The Forest Service has completed construction of a new road restoring vehicle access to 34,000 acres of public lands at the north end of the San Rafael Valley.
Public access by vehicle to Forest Service land in Meadow Valley and the Boghole Cienega area located at the north end of the San Rafael Valley has been blocked by private landowners since July 2018.
“Although hunters, birders, hikers and other recreationalists could still enter the area by foot, all vehicular traffic was terminated,” local resident Jac Heiss wrote in an op-ed piece published last October in the PRT. “As a result, anyone incapable of walking several miles across unimproved pathways was essentially denied access.”
Here’s the official announcement from the Forest Service:
May 26, 2025 – PUBLIC ACCESS NOTIFICATION
North of the San Rafael Valley is a newly constructed National Forest System road in the Patagonia Mountains. Both NFSR 4630 and NFSR 765, directly off NFSR 58, are modified by this new construction. NFSR 4630 is a 3.74-mile ML2 road that connects to NFSR 765 and provides access to over 34,000 acres of land in Meadow Valley and Boghole Cienega. The forest roads in this area traverse the unique mountain range and grassland, inviting you to explore nature, history, and recreation opportunities.
This project falls under the Southwestern Region Fiscal year 2022 Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) and is part of multi-year funded projects to improve Sierra Vista recreation access, roads, and trails.
Click here to view/download the Forest Service’s two-page ‘Recreation Opportunity Guide’ for the Patagonia Mountains and San Rafael Valley.