Photo: Joe Mabel · CC BY 3.0Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in Kirtland AFB
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 5.4 miles of mapped trail cross Kirtland AFB, 1.0 per square mile of land. 23 acres are parks and preserves, 6.8 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns · #32 of 73 in New Mexico. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Kirtland AFB?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Kirtland AFB have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Kirtland AFB is ahead of 68% of U.S. towns, #32 of 73 in New Mexico. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
64 conserved acres
2% of Kirtland AFB’s land. Who manages Kirtland AFB’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morris Field Private Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Federal Land | 43 | Open |
| Flag Athletic Fields Private Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Federal Land | 18 | Open |
| State Trust Land State Resource Management Area | State land board | 3 | Open |
39 places to go in Kirtland AFB
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
34 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
2 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
15 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
The best walking months in Kirtland AFB: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.3 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 50 | 55 | 64 | 71 | 81 | 91 | 92 | 90 | 83 | 72 | 59 | 49 |
| Rain (in) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
January is the driest month (0.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 92 °F). 1.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 92 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Kirtland AFB →
Kirtland AFB and its neighbors
Kirtland AFB has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirtland AFB | 2% | 1.0 | 7 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Albuquerque | 16% | 1.7 | 19 | 99% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Kirtland AFB
Where can I hike in Kirtland AFB?
The longest trail networks: Millenium Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Kirtland AFB is conserved land?
2% of its land, against a typical 4% for a New Mexico town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Kirtland AFB’s trails?
Marquez Park and Pershing Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Kirtland AFB?
15 miles of bike routes are on the map: 4.9 of painted or protected lanes, 9.4 of off-road paths and 0.2 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Kirtland AFB?
55,884 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Kirtland AFB or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 26 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Kirtland AFB have?
Ahead of 68% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #32 of 73 in New Mexico. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Kirtland AFB neighbors.
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →