while out on the trail.

Lobo Canyon Trails - Cibola Trail Alliance in partnership with the Mt. Taylor Ranger district seek to provide an outstanding and sustainable recreation experience through careful planning, development and implementation; that employ best management and maintenance practices keeping in mind safety, the environment, and historical and cultural resources.

As many members know we have been trying to launch and build Lobo Canyon Trails previously known as Grants Ridge Trail. The process has been very lengthy and insightful though we are moving in a great direction to be able to have single track multiuse non-motorized trails within minutes of downtown Grants. We are amongst the final signature to be able to have our very own single track multiuse non-motorized trails.

What’s NEXT: Lobo Canyon Trails is Approximately 24 miles, and it must be implemented. How is it going to be implemented you ask, remember all that fund raising and donations that CTA participated in, before 2020, we have bought many hand tools because of those donations so that we would be able to build and maintain trails in our community. Also, our USFS donated a small tool cache this past year as well (Thanks).That is right our community (YOU) will be asked to volunteer your time and sweet as equity to implement the trail system, in partial. Your equity then can be used for a match in the States Trails + grant and several other small grant opportunities to potentially hire several trails crews (Ancestorial Land’s Trail Crew or YCC) we see fit to implement the rest of the trail. SO we will need your help soon to make this dream a reality for our community.

The Goals of Cibola Trail Alliance committee include that for the LCT system:

Creation of a multistakeholder partnership for sustainable development of Lobo Canyon Region which focuses on conservation
Coordination of public outreach and involvement including community events, public meetings and forums, GIS mapping events, etc.,
Assistance with development of a public mapping process and on the ground information gathering and GIS information integration
Development of a Lobo Canyon Trails System with trail connections and linkages to surrounding communities to provide access to area asset
Identification, inventory, and prioritization of sensitive areas and potential restoration projects, such as closing or rehabilitating unneeded routes, throughout the project area

The Objectives of the CTA include:

Establish multiuse trail system for equestrian, mountain biking and hiking trails throughout the Mt. Taylor area that reduces resource impacts from user created trails. This system would eventually provide a variety of trailheads and associated facilities such as stackedloop trails and experiences for beginner, intermediate, and advanced mountain bike riders
Create new gateway trails that provide close to home recreation opportunities for the public in the Mt. Taylor Area
Create and sustain strong and diverse partnerships that support increased recreational visitation, recreational tourism, economic development, and trail stewardship
Enhance forest and watershed health by adhering to best management practices for forest road management (road closures and decommissioning) and new trail development. Old logging road corridors may be utilized by users if converted to sustainable singletrack routes
Design trails to protect heritage resources through routing and/or interpretive opportunities, as heritage resources (mining and historic railroad logging) are abundant and important on Mt Taylor. Trails . A properly functioning system will reduce current impacts to historic resources. Establishing the proposed trail system will direct current users away from impacted areas and reduce resource damage. In time, heritage personnel may identify backcountry interpretive opportunities as trail use patterns develop
Address visitor risk and safety by appropriate trail location and design, minimizing road crossings, addressing potential user conflicts by separating noncompatible users, and locating and developing trailheads with user safety in mind
Respect private property rights. Trails will not be designed to terminate at a private property boundary and trails crossing private property will require legal access
Consider and analyze trail routes identified in alternative development as additional corridors. Requiring field analysis (with data supplied for location) will include routes from Grants Ridge, Horace mesa, and on to the greater Mt. Taylor area
Include outreach to local governments for stronger relationships. The partnership will build new bridges through programs such as the National Indian Youth Leadership Program and develop communication strategies through tribal members who are interested in trail related activities such as tribal member health and wellness, forest stewardship, running, bicycling, or gathering forest products
Connect the proposed Lobo Canyon Trails Project to the existing Continental Divide trail and Coal Mine campground in efforts to maintain and improve the area which can prove to be beneficial to the community

The Lobo Canyon Trail Project has received support from several local entities, including the City of Grants, Cibola County and the Grants Main Street Project.