Washington Recreational Trails Grant Program

The Washington Recreational Trails Grant Program funds the rehabilitation and maintenance of trails, ensuring a backcountry experience free from human development. It supports diverse trail activities including hiking, biking, and motorized recreation. Typical projects involve clearing trails, repairing damage from natural events, and enhancing trail facilities. Grants are available up to $150,000, with a commitment to maintain facilities for 25 years. This initiative promotes environmental compliance and is open to various agencies and organizations.

Recreational Trails Program (RTP)
The Recreational Trails Program provides federal funds to rehabilitate and maintain trails that provide a backcountry experience.
A backcountry experience means that the user will experience nature instead of seeing or hearing human development and activity. While backcountry trails may be near cities or roads, or even offer views of cities and towns, the trail’s physical setting should be predominately natural.
This grant program invests in all types of trails, including those for riding off-road vehicles, bicycling, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, hiking, horseback riding, motorcycling, water trails, and more.
Principal uses include:
4x4 and light truck drivingAll-terrain vehicle ridingCyclingHikingEquestrian or stock useMotorcyclingMountain bikingNon-motorized snow trail activitiesSnowmobilingWater trails
Typical Projects
Clearing overgrown brush and fallen trees from trailsRepairing trail damage from floods and firesReplacing bridges and drainage structures
Funding Source
Funding comes from federal gasoline taxes.
Long-term Commitment
Grant recipients must provide the facilities developed with RTP funds for 25 years after the date of the last grant payment. Sites and trails that are maintained with RTP funding only need be open and available during the active period of the project agreement.
For maintenance projects that improve recreational trails and facilities through capital work that either constructs new or makes significant, long-term renewal improvements to existing facilities, RCO will require an ongoing compliance period of 25 years from the date of final reimbursement and acceptance.

Eligibility

Who Can Apply?Local agencies (cities, towns, counties, port districts, park and recreation districts, etc.)Federal agenciesState agenciesNative American tribesNonprofit organizationsWhile grant applicants are encouraged to bring matching resources to a project to stretch state dollars further, no match is required for applications submitted in 2020.Eligible ProjectsDevelopment projects. Development of trailside and trailhead facilities and trail linkages for recreational trails.Maintenance projects. Maintenance and restoration of existing trails including trailside, trailhead, or trail maintenance, rehabilitation, or minor relocations.Education projects. Recreational, trail-related educational programs to promote safety and environmental protection. Eligible elements must directly convey a safety or environmental message.Environmental RequirementsGrant applicants must show documentation of compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the scope of work included in their project proposal.

Ineligibility

Ineligible ProjectsNew trail development not directly related to an existing trail
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