News

Friends of the Paso del Norte Trail

July 16, 2020

The Paso del Norte Trail (PdN Trail) is a community-driven, collaborative effort to develop a 68-mile long trail in El Paso County that begins near Gadsden Middle School and ends at the County Line Lakes. The goal is to create a regionally significant landmark that promotes active transportation, preserves the history and culture of our region, highlights the Rio Grande river, supports economic development and ecotourism, provides educational and volunteer opportunities, and makes healthy living the easy choice for our unique, bi-national community.

The PdN Trail has received support from regional stakeholders, including multiple municipalities, community members, and community leaders, but additional funds are needed to support trail development, amenities and programming. Trails are more important than ever given that all COVID-19 fatalities in El Paso have had at least one of three complicating conditions that are prevalent in the community: high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes. Diastolic blood pressure, body weight, body mass index and waist circumference can be significantly reduced simply with walking consistently over a six-month period. Outdoor recreation facilities, such as trails, not only provide safe areas for exercise, but can also provide a safe route for transportation via walking or biking.

Recently, a community-based donation effort was established called Friends of the Paso del Norte Trail. The program offers a variety of support packages and sponsorship options that provide opportunities for individuals or companies to contribute to trail development. The levels range from $5 a month to a one-time donation of $100,000+. Sponsorship packages support specific initiatives of the trail: Health & Wellbeing, Trail-building & Amenities, Arts & Culture, and Wildlife & Nature. Legacy Donors support larger donations that can also be used as leverage to secure larger grants that support the development of the Paso del Norte Trail. All donations to the Friends of the Paso del Norte Trail are tax deductible.

All partnership levels include options for non-monetary donations, such as volunteer hours.

Happy Trails!