Proposed Slot Canyon state park sent to governor

RADIUM SPRINGS — A popular area for hiking, bird-watching and other outdoor recreation north of Las Cruces will be the site of New Mexico’s 36th state park, if Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signs legislation approved by lawmakers on Thursday.

The Senate delivered final approval for House Bill 219, which would establish Slot Canyon Riverlands State Park on approximately 1,000 acres along the Rio Grande near the Robledo Mountains in Doña Ana County.

Forty senators unanimously passed the measure following a 48-16 vote in the House on March 13. The bill was sponsored by three Democrats from Las Cruces: Reps. Joanne Ferrary and Nathan Small with Sen. Jeff Steinborn.

This followed a feasibility study ordered in 2023 to assess a potential park on state-owned land at Broad Canyon Ranch. HB219 selected one of three options contemplated in that study, a more expensive option that includes developing campgrounds and a new visitor center on the grounds of a former ranch house.

A legislative analysis by the state Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department projects development costs for the new park and visitor center of between $8.1 million and $9.3 million, depending on the extent of the development; and an annual operating cost of $338,452 based on recommended staffing of four full-time positions and two seasonal positions.

A $9 million appropriation included in the original bill was stripped from the bill by a House committee.

Steinborn defended the option under questioning from Republican members of the House Rural Development, Land Grants And Cultural Affairs committee on March 4, arguing that a new campground was critical to the park’s success. As an example, he cited Rockhound State Park, a popular camping spot in Luna County just outside Deming.

“We’ve got some other day-use parks in Doña Ana County. … They’re beautiful, but they’re just day-use, they don’t have camping,” Steinborn said. “When you don’t have that amenity to keep people there, it just changes completely the equation of who comes.”

While Slot Canyon is already a popular hike in the area, there is no designated parking and visitors must pass over a fence to access the trail. Steinborn said a developed park with safer access would increase the number of visitors, supporting outdoor recreation and businesses in the Radium Springs and Fort Selden area.

The two parcels included in the park designation abut lands owned by federal and state agencies as well as New Mexico State University, per the EMNRD, and are considered important for accessing public areas and aligning with the proposed Rio Grande Trail, a multistate trail to include a 500-mile New Mexico segment.