New bridge connects Cebolla Mesa and Wild Rivers

Longtime Taoseños will remember that many years ago there was a simple log bridge that crossed the Red River, connecting the Cebolla Mesa Trail with the Wild Rivers area near Questa. But in 2006 the bridge was washed out, and for 15 years there was no connection between the two areas.

That all changed this past spring when a new bridge was built across

the Red River near its confluence with the Río Grande. Steel I-beams and wooden deck planks were

flown in by helicopter in December 2020, and the bridge was completed

in March.

Because the Cebolla Mesa Trail is on Carson National Forest land and

the trails in Wild Rivers are overseen by the Bureau of Land Management as part of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, extensive cooperation was required. It was an opportunity for literal “bridgebuilding” between the two agencies. Each provided funding, design and

implementation assistance. Eric Garner, Recreation and Wilderness Program Manager for the Carson,

said this cooperation was all the more challenging due to the pandemic.

The new bridge sits higher above the river so it can handle elevated flows. It can also accommodate

pedestrian and equestrian traffic. According to Carl Colonius of the

Enchanted Circle Trails Association (ECTA), “The bridge is a key connection in this area and was identified as a gap in the trail system by local communities in the Enchanted Circle Trail Plan that was completed in 2017.”

“The bridge will also become an important link in the future Rio Grande Trail that will run from Las Cruces to Colorado along the Río Grande,” Colonius continued, referring to a planned 500-mile crossstate recreational path that will run through 10 New Mexico counties. “We are excited about the collaboration that brought this bridge back.”

The bridge can be accessed by hiking the Cebolla Mesa Trail or via the Big or Little Arsenic Trails in Wild Rivers. La Junta Trail in Wild Rivers is currently closed, along with El Aguaje Trail, which was washed

out in a heavy rain last month.

The new La Junta bridge connecting Cebolla Mesa Trail with Wild Rivers.

From left, hikers Brendan Besetzny, Jakub Coziuk and James Downing from Colorado head down the Cebolla Mesa Trail.

Left, from top: A helicopter brings in I-beams and deck for the new La Junta Bridge. The completed bridge connecting Cebolla Mesa Trail and Wild Rivers.