Paso del Norte Trail

The development of a master plan for a
county-wide trail in El Paso County.

Health Leadership Initiative

The Paso del Norte Health Foundation (Health Foundation) is working with multiple community stakeholders and a planning team, Sites Southwest/Alta Design to develop a conceptual master plan for a county-wide trail in El Paso County. The goal is to develop a trail that will become a regional attraction that connects community, celebrates El Paso’s history and cultures, highlights the Rio Grande, promotes health and active living, and catalyzes economic development.

Two public meetings were held to introduce the project to the community. The meetings provided an overview of the project, interactive exercises, opportunities for input and a discussion of next steps. An online survey was also made available for those that were unable to attend the meetings.

The Health Foundation was selected to receive support from the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program to work with the Health Foundation’s planning consultants and community stakeholders to develop the trail alignment for a 60-mile county-wide linear trail in El Paso County. The RTCA program team spent a week in El Paso in mid-January working with stakeholders to advance the development of the portion of the proposed trail from Sunland Park to the Chamizal National Park.

According to the National Park Service, the county-wide trail project advances their program goal “of enhancing close to home outdoor recreation opportunities, particularly in urban areas.”

The Health Foundation applied for support from the RTCA program in partnership with the City of El Paso Parks and Recreation Department to help with the trail alignment in the downtown core that is innovative and context-sensitive; research and provide feedback on best practices for trail design in urban, arid environments; work with stakeholders and partners in the action planning process; and facilitate discussions about the best mechanisms for advancing trail implementation.

Community stakeholder and the planning team have been working to complete the master plan by the fall of 2018. For updates on the trail, visit pasodelnortetrail.org.