Augmenting Conservation with Education and Restoration

268 Thornton Ranch Road, Lamy, NM 87540

Open dawn to dusk to hikers, bikers, and equestrians
Many parts of the property are being restored, so please stay on the trails or in the arroyos.
Dogs must be leashed.

Dovetail is located at the end of Thornton Ranch Road. Descriptions of the individual trail sections can be found below.

Total Length: 4.8 Miles
Hiking/Running:  Yes
Bicycling:  Yes
Equestrian:  Yes
Motorized Vehicles:  No
Dog Friendly?:  On Leash – Yes

Open to the public from dawn to dusk, Dovetail features nearly 5 miles of new trails that connect to the 50 miles of trails at the Galisteo Basin Preserve.  Most of Dovetail’s trails are open to hikers, bikers, and equestrians; the only exception is the accessible trail, which is closed to equestrians due to the specialized surface. No motorized vehicles are allowed on the property outside of the parking area. There are two ADA parking spaces at the trailhead.

The North Trail is an easy-to-moderately difficult natural-surface single-track trail that crosses Dovetail north of the Arroyo de los Angeles for 8/10 of a mile. It continues to Galisteo Basin Preserve Trails to the east (“Nana’s Surprise” near Junction 27) and west (“Galante’s Gambol”). At a location where it winds through some interesting Galisteo rock formations, the North Trail also has a short connection north to GBP Junction 43 at “Mark’s Reach,” for a total of roughly one mile of trail on Dovetail.

The North Trail Connectors are two easy natural-surface single-track trails of about 1/10 of a mile each connecting the central Loop Trail to the North Trail.

The South Trail is a 1.4-mile natural-surface single-track trail south of the Arroyo de los Angeles connecting the Loop Trail to GBP’s new “Zip-a-Dee Doo Dawg” trail to the west. As one heads south, a small spur on the slope of the “Little Hill” provides a wonderful view of the former HQ site on the Arroyo de los Angeles. At about the one-mile point, the South Trail transitions from a fairly easy route to one with challenging, steep and rocky sections on the “Big Hill.” On the top of the Big Hill, the South Trail offers a beautiful panoramic view of the Galisteo Basin and surrounding mountain ranges.

The Shelf Trail provides an alternate route on the Big Hill that traverses a flat area below the peak. It has a steep section to gain access to the flat area, but is far less rocky than the South Trail and may thus provide a better alternative for equestrians. The total length of the Shelf Trail is about 4/10 of a mile.

Arroyo Trails are wide, sandy arroyos open to foot and horse traffic as well as bicycles that can negotiate the sandy surface. They include the Arroyo de los Angeles (just under one mile in length on Dovetail) and its unnamed tributary coming from the northwest corner of the property (about ½ mile). The Arroyo de los Angeles continues as a trail alignment for several miles to the east and west in the Galisteo Basin Preserve, while the “Northwest Arroyo” provides access to GBP’s “Galante’s Gambol” just as it leaves Dovetail.

Accessible Trail was funded by Trails + grants from the New Mexico Department of Outdoor Recreation and SFCT donors, the half-mile double loop accessible trail is the entrance to Dovetail’s approximately five miles of trails. Almost 19,000 people in Santa Fe County are living with disabilities. Most have limited access to nature. The beautiful trail provides access to an underserved population, their friends, and families. This is part of the work of SFCT to provide everyone in our community with equitable access to nature as we work to protect the iconic landscapes of northern New Mexico. (No horses are allowed on this trail due to the special material)

Dovetail Trails in place
North Trail, w Connection to GBP:  0.9 miles
North Trail Connectors: 0.2 miles
South Trail: 1.4 miles
Arroyo de los Angeles: 1.0 miles
Northwest Arroyo: 0.4 miles
Shelf Trail: 0.4 miles
Accessible Trail: 0.5 miles
Total Length: 4.8 miles

The Santa Fe Conservation Trust (SFCT) wants to show you the power of conservation at Dovetail and its four miles of trails.  In March 2020, thanks to the support of the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust, SFCT was able to purchase this 300-acre parcel in the Galisteo Basin that, had it been developed, would have created a housing cluster in an otherwise wide-open landscape. This is a place where people have lived for centuries and is the unceded territory of the Tewa and Tano people, who were the original stewards of the land.  It is also home to many native plants and animals, and part of an important corridor allowing plants and animals the ability to roam and adapt to a changing climate.  And because of the density of conservation easements held by SFCT in this area, it is a major focal point for our conservation work and an area where we work to connect our protected properties to provide critical connectivity to impact the loss of biodiversity and climate change in this region. Dovetail also offered SFCT the opportunity to provide you with more public recreation through a four+ mile trail system that links to the existing 50 miles of trails at the Galisteo Basin Preserve.  And finally, because SFCT is committed to providing equitable access to nature, Dovetail’s public access includes an accessible trail for people with mobility challenges.

How Dovetail Contributes to Landscape-Scale Conservation

The biodiversity crisis and climate change also presented an opportunity for SFCT to show how our focus on connectivity and landscape-scale conservation could positively impact these two existential threats.  Of the more than 46,000 acres we currently protect in northern New Mexico, none is perhaps more threatened by these issues than the Galisteo Basin Watershed, where SFCT has more than 17,000 acres protected.  It is one of the larger stretches of privately owned lands in the Western Wildway Network, a wildlife corridor stretching along the spine of the continent, from Alaska, through the Rocky Mountains, all the way south to the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico.  Dovetail gave SFCT the opportunity to stop a development cluster in this important wildlife corridor and showcase restoration methods that will improve the biodiversity of this unique area.

Long-Term Land Restoration is Underway at Dovetail

Surrounded by almost 6,000 acres of contiguous SFCT conservation easements, the purchase of Dovetail is a huge leap forward in protecting the remnants of Native American habitation, telling the stories of the land, and plugging a potential development cluster.  The Thaw Charitable Trust wanted to see the land return to a more natural state, so part of their support helped SFCT address the health of the land by reseeding the Headquarters area where buildings used to be to support habitat for wildlife and native/migratory birds.  Because Dovetail’s piñon/juniper terrain is similar to that of many other landowners, workshops and workdays on erosion control techniques occurred in early 2021 through today to teach people how to mitigate erosion, slow runoff, and spread rainwater, healing the land.  Swampers and sawyers have helped take out the invasive Siberian Elms and junipers in an overgrown ephemeral wetland.  Subsequent workdays involved building wicker weirs to force water to meander through the wetland so it could deposit sediments and sink back into the aquifer.

Our ten year management goals include finishing the accessible trail, installing wildlife drinkers, improving the rangelands, restoring the areas where the buildings used to be, continuing to build erosion control structures, bringing the wetland back to life, building partnerships and collaborations, installing interpretive signage and implementing educational programs for people of all ages.  We hope you’ll join us in this work!

Dovetail is a special place of wide-open views and peacefulness, multidimensional history, and a place where anyone can come to relax, recreate, and experience nature.  We hope that the restoration projects underway at Dovetail will inspire others to nurture and care for their land, and that the experience of being on the property will build a passionate, curious, informed, and diverse conservation community while igniting a passion for nature in all who visit.