FHWA - Recreational Trails Program

The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is an assistance program of the Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Federal transportation funds benefit recreation by making funds available to the States to develop and maintain recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both nonmotorized and motorized recreational trail uses.

The RTP funds come from the Federal Highway Trust Fund, and represent a portion of the motor fuel excise tax collected from nonhighway recreational fuel use: fuel used for off-highway recreation by snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, off-highway motorcycles, and off-highway light trucks.

The RTP funds are distributed to the States by legislative formula: half of the funds are distributed equally among all States, and half are distributed in proportion to the estimated amount of nonhighway recreational fuel use in each State. See the Funding Levels by State. The distribution model is based on a report for FHWA by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in July 1999 (Fuel Used for Off-Road Recreation: A Reassessment of the Fuel Use Model).

Each State administers its own program. Contact your State RTP Administrator for guidance on State policies and project eligibility requirements.

The Recreational Trails Program Project Database lists most RTP projects funded from 1993 through 2005. The Coalition for Recreational Trails compiled this database from information supplied by State trail administrators.

State Contacts

State RTP Administrators List
This is the best person to ask about recreational trail policies and funding in your State.

See also: Federal Agency Contacts

National Trails System
A network of scenic, historic, and recreation trails created by the National Trails System Act of 1968. See map.

Bureau of Land Management National Scenic and Historic Trails website

Overview of National Historic Trails on US Fish and Wildlife Service Lands