Canyon Rim Trail

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Canyon Rim Trail
Length: 1.4 miles
Elevation Gain: 30 feet
Parking: Parking at trailhead near Camino Entrada and at East Park
Used by: Hikers, joggers, rollerbladers, strollers, bicycles
Use: High
Connecting Trails: Plans in the works to connect the trail to the downtown area


Narrative: The Canyon Rim Trail is a multi-use, hard-surfaced pathway along the south rim of Los Alamos Canyon. The trail provides a year-round route for a variety of foot and non-motorized vehicle traffic. The east end of the trail has a parking area and is located about 1.5 miles east of downtown on the south side of East Road near Camino Entrada; the west access point is at the Fire Station across East Road from East Park.

For those looking for a longer loop trip, and one that you certainly want to walk before biking on, take a look at the work of the 2010 Youth Conservation Corps. The YCC improved the existing trail along the north fence of the airport from the airport parking area to the school/county facilities at Pajarito Cliffs. If you start at the Rim Trail parking area and travel the length of the new trail, you can cross Highway 502 just west of the Fire Station where there is a pedestrian cut through the median that leads to East Park. You can pick up the Los Alamos Mesa Trail behind the park and head east. A dirt trail continues through the fence at the east end of the paved trail. Continue past the airport terminal along the canyon rim and pick up the Pueblo Canyon Rim Trail near the terminal. From there it is about 1.8 miles to Pajarito Cliffs.