La Tierra's First Adaptive Trail Is Already Partly Here. The Rest Waits on January

Which part of Santa Fe's first adaptive mountain bike trail can you use this weekend? It's the 0.4 miles between the Frijoles Trailhead and the La Cuchara Trailhead. Neither nonprofit needs to touch that stretch before it joins the new loop. The Santa Fe Fat Tire Society lists it as Part 1 of the project with the note "No improvements needed."

The plan is called the La Tierra Adaptive Trails project. The Santa Fe Fat Tire Society, known as SFFTS, is running it in partnership with the City of Santa Fe. The goal is a loop of about two miles built for adaptive riders and people with a range of mobility needs, on the La Tierra trail system about 10 minutes from downtown. The loop grows out of trail that's already open, so what's left to settle comes down to two specific stretches of hard construction, and one grant decision that SFFTS expects in January 2027.

The Finished Piece Sits Between Two Familiar Trailheads

If you start from La Cuchara, you already know the first leg. The Santa Fe Reporter once described the La Tierra trails as branching off from the La Cuchara parking lot behind Unity Church, off Highway 599. The other end is the Frijoles Trailhead, which the Santa Fe Conservation Trust has described as a gravel-and-dirt lot. The lot has delineators for horse trailers, and car parking with wheel stops sits nearby, so the trailhead serves riders on horses as well as riders on bikes. The 2024 Foothill Trails map, built from City of Santa Fe and Santa Fe Conservation Trust GIS data, marks both trailheads if you want to see how they line up.

That connector is the anchor. In SFFTS's words, Phase 1 will "connect existing and proposed trail segments" to make about two miles of adaptive and universal-access riding. Phase 1 is a link-up of what exists with what doesn't yet, not a new trail laid somewhere else. The 0.4-mile stretch is a bit under a fifth of the total, and it's the only part that's finished.

Four Colors on the Map, Four Kinds of Work

On its project page, SFFTS splits Phase 1 into four color-coded parts. Each one needs a different amount of work.

Look at the work column. Half of the loop's length, the green and orange parts, needs little or nothing. The heavy lifting is in the meadows between the arroyo crossing and Pipeline Rd, and in the red downhill segment, which is the only stretch described as entirely new. SFFTS says it chose this mix of new building, restoration and reuse of an existing accessible trail "to minimize environmental impact and maximize efficiency."

The ridgetop toward the cell tower and the meadows near Pipeline Rd will probably sound familiar if you ride at La Tierra. Most of this loop is laid over ground the trail system already covers.

The Community Match Is In. The Grant Isn't Yet.

The money follows the same pattern as the route. A lot is already in place, and one big piece is pending.

1. The grant application. SFFTS applied for a $62,000 Trails+ grant from the New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division. To qualify, it had to show it could match the award through donations, in-kind contributions and volunteer labor.
2. The bulk of the match. SFFTS counts $52,000 as already covered by volunteer labor, in-kind contributions, donations and pledges.
3. The last $10,000. The club needed $10,000 more from the community by September 30, 2026. Its page now reads "As of 9/30/26 we have reached our goal!" One fundraiser along the way was a September 19 benefit screening of Best Day Ever, listed in the Santa Fe New Mexican's Pasatiempo movie listings, with proceeds going to the project.
4. The state's window. The Outdoor Recreation Division's Trails+ page shows the FY27 application window opened July 1, 2026 and closed September 30, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. MT. That cycle is now listed as closed. The state page gives no date for announcing awards.
5. The decision. SFFTS expects the award announcement in January 2027.

So local volunteers and donors have matched the full $62,000 grant ask. The one piece still pending is the state's answer. SFFTS is still taking donations. Gifts marked "Adaptive Trails" in the comments go to this project, and the rest go to the club's General Fund for ongoing trail maintenance.

Why the Trail Matters as Much as the Bike

This explains why the project's biggest jobs land where they do. SFFTS describes adaptive mountain bikes as specially designed three- and four-wheeled cycles for people who may not be able to ride a standard mountain bike because of physical, intellectual, neurological or sensory disabilities. The same page adds, "The trail itself needs to be designed with those riders in mind."

A three- or four-wheeled cycle needs more room than a bike built for singletrack, so a loop for those riders has to be planned around that from the start. That's why one segment needs major improvements and one needs a fresh build, while the existing universal access connector needs nothing.

Two people quoted on the SFFTS page explain why the effort is worth it. Bonnie Nuttall, an occupational therapist with Adaptive Sports Program New Mexico who also rides mountain bikes, said she is "confident that this trail will increase opportunities for riders of all ability levels to access the trails at La Tierra." Melissa McDonald, the City of Santa Fe's Parks and Open Space Director, said that "upon completion, the trail will serve as a model for other communities seeking to expand access to their trail systems."

SFFTS describes its goal as a trail where "adaptive riders, kids, parents, grandparents, and experienced mountain bikers can all enjoy the same ride." In this design, the adaptive loop and the everyday trail system share the same ground.

The Club Behind the Project Still Rides Here Every Friday

The group building this loop already rides La Tierra every week, and its fall schedule is changing. On the SFFTS calendar, the Wednesday, October 28 club ride from the La Cuchara Trailhead was billed as "our last 'daylight' ride." Its first Wednesday night ride, on November 4, was scheduled for the Galisteo Basin Preserve from the Cerro Alto Trailhead at the Hwy 285 Rail Trail parking, with a taco social.

The Friday morning ride is staying put. The calendar lists a weekly 9:45 a.m. club ride at La Tierra on November 6, November 13 and November 20. SFFTS also lists a separate weekly club ride as no-drop, co-ed and "open to everyone." Club calendars change, so check the listing before you head to the trailhead.

If you or someone in your household wants to try adaptive cycling before the new loop is built, two New Mexico groups are worth contacting. Adaptive Sports Program New Mexico offers adaptive skiing, snowboarding, watersports, rafting, archery and climbing, and its 2026–27 season centers on ski and snowboard programs at Ski Santa Fe and Sandia Peak. Its site doesn't list a mountain bike program, so ask the staff directly about cycling. Global Opportunities Unlimited runs an adaptive cycling program with adaptive mountain bikes and handcycles, including electric-assist three-wheel mountain bikes built for rough trails. Its contact details are in Albuquerque, so ask what reaches Santa Fe.

In the meantime, the green segment between Frijoles and La Cuchara is open now. The meadows and the downhill are where the real construction will happen, and the state's answer on funding is expected in January.

At Bunny Terry, we follow the trails in our own backyard as closely as the streets, and we'll be watching for that January announcement. If you'd like to talk about life around La Tierra Trails or anywhere on Santa Fe's northwest side, we'd love to help you start your Santa Fe story.