Project funds paving portion of La Cueva trail to increase accessibility
LAS CRUCES - A portion of the La Cueva loop trail within the Dripping Springs Natural Area will be paved to improve access for people with disabilities who also want to enjoy the hiking path.
The 2.9-mile trail loops around the La Cueva rock formation. A shelter at the base of the rock formation, which archeologists estimate was occupied for thousands of years, is a highlight of the trail.
Currently, there is a dirt path from Dripping Springs Natural Area Visitor’s Center to the La Cueva picnic area and then the trail extends around the rock formation.
The Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks and the Bureau of Land Management Las Cruces District plan to jointly fund a $66,000 project to pave a three-quarter-mile portion, from the visitor's center to an overlook area. The paved portion won't extend to the shelter, said William Wight, BLM spokesperson.
However, the paved portion will include pullouts for wildlife and scenery viewing while also striving to maintain the natural aesthetic of the area, located in the foothills of the Organ Mountains, about 10 miles east of Las Cruces.
"This is about equitable access to our public lands and making sure everybody has that. That's really what drives this kind of project," said Patrick Nolan, Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks executive director.
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Wight, BLM spokesperson, said there's no official timeline on the project and that his agency is still waiting on its half of the funding to be approved.
Friends of OMDP has been approved for $33,000 toward the project and that funding must be used in the next two years, Nolan said. The funding was part of $2.74 million awarded through a trails-plus grant by the Outdoor Recreation Division of the Economic Development Department of New Mexico.
La Cueva is within the Dripping Spring Natural Area, which is open everyday from 7 a.m. to sunset from March through November. Visit https://www.blm.gov/visit/dripping-springs-natural-area or call 575-522-1219 to learn more.
Annya Loya can be reached at aloyaorduno@lcsun-news.com or @annyaloya on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Project funds paving portion of La Cueva trail to increase accessibility
