Salt Flat, Texas – The public is invited to the dedication of the Guadalupe Ridge Trail (GRT), a new multi-use backcountry trail that connects Texas and New Mexico public lands. The dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 6, 2017 from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. This new recreation trail connects the highest point in Texas to the wilds of the New Mexico high country. From Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Salt Flat, Texas through Lincoln National Forest, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in White City, New Mexico. The trail is more than 90 miles of rugged backcountry recreation waiting to be explored.
The dedication ceremony will take place at the McKittrick Canyon trailhead by the contact station in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The ceremony will include opening remarks from Mayor of Carlsbad, New Mexico, Dale Janway;Carlsbad Caverns National Park Superintendent, Doug Neighbor; Guadalupe Mountains National Park Superintendent, Eric Brunnemann; U.S. Forest Service, Lincoln National Forest, Guadalupe District Ranger Gordon P. Martin; BLM New Mexico State Director, Amy Lueders, and Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce President Robert Baldridge. Kelli Barta, acting Superintendent of Schools, Carlsbad Municipal Schools and Hannah Vanscotter, Carlsbad Early College High School will also speak at the event. The ceremony will include presentations from students attending the Carlsbad Early College High School, who annually use the trail for GIS mapping projects, and who have developed business plans for the GRT in their Employability and Career Skills class.
Following the ceremony, light refreshments will be served. The Guadalupe Mountains National Park mules used in backcountry search and rescue will be available for viewing and visitors can join a park ranger on a mile hike to connect to the GRT trail. Please direct all press and media inquiries to Robert Defer, at 575-887-6516, Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. For information and to view a map of the trail visit http://guadaluperidgetrail.com/. For information regarding Guadalupe Mountains National Park visit https://www.nps.gov/gumoor call the Pine Springs Visitor Center at (915) 828-3251.