McKinley County Find Your Joy

06/16/2026

06/16/2026

Gallup and McKinley County are gearing up to host county employees from around the state during the 2026 New Mexico Counties Conference. As part of this conference, the City and County are hosting the County Crawl at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16. This is a free event similar to the popular Arts Crawl, hosted by the Business Improvement District.

This is a free event open to the public between 2nd and 3rd Streets on Coal Avenue. Please join us for a great evening!

Vendors have already been contacted for placements. At this point, vendor registration is closed.

See you at the County Crawl!

06/12/2026

We're hosting another free cycling event! This time, we're taking to the road during the annual Route 66 Rides Festival.

Join us on July 25 for a 22-mile road ride beginning at 7:00 a.m. from Red Rock Park. Riders will roll out just as the hot air balloons begin their mass ascension, enjoy a scenic loop around the park, and return as the balloons drift back to earth.

Registration is free. Visit the link in the comments for details and to sign up! 🚴‍♂️🎈

05/22/2026

McKinley County has received a $530,629 grant to complete Phase II of the McKenzie Ridge Trail Connector project. The funding was awarded through the New Mexico Department of Transportation’s Recreational Trails Program.

The county has already completed 14 miles of the connector trail, and this grant will fund construction of the final 10 miles. Once finished, the McKenzie Ridge Trail will connect the McGaffey trail system with the Twin Springs trail system. McGaffey currently offers more than 50 miles of existing trails, while Twin Springs is expected to feature approximately 30 miles of trails when fully developed.

The project is part of the larger Zuni Mountain Trail Partnership, an initiative focused on developing 250 miles of trails across five riding areas in the Zuni Mountains. Two of those trail systems — Quartz Hill and McGaffey — have already been completed.

05/11/2026

We had a great time at the Gallup-McKinley County Schools Bike Rally in Tohatchi this weekend. It was amazing to see so much support and enthusiasm for getting more kids on bikes!

05/06/2026

McKinley County believes in the power of outdoor recreation to help transform our local economy. This is one of the reasons why we have invested heavily in trails-based recreation. We have over 100 miles of trail in the county and we're continuing to build more. What's your favorite trail in McKinley County?

New federal data show outdoor recreation contributed $ $3.6 billion to New Mexico’s economy and supported more than 31,000 jobs in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

05/06/2026

Stage 1 fire restrictions are going into effect in the Cibola National Forest this week. That means no fires at your campsite in the McGaffey area, unless you are in a designated campground.

05/04/2026

Today is !

This image shows a group of gentlemen with their bicycles at Fort Wingate.