Glade Run Recreation Area
Managed by BLM_FFO
233 acres2.1 mi of trail
Ridgetop
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
BOutdoors
Outdoors in La Plata
15% of La Plata’s land is conserved: 2,130 acres
The biggest trail networks: Glade Run Recreation Area (2.1 mi), Jackson Lake Wildlife Area (0.8 mi), Thomas Canyon Recreation Area (0.6 mi). 15 miles of mapped trail cross La Plata, 0.7 per square mile of land. 11% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
15%
2,130 acres · of 22.2 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
46 ac
20 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
11%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is La Plata?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does La Plata have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, La Plata is ahead of 63% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of La Plata’s overall grade.
Conserved land15% of the land · typical NM town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · NM 0.9 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land20 acres of park per 1,000 residents (46 acres) · NM 7 · U.S. 13BParks close to home11% 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 63%
LessMore
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− 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 Glade Run Recreation Area, with 2.1 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Jackson Lake Wildlife Area
Managed by New Mexico Department of Game & Fish
47 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Thomas Canyon Recreation Area
Nature preserve
172 acres0.6 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
La Plata #8 (River Tracts)
Managed by BLM_FFO
76 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 16 parks & preserves
Glade Run Recreation Area233 acres · 2.1 mi of trail · BLM_FFO
Jackson Lake Wildlife Area47 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · New Mexico Department of Game & Fish
DirectionsThomas Canyon Recreation Area172 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
La Plata #8 (River Tracts)76 acres · BLM_FFO
La Plata #6 (River Tracts)40 acres · Bureau of Land Management
La Plata #4 (River Tracts)12 acres · Bureau of Land Management
East La Plata Wildlife Area11 acres
La Plata #7 (River Tracts)10 acres · BLM_FFO
La Plata #1 (River Tracts)9 acres · Bureau of Land Management
La Plata #10 (River Tracts)9 acres · BLM_FFO
La Plata #2 (River Tracts)7 acres · Bureau of Land Management
Pinon Mesa Fossil Area3 acres · Bureau of Land Management
Pinon Mesa Recreation Area3 acres · Bureau of Land Management
DirectionsLa Plata #11 (River Tracts)2 acres · Bureau of Land Management
La Plata #3 (River Tracts)1 acres · Bureau of Land Management
La Plata #5 (River Tracts)1 acres · Bureau of Land Management
Who protects it
2,130 conserved acres
15% of La Plata’s land. Who manages La Plata’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State land board955 ac
Bureau of Land Management777 ac
State fish & wildlife399 ac
Private owners4 ac
State Resource Management Area · 955 acNational Public Lands · 777 acState Conservation Area · 399 acPrivate Other or Unknown · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Trust Land State Resource Management Area | State land board | 955 | Open |
| Farmington Field Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 777 | Open |
| Jackson Lake Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 399 | Restricted |
| Private Private Land Private Other or Unknown | Private owners | 4 | Closed |
Trails & water
3 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Ridgetop0.3 mi
Ball Hanger0.2 mi
Road 19960.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Florence and John R. Pond HouseBuilding · listed 2013
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in La Plata: 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) | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.1 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 48 | 58 | 66 | 76 | 88 | 91 | 89 | 81 | 68 | 54 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
June is the driest month (0.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 1.4 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in La Plata →
Next door
La Plata and its neighbors
La Plata 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 Plata | 15% | 0.7 | 20 | 11% | B |
| Farmington | 8% | 2.8 | 23 | 90% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in La Plata
Where can I hike in La Plata?
The longest trail networks: Glade Run Recreation Area, 2.1 miles; Jackson Lake Wildlife Area, 0.8 miles; Thomas Canyon Recreation Area, 0.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of La Plata is conserved land?
15% 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 Plata’s trails?
Glade Run Recreation Area and Jackson Lake Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near La Plata?
126,303 acres of parks and open public land lie inside La Plata or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,616 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does La Plata have?
Ahead of 63% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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 Plata 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 →