The Recreational Trails Program provides federal funds to rehabilitate and maintain trails that provide a backcountry experience.
Donor Name: Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office
State: Washington
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/31/2024
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
This program provides grants to rehabilitate and maintain recreational trails and their amenities that provide a backcountry experience for motorized and nonmotorized uses. Grants also are used to educate visitors about proper trail use.
RTP is a federal assistance program to help states provide and maintain recreational trails for both motorized and nonmotorized uses, including walking, hiking, bicycling, in-line skating, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and off-road motorized vehicle driving, including off-road motorcycling and all-terrain and four-wheel vehicle riding.
RTP supports trails used for the following:
- 4×4 and light truck driving
- All-terrain vehicle and utility task vehicle riding
- Canoeing and kayaking
- Cycling
- Horseback riding and pack animal activities
- Hiking and pedestrian use
- Motorcycling
- Mountain biking
- Nonmotorized snow trail activities
- Snowmobiling
Funding Priorities
- The Recreation and Conservation Funding Board gives preference to projects that further specific goals of the 2023 Recreation and Conservation Plan.
- This preference is shown in evaluation criteria that place a high priority on projects that excel by doing the following:
- Filling an established need.
- Adhering to high design standards.
- Reducing trail maintenance backlogs.
- Being ready to proceed and having widespread public support.
- Demonstrating sustainability and environmental stewardship
- Presenting a favorable benefit-cost ratio and appropriately estimating and explaining costs.
- Bringing a high proportion of non-government contributions and matching value to the project (cash, goods, services, etc.)
- Exhibiting compliance the Growth Management Act, when applicable.
Funding Information
- Development and maintenance: $5,000-$150,000.
- Education: $5,000-$20,000.
Typical Projects
- Clearing overgrown brush and fallen trees from trails
- Repairing trail damage from floods and fires
- Replacing bridges and drainage structures.
Eligible Projects
- Development: Development of trailside facilities, trailheads, and trail links for recreational trails.
- Maintenance: Maintenance and restoration of trails, trailside facilities, and trailheads. Minor trail relocations.
- Education: Programs to directly convey a safety or environmental protection message for recreational trails.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants are shown below.
- Local agencies (cities, towns, counties, port districts, park and recreation districts, etc.)
- Federal agencies
- State agencies
- Native American tribes
- Nonprofit organizations.
Ineligible Projects
- New trail development not directly related to an existing trail
- Land acquisition
- Law enforcement
- Projects facilitating motorized use on national forest or Bureau of Land Management land unless the land is not designated wilderness and construction is consistent with the management direction in the forest or Bureau plans.
- Projects facilitating motorized use on or access to recreational trails on which, as of May 1, 1991, motorized use was prohibited or had not occurred.
- Planning, feasibility studies, master plans, and wildlife impact studies
- Roads or bridges unless specifically designated for recreational trail use, not accessible to or maintained for cars, or closely associated with a campground or trailhead project
- Sidewalks and other paths that provide an urban trail experience
- Those that severely restrict public use, such as deed provisions that have a significant negative impact on public recreational use of the property; projects may be on public or private land, but must provide written assurances of public access
- Those on property bought under a conditional sales contract, unless the grant applicant has title to the property.
For more information, visit WSRCO.
