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65-431: The Transcon is one of the most heavily trafficked rail corridors in the western United States: as of 2006, an average of almost 90 trains daily (over 100 trains on peak days) passed over the section between Belen and Clovis, New Mexico , with each train typically 6,000 to 8,000 feet (1,800 to 2,400 m) long. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway completed a railroad between Chicago and Southern California in

130-403: A city center known as Plaza Vieja , or Old Town, and had grown from a paraje , or precinct, to a partido , or district, with a population of 1,695. By 1793, a Catholic church and parish were founded. By the middle of the 19th century, Belén had outgrown Old Town and was expanding into what became known as New Town. In 1853, the residents in both parts of town disagreed over the construction of

195-679: A day over the Transcon from LA Union Station to the Colton Crossing. Southern California's Metrolink commuter rail trains utilize the route between Los Angeles and San Bernardino . These include the Orange County Line (between Los Angeles and Fullerton), 91/Perris Valley Line (between Los Angeles and Highgrove), and Inland Empire–Orange County Line (between Atwood and San Bernardino). Belen, New Mexico Belén ( / b ə ˈ l ɪ n / ; Spanish : Belén )

260-489: A fishing derby that takes place at the acequia , or irrigation canal, that runs through the park. Other parks include El Corazon de Belen Garden Park, Jose Gallegos Park, Rosedale Park, Ross Park, and Welcome Park. The Valencia County News-Bulletin is a weekly news publication covering all of Valencia County. KBNM-LP is a radio station in Belen, playing oldies and other music throughout Valencia County. Hub City News

325-452: A household in the CDP was $ 30,893, and for a family was $ 36,875. Males had a median income of $ 23,854 versus $ 21,094 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $ 11,802. About 16.5% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 27.1% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over. The numerous flagstone quarries and companies are often cited as

390-546: A large roundhouse and a classification yard , also serving branches southward to El Paso and northward through Albuquerque to Colorado . Today, Belén remains a major refueling station for the BNSF Railway , where an average of 110 trains travel through Belén per day on the Southern Transcon . Belén was incorporated as a municipality in 1918. It was originally called the "Village of Belén", later becoming

455-609: A material similar to adobe . The Belén Harvey House is located within feet of the BNSF rail yard. It is a two-story building that opened in 1907, one year before the completion of the Belén Cutoff, to provide room and board to railroaders and others passing through. The original Belén rail depot is adjacent to the Harvey House grounds, owned by BNSF and used as office space for the railroad. The Scholle building, located at

520-608: A new Catholic church, with residents of Old Town wanting the new church to remain there, while residents of New Town wanted it built in their part of town. Ultimately, the adobe church in Old Town was abandoned, and a new church was built in New Town. In 1910, the last ruins of the former church were blown up with dynamite, and the crushed adobe was used to pave New Town's main avenue, Becker Avenue. The residents of Valencia County spent nearly 30 years from 1846 to 1875 disputing where

585-623: A nonstop 26 hours, 17 minutes, and 33 seconds, receiving the top prize of $ 25,000. The world's first atomic bomb , in unassembled pieces, traveled through Belén in July 1945 en route to the Trinity site at what is now White Sands Missile Range . The bomb's Belén route used old Highway 85, now Highway 314, also known as Main Street. Located in downtown Belén in 1945 was Roy's Cafe, a restaurant where military and science personnel would dine since it had

650-477: A place to dine, so in 1910 the railroad built a Harvey House restaurant adjacent to the railroad tracks. It was the 86th restaurant in the chain operated by Fred Harvey. It contained a large lunchroom, a more formal dining room, a newsstand, kitchen facilities, a bakery, and sleeping rooms upstairs for the Harvey Girls who served the meals. That Harvey House is extant today. It houses memorabilia pertaining to

715-475: A private residence and private art gallery , while the Central Hotel has been renovated to include a private residence upstairs with a wine-tasting room, and an event space and ballroom downstairs. Old City Hall, also located on Becker Avenue, is a 1938 Works Progress Administration project, which housed the former Belén City Hall and fire department. The two-story building was constructed of terron ,

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780-576: A separate population for the village, it did report as the Ash Fork precinct in 1920 and 1930 (reporting a majority White population in the latter). The population of Ash Fork was 681in the 1960 census. In 2000, it was made a census-designated place (CDP). As of the census of 2000, 457 people, 149 households, and 109 families were residing in the CDP. The population density was 199.1 people.sq mi (76.7/km ). The 189 housing units had an average density of 82.3/sq mi (31.7/km ). The racial makeup of

845-555: A significant transportation hub that includes access to rails, Interstate Highway 25 , and air at Valencia County's only public airport. Belén is at the southern end of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is located 35 miles south of Albuquerque. Belén was founded in 1740 as Nuestra Señora de Belén (Our Lady of Bethlehem) by a group of colonists led by Diego Torres and Antonio Salazar, who had received permission to settle

910-664: Is a census-designated place in Yavapai County, Arizona , United States. Its population was 396 at the 2010 U.S. Census , down from 457 in 2000. Ash Fork has proclaimed itself "The Flagstone Capital of the World", due to the large number of stone quarries and stone yards in and around the town. The title of "Flagstone Capital of the World," was bestowed upon Ash Fork by the Ash Fork Development Association and Ash Fork Historical Society. The title

975-542: Is also located on this street. Certain areas of the town were selected to be used as sets in the filming of 1992's Universal Soldier , supposedly due to the extremely low purchase price and poor condition of several buildings, including an old motel, which were blown up for cinematic effect. According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of 2.3 sq mi (6.0 km ), all land. Geologic places of interest include

1040-491: Is an event that has been around for more than 230 years. The fiestas, or parties, draw thousands of people from across the state and country to Belen for religious observance, and to celebrate with a carnival. The fiestas is held around the time Valencia County's green chile is ready for harvest, making its way as garnishing the "Fiesta Burger." Follow the Star is an annual celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and pays homage to

1105-690: Is an online news source covering all of Valencia County. Its primary focus is Belen and Belen-related stories. The vast majority of Belen is within the Belen Consolidated Schools district, which includes two high schools: Belén High School and Infinity High School, one middle school and seven elementary schools. Belen Consolidated Schools also has an alternative high school and a family school for home schooled students. Small portions of Belen are in Los Lunas Public Schools . Our Lady of Belen Catholic Church runs

1170-560: Is considered the world's largest matanza, a Spanish-style barbecue that can trace its origin back to the conquistadors . This New Mexico matanza tradition, hosted by the Hispano Chamber of Valencia County, involves slaughtering and cooking 45 pigs, then serving the free food, such as chicharrones , to more than 10,000 patrons. All of the proceeds are given as scholarships to local college students. The Our Lady of Belen Fiestas, held annually in Belen during one weekend in mid-August,

1235-822: Is home to a number of annual cultural events, including the St. Patrick's Day Balloon Rallye on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day, the All-American Fourth of July around July 4, Rio Abajo Days on the last Saturday in September, and the Miracle on Main Street Festival and Electric Light Parade on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The Hispano Matanza, held annually in Belen on the last Saturday in January,

1300-596: Is situated on the same block as three other historic buildings. As of the 2000 United States Census , there were 6,901 people, 2,596 households, and 1,778 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,463.1 inhabitants per square mile (564.9/km ). There were 2,952 housing units at an average density of 625.9 per square mile (241.7/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 67.50% White, 1.07% African American, 1.65% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 25.39% from other races, and 4.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 68.61% of

1365-580: Is the second most populated city in Valencia County , New Mexico , the United States , after its county seat, Los Lunas . The population was 7,360 as of the 2020 Census. Belén is Spanish for Bethlehem . It gained the nickname "Hub City" after the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway completed a line through it in 1907. The city is geographically near the center of New Mexico, and is

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1430-635: The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in the 1880s. The $ 19.3-million realignment opened on December 19, 1960, and the old line was abandoned west of the Phoenix connection at Ash Fork. Smaller improvements included installation of centralized traffic control on the Belen Cutoff in the 1940s. Also, by October 2018, the entire Southern Transcon was double-tracked, except for two bridges; and, projects were underway to add triple- and even quadruple-track along

1495-578: The Flint Hills from the original main line at Ellinor, Kansas , southwest to El Dorado on the main line to Texas. This allowed trains bound for the Belen Cutoff to cut directly to Mulvane , bypassing Wichita to the southeast. To the west, in Arizona, the Santa Fe constructed a new line between Williams and Crookton, bypassing the sharp curves and steep grades of the line via Ash Fork built by

1560-475: The Fred Harvey Company . Ash Fork's convenient location along the railway and later famous U.S. Route 66 made it recognizable to many cross-country travelers, as evidenced by its fleeting mention in several films from the era of classical Hollywood cinema such as 1947's Dark Passage , starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall . U.S. Route 66 provided a slight boost to the town's economy in

1625-552: The Glorieta , Raton , La Junta Subdivision and Topeka between Albuquerque and Kansas City. The Pacific Surfliner also operates between Los Angeles and Fullerton . Until its cancellation in 1997, Amtrak's Desert Wind used the Southern Transcon between Los Angeles and Barstow . The proposed Coachella Valley Rail train from RCTC, which is anticipated to be operated by Amtrak, would initially run two roundtrips

1690-661: The "City of Belén". In 1927, Belén native and movie stunt pilot Arthur C. Goebel took up the challenge by James D. Dole , the Hawaii pineapple magnate, to race with other pilots to be the first to fly nonstop from the mainland United States to the Hawaii territory, in what is known as the Dole Air Race . Goebel flew the Woolaroc . Of the 13 planes that qualified, seven were lost in crashes, killing ten. Only two planes made it safely to Hawaii. Goebel landed first in Hawaii after

1755-595: The 1880s. Much of the route had already been constructed by subsidiaries. The line in California between Needles and Mojave was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad to meet the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway , which had built west from Isleta, New Mexico . They met at Needles with the line put into service in 1883. The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad , then essentially an operating subsidiary of

1820-430: The 1920s and 1930s, when the Santa Fe built the majority of the planned Dodge City –Colmer (Colmer Cutoff), which would provide a second bypass of Raton (but not Glorieta), but construction stopped at Farley, and the line was torn up west of Boise City in 1942. The completion of the Belen Cutoff did not end improvements to the transcontinental route. The 47-mile (76 km) Ellinor Cutoff opened in 1924, cutting through

1885-480: The 1950s, but construction of the divided highway through the town resulted in the destruction of many of the storefronts, sidewalks, and residential streets, forever altering the aesthetic qualities of the downtown area. When the Santa Fe Railroad moved its main line north and away from the town in 1960, Ash Fork lost nearly half its population, as most families employed by the railway were forced to leave

1950-620: The 2006 Pixar film Cars . This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 89 °F. According to the Köppen climate classification , Ash Fork has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate , Csb on climate maps. Ash Fork (or Ashfork) first appeared on the 1910 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village with 517 residents, the fourth-largest community in Yavapai County (behind Prescott, Jerome, and Humboldt). Although it did not report

2015-749: The AT&;SF, leased the line from the SP in August 1884, and in November 1885 the AT&SF-owned California Southern Railroad completed its line over Cajon Pass to the SP's Needles branch at Barstow , giving the AT&SF access to the west coast. The Southern Kansas Railway built a branch to Amarillo, Texas in the 1880s, and the Pecos Valley and Northeastern Railway also built an extension from Amarillo to Pecos via Texico, New Mexico in 1899. The route

Southern Transcon - Misplaced Pages Continue

2080-549: The Ash Fork Library. Ash Fork lies near Kaibab National Forest and Coconino National Forest , and international attractions such as the Grand Canyon are roughly an hour's drive away using major roads. Service roads allow swifter access to back areas of Grand Canyon National Park , but may not be open to public thoroughfare. Approximately 15 miles (24 km) to the north of Ash Fork is Beale Road, which has

2145-485: The BNSF rail yard to Main Street. Downtown Belen features structures dating back to the early 20th century when the railroad came to town. The Belen Hotel and Central Hotel, both located on Becker Avenue, are two-story structures built to accommodate railroaders and other rail guests in the early 1900s. Both were constructed of bricks made from the former Belén brickyard. Today, the Belen Hotel has been converted into

2210-463: The CDP was 96.3% White, 1.3% Native American, 1.5% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 51.4% of the population. Of the 149 households, 35.6% had children under 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were not families. About 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who

2275-489: The Cathedral Caves, which are about 10 miles (16 km) west of town off Arizona Road, and Dante's Descent , a 275-foot (84 m) -deep sinkhole also known as "Devil's Hole", which is around 5 miles northwest of Ash Fork, off Crookton Road. After its closing by the state, however, Dante's Descent cannot legally be visited by the public. Pictorial and historic documentation of the natural attraction may be found at

2340-662: The Christian heritage of Belen (Spanish for Bethlehem), held each December. The journey begins at Second St. and Becker Ave. in Belen's historic downtown and proceeds to Sixth St. and Becker Ave., culminating in the lighting of the Star of Bethlehem on Belen's water tower. Along the path the Christmas story is told with live characters and music by sponsoring churches. Belen has the only Harvey House Museum in New Mexico. The Santa Fe railroad arrived in Belen in 1880, when Belen

2405-784: The Harvey House and the Santa Fe Railway, as well as exhibits on early local businesses and residents in Belen. The Belen Harvey House is the official railroad museum of the State of New Mexico and is a branch of the Belen Public Library. Belen has nine parks and is home to the Valencia County Fairgrounds. The Valencia County Fairgrounds is situated along the I-25 Bypass on the north side of Belen. The fairgrounds include two rodeo areas and

2470-639: The Sheriff's Posse, a restaurant and a dance hall. Every August, the fairgrounds host the Valencia County Fair, coupled with the fair parade down Main Street. Eagle Park is located near I-25 and Belen High School. It is Belen's multipurpose park, including several soccer fields, baseball fields, tennis courts, and an outdoor basketball court. Eagle Park also has a community center with a weight room, indoor basketball court and several meeting rooms. Historic Anna Becker Park, located in downtown Belen

2535-707: The Texas Constitution ) was consolidated into the Eastern in March 1907, and in January 1912, the property of the Eastern was conveyed to the Santa Fe. To connect central Texas to this line, the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway completed the Coleman Cutoff, running southeast from Texico to the Santa Fe subsidiary Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway at Coleman , in 1914. A third line was almost completed in

2600-437: The area. Another large fire, known locally as the "Big Fire", devastated the community on November 20, 1977, destroying most of the downtown businesses. When I-40 bypassed the town soon after, drastically reducing traffic on Route 66, the local economy never fully recovered. The community's last major fire occurred on October 7, 1987, destroying nearly all the remaining buildings along the two-block business district located on

2665-510: The authority of President Ulysses S. Grant , established the Town of Belén. By the turn of the century, local merchant John Becker had designed a commercial and residential plan for the town. Becker's plan laid out Belén on a grid, extending from a commercial center with two grand avenues — Becker Avenue and Dalies Avenue. Originally, all of the town's streets were to be named after Spanish explorers, such as Coronado , but were quickly changed to

Southern Transcon - Misplaced Pages Continue

2730-403: The average family size was 3.14. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males. The median income for a household in the city

2795-486: The busiest parts. The Southern Transcon railroad corridor is made up of the following BNSF rail lines which are referred to as subdivisions, in order from west to east. Parts of the route are utilized by passenger rail services — BNSF does not operate regular passenger trains outside of the Chicago Subdivision . Amtrak 's Southwest Chief runs once daily in each direction on the Transcon, but via

2860-591: The city has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12 km ) of land. The city lies in the Rio Grande Valley of the Albuquerque Basin , on the west bank of the Rio Grande . This climate type occurs primarily on the periphery of the true deserts in low-latitude semiarid steppe regions. Belén's central business district and downtown is located along Becker and Dalies avenues, stretching from

2925-407: The county seat should be located. Valencia , north of Belén, was the county seat in 1846, followed by Peralta in 1847. Valencia reclaimed the county seat in 1849, only to lose it to Tomé in 1852. Belén captured the county seat from Tomé 20 years later but lost it to Tomé two short years later in 1874. Finally, in 1875, Los Lunas claimed the county seat and remains the county seat to this day. In

2990-445: The distinction of being the first federally funded highway. The internationally renowned U.S. Route 66 also runs directly through the town. Notably, the longest original, uninterrupted stretch of Route 66 still in existence (about 9.6 miles (15.4 km) long) can be found between Ash Fork and Seligman, Arizona , beginning just beyond Ash Fork at Crookton Road. The surrounding geographical area and settlements served as inspiration for

3055-518: The intersection of Main Street and Becker Avenue, is one of the more architecturally significant buildings in Belén, due to the engineering behind the architecture. Originally designed as a Swiss chalet, the Scholle building has more than eight miles of rail built into its walls. The Oñate Theater, located on Dalies Avenue, was built in the early 20th century, showing many major marquee films. The theater

3120-603: The last names of the town's founders, such as Becker, Paul Dalies, and Charles Reinken. In 1907, the Belén Cutoff for the Santa Fe Railway was completed, connecting Amarillo with Belén. Prior to the Belén Cutoff, trains used the steep Raton Pass on the Colorado and New Mexico border. The cutoff made it possible for many more trains to travel east and west across the United States. Facilities at Belén included

3185-703: The late winter of 1862, Belén, an ally of the Union, become entangled in the Civil War when the town briefly fell under Confederate control after 400 Confederate soldiers marched into Belén. By summer, however, the Confederate army had withdrawn from New Mexico. In 1880, the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway reached Belén during the construction of a rail line to El Paso . In 1884, the United States General Land Office , through

3250-686: The line between Texico and a point northwest of Belen, New Mexico , the Santa Fe incorporated the Eastern Railway of New Mexico in October 1902, and began construction of the Belen Cutoff the next January. The entire line was completed on July 1, 1908, allowing through freight trains to bypass the 3–3.5% grades of the old line for the maximum grade of 1.25% (at Abo Canyon ) on the new line. (Most passenger trains continued to use Raton Pass so as to serve Colorado.) The Pecos Valley and Northeastern (but not its Texas subsidiaries, because of Article X of

3315-426: The necessary security clearance. Local legend suggests personnel escorting the atomic bomb, and perhaps the bomb itself, stopped at Roy's Cafe as they passed through town. In 1950, William F. Beavers, owner of B&B Cafe on Becker Avenue, filed the first patent for a machine that sliced potatoes into waffle-like slices, vowing to help commercialize the now-famed waffle fry in cafes across the United States. His patent

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3380-409: The population. There were 2,596 households, out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 17.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and

3445-793: The private St. Mary's Catholic School (affiliated with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe ), and Calvary Chapel Rio Grande Valley runs the private Canon Christian Academy. Belen residents are served by the University of New Mexico Valencia Campus in Tome and the University of New Mexico's main campus in Albuquerque. Belen's western boundary is Interstate 25 . Belen is intersected by New Mexico Highway 314 and Highway 309. Ash Fork, Arizona Ash Fork

3510-465: The south side of Route 66. Part of what was once Route 66 still runs directly through Ash Fork, though as a divided highway, with Park Avenue running east and Lewis Avenue running west, both serving as a main thoroughfare. Historic buildings, including a false-front structure and old railroad company houses can be seen along these streets. The majority of the town's limited commercial establishments can be found along Park Avenue. The Ash Fork Post Office

3575-414: The southern border of the colony from Apache raiders. Belén was the first of what would be many genízaro settlements, and by 1744, 40 families were in residence. Spanish and mestizo families also settled in Belén. Recognizing the strategic significance of Belén, Spanish authorities established a fort in Belén to protect the settlements along the Rio Grande in 1760. By the 1790s, Belén had established

3640-412: The tract of land known as the Belén Grant. The early settlers in the Belén grant included several genízaro families. The genízaros, Native Americans with origins as slaves and servants of colonists, were important in the frontier defense of New Mexico. For the genízaros, relocation to Belén and other frontier settlements was a means of acquiring land. Their settlement in Belén was established to protect

3705-639: Was $ 26,754, and the median income for a family was $ 30,765. Males had a median income of $ 26,551 versus $ 21,300 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 12,999. About 23.2% of families and 24.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over. Belen is governed by a mayor-council form of government, with a city manager. The governing body consists of an elected mayor and four elected councilors. The city also has an elected municipal judge. Belen has five appointed positions: city manager, police chief, fire chief, treasurer and clerk. Belen

3770-407: Was 65 or older. The average household size was 3.07, and the average family size was 3.45. In the CDP, the age distribution was 28.7% under 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 161.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 143.3 males. The median income for

3835-428: Was a small farming community. For the next 25 years, there was little train traffic through Belen, because the main rail line went west from Albuquerque. In 1908, the railroad opened a new line that avoided the steep grades over Raton Pass. This new line was the Belen cut-off, and it routed many more trains through Belen. Shortly after the new development, Belen began to bustle. Rail passengers who stopped in Belen needed

3900-435: Was established on April 12, 1883, with one Henry W. Kline serving as the first Postmaster. Following an uncontrollable fire in 1885, the entire town of Ash Fork burned in 1893, and was rebuilt on the opposite side of the railroad tracks from its original location, where it remains today. In later years, Ash Fork was the location of the Escalante , a large hotel and " Harvey House " built in 1907 and closed in 1948, operated by

3965-410: Was granted two years later for what he called a "slicing machine with a stationary knife and reciprocating carrier" made "for the slicing of potatoes and like foods into attractive shapes." The waffle fries could be paired with Belén's own Hub City soda pop brewed and bottled locally by the Belén Bottling Co. The soda's trademark was "Pop with Personality." According to the United States Census Bureau ,

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4030-452: Was less than ideal, especially where it crossed Raton Pass and Glorieta Pass . The steep grades posed operational problems, including congestion, slow speeds, and the need for helper engines . As an interim solution, a second track, with a longer tunnel, was opened at Raton in 1908, but this simply added capacity, and the grades remained. In 1902 the Santa Fe began surveying a new cutoff that would bypass this segment entirely. To complete

4095-417: Was named after the wife of Belen's most influential businessman, John Becker. It was once a pond where residents ice skated in the winter. The park includes a sand volleyball pit, basketball court, and historic gazebo. Doodlebug Park features a restored Doodlebug rail car. The Doodlebug is known in Belen for shuttling Belen residents to Albuquerque in the early 20th century. The Doodlebug at Doodlebug Park

4160-430: Was officially bestowed upon the town in 2014 by the Arizona House of Representatives with the passage of H.R. 2001. The community was established as a siding of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad , later known as the Santa Fe Railroad , in October 1882. It was purportedly named in 1883 by F.W. Smith, general superintendent of the railroad, in reference to a thicket of ash trees at the site. The first official post office

4225-444: Was restored by the production crew from the movie The Last Stand , which was filmed near the park, at the request of Lions Gate and Arnold Schwarzenegger , who starred in the film. Belen also has Sen. Willie M. Chavez State Park, next to the Rio Grande along Highway 309. The park has walking trails and picnic grounds. During special events it is open for camping. It is the site of Belen's annual ham radio operator event, as well as

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