As Celebrate Trails Day is this Saturday, April 24, the Friends of the Paso del Norte Trail will host Celebrate Trails Day at the Playa Drain Trail for a clean-up, a yoga/meditation session and more.
The event will kick off at Hidden Valley Park, 200 Coconut Tree Lane at 9 a.m.
“The community is encouraged to come out and discover some of the benefits that the trail has to offer and to thank the many volunteers, local partners, developers, city and county employees and others for their help in developing and maintaining the trails,” organizers share.
Celebrate Trails Day was created in recognition of all the incredible health and mental wellness benefits that trails provide which include a variety of recreation, education, exposure to some of the beautiful flora and fauna, wildlife and preservation.
The Playa Drain Trail is a 3.4-mile trail that connects Ascarate Park and Riverside Park, opened in 2018. It was developed with funding from the Paso del Norte Health Foundation in collaboration with the City of El Paso and El Paso Water.
Officials say the trail, which takes its name from the historic irrigation system that runs alongside it, is one of the completed segments of the larger 68-mile planned Paso del Norte Trail that will extend across El Paso County.
The trail also includes more than 50 amenities including benches, exercise equipment, a stormwater management system, two burrowing owl habitats, two bat houses and solar lighting.
The event is free and open to the public. Gloves and trash bags will be provided. Please dress appropriately for physical activity (e.g., comfortable shoes and clothes, hat, sunglasses). Facemasks are required. Yoga participants should bring a mat.
The western trailhead is located near the entrance to Ascarate Park.
The Paso del Norte Trail and Paso del Norte Health Foundation were recently recognized by Texan by Nature, a conservation non-profit, with the Conservation Wrangler Award. The award was given to six innovative conservation projects across the state of Texas for their science-based and results-driven approach to conservation along with their ability to positively impact people, prosperity, and natural resources.
