Five Mile Park trails kickoff set for June 4

The Quay County Health Council will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony and other events on June 4 for its new walking trails at Five Mile Park in recognition of National Trails Day.

The ceremony begins at 8 a.m. It will include a scavenger hunt for children, and all participants will receive a prize. Door prizes will be offered to adults, and the Tucumcari Disc Golf Club will give a demonstration of the sport.

Health Council coordinator Brenda Bishop said the trails consist of a mostly level half-mile loop, a slightly harder half-mile loop with a few hills and a 1-mile loop. She said the trail system also contains an option to combine a half-mile loop with the 1-mile loop for a total of 1 ½ miles.

All of the trails begin in Five Mile Park’s parking lot.

“This event has been delayed a year due to supply-chain shortages in signage, so we are very excited to finally unveil the trails that were installed last year,” Bishop stated in a news release.

The trail is a joint project with the City of Tucumcari, Tucumcari/Quay County Economic Development Corp., Friends of Five Mile Park, Quay County Health Council, National Park Service and Viva Connect a project of UNM’s Prevention Research Center.

With technical assistance and funding from Viva Connect, materials were purchased to install walking trails in the main area of the park. Many groups have assisted with the installation of the trails and signs.