Santa Fe National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
267 acres6.7 mi of trail
Perimeter Trail (290)Rendija Canyon Trail (297)Upper Rendija TrailMitchell Trail (69)+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Bayo Road · Photo: Clyde Charles Brown · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Los Alamos
Los Alamos has 82 miles of mapped trails, 7.4 for every square mile of land
26% of Los Alamos’ land is conserved, about 1,853 acres. The biggest trail networks: Santa Fe National Forest (6.7 mi), Kinnikinnik Park (0.8 mi), Urban Park (0.5 mi). 89% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #3 of 73 in New Mexico. What drives it
Conserved land
26%
1,853 acres · of 11.1 sq mi of land
Trails
82 mi
7.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
405 ac
30 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
89%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
14 mi
9.7 mi lanes · 3.7 mi paths
Highest peak
7,395 ft
North Mesa
Lakes & rivers
1
What kind of outdoors town is Los Alamos?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Los Alamos have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Los Alamos is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #3 of 73 in New Mexico. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Los Alamos’ overall grade.
Conserved land26% of the land · typical NM town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails7.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (82 mi) · NM 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land30 acres of park per 1,000 residents (405 acres) · NM 7 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home89% of residents within a half mile of a park · NM 67% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
New Mexico towns of 2,500+ (73)Ahead of 97%
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 Santa Fe National Forest, with 6.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Urban Park
Managed by Los Alamos
11 acres0.5 mi of trail
Path of Knowledge
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 18 parks & preserves
Santa Fe National Forest267 acres · 6.7 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsKinnikinnik Park13 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsUrban Park11 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Los Alamos
North Mesa Park32 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRidgeway Street Playlot3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Los Pueblos Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Walnut Street Playlot1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
North Mesa Picnic Grounds15 acres
Loma Linda Park11 acres
Barranca Mesa Park7 acres
DirectionsAshley Pond Park7 acres
DirectionsEast Park5 acres · Los Alamos
DirectionsWestern Area Park5 acres
DirectionsCommunity Center Park2 acres
Directions37th Street Playlot1 acres
Main Gate Park1 acres
DirectionsPine Street Playlot1 acres
Firefighter Playlot1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,853 conserved acres
26% of Los Alamos’ land. Who manages Los Alamos’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Department of Energy1,070 ac
County549 ac
U.S. Forest Service277 ac
Federal Other or Unknown · 1,070 acNational Forest · 277 acLocal Park · 243 acLocal Recreation Area · 191 acLocal Other or Unknown · 104 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 7 of 58 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Alamos National Laboratory Federal Other or Unknown | Department of Energy | 1,070 | Unknown |
| Santa Fe National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 277 | Open |
| Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 162 | Open |
| Airport Local Other or Unknown | County | 95 | Unknown |
| North Mesa Park Local Park | County | 57 | Open |
| Stables Local Park | County | 47 | Open |
| N. Mesa Caretaker Local Park | County | 42 | Open |
| N Mesa Picnic Grnds Local Park | County | 17 | Open |
| Jackson Arena Local Park | County | 11 | Open |
| Picnic Area Local Park | County | 10 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
38 places to go in Los Alamos
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Los Alamos
Barranca Mesa PoolIn Barranca Mesa Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Los Alamos
Barranca Mesa School Playground
DirectionsSan Ildefonso Playlot
DirectionsPlus 27 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Waterfalls in Los Alamos
1 waterfall without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Scenic views in Los Alamos
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Los Alamos
North Mesa7,395 ft elevation
DirectionsBarranca Mesa7,274 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Los Alamos
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Los Alamos
North MesaIn North Mesa Picnic Grounds
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 35.5 miHorses · 12.6 miUnpaved · 50.5 mi
Kwage Mesa Trail3.5 mi
Deer Trap Mesa Trail3.4 mi
Pueblo Canyon Trail3.4 mi
Perimeter Trail (290)2.8 mi
Tent Rocks Trail2.2 mi
Pueblo Canyon Rim Trail2.0 mi
Rendija Canyon Trail (297)1.7 mi
Fireline Trail1.7 mi
Woodland Trail1.5 mi
Upper Pueblo Trail1.5 mi
15 more trails
Barranca Mesa North Rim Trail
1.5 miBayo Canyon Trail
1.4 miSchool Canyon Trail
1.4 miWalnut Canyon Rim Trail
1.3 miSouth Pueblo Bench Trail
1.2 miNorth Pueblo Bench Trail
1.1 miSouth Bayo Bench Trail
1.0 miEast Fork Trail
0.9 miNorth Bayo Bench Trail
0.9 miAcid Canyon Trail
0.9 miBayo Bench Trail
0.9 miBarranca Crossing Trail
0.7 miGraduation Canyon Trail
0.7 miCamp Hamilton Trail
0.6 miHomestead Crossing Trail
0.6 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
14 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.7 mi
off-road bike paths
1.0 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Bayo/Pueblo LoopBike route
9.3 miBayo Benches LoopBike route
3.8 miHamilton/Zipline LoopBike route
3.8 miCourts & fields
16Tennis
14Basketball
5Soccer
3Tracks
1Beach volleyball
1Football
1Skate park
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 11 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Los Alamos: April to June
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 | 13.1 | 14.0 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 42 | 47 | 56 | 63 | 73 | 84 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 65 | 52 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.9 |
February is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 2.7 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Los Alamos →
Questions about parks and trails in Los Alamos
Where can I hike in Los Alamos?
The longest trail networks: Santa Fe National Forest, 6.7 miles; Kinnikinnik Park, 0.8 miles; Urban Park, 0.5 miles; North Mesa Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Los Alamos is conserved land?
26% 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 Los Alamos’ trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Santa Fe National Forest, Kinnikinnik Park and North Mesa Park. For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Los Alamos?
14 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.7 of painted or protected lanes, 3.7 of off-road paths and 1.0 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Bayo/Pueblo Loop, Bayo Benches Loop and Hamilton/Zipline Loop.
Is there public land near Los Alamos?
104,662 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Los Alamos or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 680 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Los Alamos have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #3 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 Los Alamos 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 →