El Rancho de las Golondrinas
Park
192 acres2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Tdigkhang · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in La Cienega
34% of La Cienega’s land is conserved: 2,555 acres
627 acres are parks and preserves, 177 per 1,000 residents. 15 miles of mapped trail cross La Cienega, 1.3 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: El Rancho de las Golondrinas (2 mi), Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve (1.3 mi).
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #14 of 73 in New Mexico. What drives it
Conserved land
34%
2,555 acres · of 11.7 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
1.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
627 ac
177 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
24%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
6,421 ft
Cerro Seguro
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is La Cienega?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Land that stays wild34% of the land is conserved; a typical New Mexico town, 4%.Room to roam177 acres of park per 1,000 residents; the typical U.S. town has 13.A trail town1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, more than 85% of U.S. towns.History along the way3 places on the National Register.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does La Cienega have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, La Cienega is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #14 of 73 in New Mexico. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of La Cienega’s overall grade.
Conserved land34% of the land · typical NM town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · NM 0.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land177 acres of park per 1,000 residents (627 acres) · NM 7 · U.S. 13AParks close to home24% of residents within a half mile of a park · NM 67% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 87%
LessMore
New Mexico towns of 2,500+ (73)Ahead of 82%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is El Rancho de las Golondrinas, with 2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve
Managed by El Rancho de las Golondrinas
197 acres1.3 mi of trail
South Loop TrailMain TrailNorth Loop TrailButterfly Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
2,555 conserved acres
34% of La Cienega’s land. Who manages La Cienega’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Bureau of Land Management1,189 ac
State land board700 ac
County668 ac
National Public Lands · 1,189 acState Resource Management Area · 700 acLocal Recreation Area · 667 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 1 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taos Field Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 1,189 | Open |
| State Trust Land State Resource Management Area | State land board | 700 | Open |
| Ranch At Santa Fe Canyon Local Recreation Area | County | 432 | Open |
| La Cieneguilla Local Recreation Area | County | 141 | Open |
| Los Golondrinas Local Recreation Area | County | 69 | Open |
| El Tanque Tract 4-a Local Recreation Area | County | 13 | Open |
| El Tanque Tract 2 Local Recreation Area | County | 12 | Open |
| La Cienega Community Center & Fs Private Other or Unknown | County | 1 | Closed |
Things to do
4 places to go in La Cienega
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Peaks in La Cienega
Cerro Seguro6,421 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in La Cienega
3 picnic areas without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.9 mi
County Road 54B0.6 mi
South Loop Trail0.3 mi
Main Trail0.3 mi
North Loop Trail0.3 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
3Equestrian
1Tennis
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in La Cienega: 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 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 46 | 51 | 60 | 67 | 77 | 88 | 89 | 87 | 81 | 69 | 55 | 45 |
| Rain (in) | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.9 |
February is the driest month (0.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 2.2 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in La Cienega →
Next door
La Cienega and its neighbors
La Cienega 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Cienega | 34% | 1.3 | 177 | 24% | A |
| Santa Fe | 4% | 3.7 | 30 | 94% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in La Cienega
Where can I hike in La Cienega?
The longest trail networks: El Rancho de las Golondrinas, 2 miles; Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve, 1.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of La Cienega is conserved land?
34% 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 La Cienega’s trails?
El Rancho de las Golondrinas and Leonora Curtin Wetland Preserve don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near La Cienega?
64,161 acres of parks and open public land lie inside La Cienega or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 893 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does La Cienega have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #14 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 La Cienega neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
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 →