Texas Statewide Recreational Trail Grants Funding – Recommended Approval of Trail Construction, Renovation, and Acquisition Projects

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Summary

Executive Summary: Staff seeks approval from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (Commission) to award federal and state funds allocated through the National Recreational Trails Fund (NRTF) and from a portion of the state sales tax collected on sporting goods. These funds provide 80 percent matching grants for trail construction, renovation, and acquisition projects. Commission approval would allow staff to request federal obligation of funds and to obligate state funds to eligible trail projects based upon the recommendations of the Texas Statewide Trails Advisory Committee.

Resumen ejecutivo: El personal solicita la aprobación de la Comisión de Parques y Vida Silvestre de Texas (Comisión) para otorgar fondos federales y estatales asignados a través del Fondo Nacional de Senderos Recreativos (NRTF) y de una parte del impuesto estatal sobre las ventas de artículos deportivos. Estos fondos proporcionan subvenciones complementarias del 80 por ciento para proyectos de construcción, renovación y adquisición de senderos. La aprobación de la Comisión permitiría al personal solicitar la obligación federal de los fondos y comprometer fondos estatales a proyectos de senderos elegibles, según las recomendaciones del Comité Asesor Estatal de Senderos de Texas.

Action

Texas Statewide Recreational Trails Grants Funding

Recommended Approval of Trail Construction,

Renovation, and Acquisition Projects

May 22, 2025

I.      Executive Summary:  Staff seeks approval from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (Commission) to award federal and state funds allocated through the National Recreational Trails Fund (NRTF) and from a portion of the state sales tax collected on sporting goods.  These funds provide 80 percent matching grants for trail construction, renovation, and acquisition projects.  Commission approval would allow staff to request federal obligation of funds and to obligate state funds to eligible trail projects based upon the recommendations of the Texas Statewide Trails Advisory Committee.

II.     Discussion:  NRTF is funded by a portion of the federal gas tax generated by gasoline purchases for off-highway recreational vehicles. $5,285,873 in NRTF funding is available to create new or maintain existing recreational trails for the public. NRTF requires 30 percent of the funds to be awarded to motorized trail projects, 30 percent to be awarded to non-motorized trail projects, while the other 40 percent can be used for multi-purpose trails. In addition to the federal funds, $1,518,769 of the state Sporting Goods Sales Tax is available for eligible trail projects for a total of $6,804,642.

As of February 3, 2025, 56 projects were submitted for funding consideration, requesting $13,624,903 in funds. The nine-member Texas Statewide Trails Advisory Committee (Advisory Committee) met in March 2025 to review the submitted trail project grant applications and to develop a list of recommended projects for funding. Staff recommends granting support for grant projects in the amount of $6,804,642, including a $900,000 allocation to support improvements to recreational trails in state parks.

Staff also recommends granting additional support from any additional funds that are made available to TPWD in the current fiscal year.

Exhibit A shows the trail projects in descending order as ranked by the Advisory Committee according to the grant program’s scoring criteria.

III.   Recommendation:  Staff recommends that the Commission adopt the following motions:

Motion 1: “The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approves funding for 24 trail projects listed in Exhibit A, and a $900,000 allocation for state park trail improvements, for a total amount of $6,804,642.”

Motion 2: “The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approves funding for projects listed in Exhibit A in the amount of additional funding that is made available in the current fiscal year.”

Attachment — 1

  1. Exhibit A – Ranking of 2025 Recreational Trails Grant Proposals
Ranking of 2025 Recreational Trails Grant Proposals
Recommended for Funding:
Score Sponsor Name Project Name Project City Project County Funds Requested Funds Recommended Project Summary
54 TMTC Rio Bravo Adventure Park TMTC Rio Bravo Recreation Area Park Improvements Houston Harris County $500,000 $500,000 Renovation of 6 miles of trail and track, signage, electrical and septic updates, pavilion repairs, access road repairs, equipment repair and rental, resource surveys, and engineering.
54 Texas Motorized Trails Coalition TMTC Escondido Draw Recreation Area Trails and Park Improvements Ozona Crockett County $328,672 $328,672 Renovation of 10 miles of trail, equipment repair and rental, surveys, engineering, and professional services.
54 Texas Motorized Trails Coalition TMTC Escondido Draw Recreation Area Equipment Purchase Ozona Crockett County $400,000 $400,000 Purchase of trail equipment, engineering, and professional services.
54 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Albert and Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area Trails Pipe Creek Bandera County $300,000 $300,000 Construction of 6 additional miles of multi-use natural surface trail at State Natural Area site.
54 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Palo Pinto Mountains State Park Trails Strawn Palo Pinto County $300,000 $300,000 Construction of 6 additional miles of multi-use natural surface trail at State Park site.
54 Waco Motorcycle Club Waco Eagles Motocross Dirt Bike Park Riesel McLennan County $337,200 $337,200 Renovation of 10 miles trail, parking, entrance signage and visitor building, lighting and security, fencing, maintenance building, fuel, and equipment rental.
53 Farmersville City of Farmersville - NETT Section 4 Celeste Hunt County $75,000 $75,000 Construction of 1.9 miles rail-to-trail surfacing.
53 Texas Motorized Trails Coalition TMTC Rio Bravo Recreation Area Equipment Purchase Houston Harris County $400,000 $400,000 Purchase of bulldozer/tractor and attachments, equipment maintenance, and handtools.
52 Castroville Castroville Regional Park Hiking Trail 2025 Castroville Medina County $300,000 $300,000 Construction of 1.3 miles of trail, pedestrian bridge, parking spaces, 2.4 miles of trail renovation, and signage.
51 College Station Texas Independence Park — West Phase Trails Project College Station Brazos County $287,997 $287,997 Construction of 3 miles natural surface multi-use trail and .73-mile concrete trail connections with benches, and trash cans.
50 Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center Canyon and Uplands Trail Improvements Round Mountain Travis County $59,348 $59,348 Renovation of 431 feet of trail and construction of 176 feet of natural surface trail with boardwalk renovation, fencing, interpretive signage, and benches.
48 Harris County Terry Hershey Trail Improvements Houston Harris County $240,000 $240,000 Renovation of 3 miles asphalt hike and bike trail.
48 Paso del Norte Community Foundation Safety and Accessibility Renovation: Paso Del Norte Trail El Paso El Paso County $292,072 $292,072 Renovations along a 7.5 mile section of existing trail including concrete repair, street crossing, signage, picnic tables, trash receptacles, bike racks, and pet waste stations.
46 Arlington Parks and Recreation River Legacy Park Trail Redevelopment Arlington Tarrant County $239,700 $239,700 Renovation of existing .49-mile trail to 12-foot wide concrete.
46 Austin - Parks and Recreation Department Onion Creek Greenbelt Trailhead and Trail expansion Austin Travis County $300,000 $300,000 Construction of .6-mile trail, parking area, utilities, and revegetation.
46 Universal City Cibolo Creek Recreational Trail - Phase 2 Universal City Bexar County $220,800 $220,800 Construction of 1.23 mile cement-stabilized base trail with wayfinding signage.
45 Stephen F Austin State University Building a Path to the Future at the SFA Gardens Nacogdoches Nacogdoches County $285,004 $285,004 Construction of .24-mile trail and renovation of 7.7 mile trail, boardwalks, and bridges, with equipment purchase and the installation of 12 trailhead signs.
45 USFWS San Marcos Aquatic Research Ctr San Marcos ARC Interior Trails Rehabilitation San Marcos Hays County $57,427 $57,427 Renovation of 1.75 mile trail, construction of .56-mile trail with gravel turnpike, parking improvement, and signage.
45 Vernon Camp Cheromanche Nature Trail Vernon Wilbarger County $54,051 $54,051 Construction of .3-mile improved surface trail with interpretive signage, benches, picnic tables, and trash receptacles.
43 Wise County Trail Improvements at Wise County Park Chico Wise County $60,800 $60,800 Construction of trail amenities including an ADA-compliant restroom, wayfinding signage, entrance sign, benches, and picnic tables.
42 Beeville Trails Upgrade in Community Parks Beeville Bee County $300,000 $300,000 Renovation of existing 2.6 miles asphalt/gravel trails to 10-foot wide new asphalt across multiple sites (5), benches, trash cans, bike racks, water fountains, signage, and lighting.
42 Port Aransas Improving Connectivity and Accessibility in the Port Aransas Trail System Port Aransas Nueces County $241,515 $241,515 Construction of .18-mile connecting trail, widening a .31-mile trail (to 6-feet) for ADA access, and renovations to a .48-mile loop trail.
42 Texas Bicycle Coalition, dba BikeTexas Texas Trails and Active Transportation Conference (TTAT) Austin Travis County $75,000 $75,000 Funding to support the Texas Trails and Active Transportation Conference, focusing on the creation and maintenance of trails in Texas.
42 Victoria Ted B. Reed Park Multi-Use Recreational Trail Improvement Victoria Victoria County $250,056 $250,056 Construction of .17-mile concrete trail and renovation of .32-mile existing decomposed granite trail to 10-foot wide concrete.
Recommended If Additional Funding Becomes Available:
Score Sponsor Name Project Name Project City Project County Funds Requested Funds Recommended Project Summary
41 Bloomburg Trails Project Bloomburg Cass County $56,358 $0 Construction of .1-mile trail including ADA accessible parking, benches, picnic tables, interpretive panel, and landscaping.
41 Flatonia Flatonia Park's Path Flatonia Fayette County $300,000 $0 Renovation of .55-miles of trail and construction of 478 linear feet of new trail.
41 Maverick County Maverick County Lake Recreational Trails Project Eagle Pass Maverick County $287,600 $0 Construction of 2.56 mile asphalt and natural surface mulituse trail.
41 Tyler Windsor Grove Nature Trail Renovation Project Tyler Smith County $232,480 $0 Renovation of .25-mile trail to ADA-compliant, multi-use paved trail with benches, trailhead, bike racks, pet waste stations, water fountain, signage, lighting, and trash receptacles.
40 Zapata County Falcon Lake Neighborhood Trail Zapata Zapata County $190,768 $0 Purchase of .90-acre property and construction of .12-mile multi-use concrete trail with sheltered benches, solar lights, water fountain, and fencing.
39 Corpus Christi - Parks & Recreation Hans & Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge Trail Corpus Christi Nueces County $240,000 $0 Renovation of .28-mile existing trail to ADA accessible 8-foot wide concrete.
39 Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary Preservation of the Woodfin Restoration Prairie McKinney Collin County $300,000 $0 Renovation of 5 miles of trail with .5-mile paved surface and 4.5 miles surfaced with flex base.
38 Harlingen Harlingen Soccer Complex Trail Renovation Project Harlingen Cameron County $268,903 $0 Renovation of 1.2 miles decomposed granite trail to 10-foot wide asphalt and construction of .8-mile asphalt trail with benches, solar lights, emergency call stations, and hydration stations.
38 Timberlane Utility District Cypress Creek Greenway to Spring Creek Greenway Connector Spring Harris County $300,000 $0 Purchase of 1.39-acre property (.46 mile x 25 foot) to connect Cypress Creek Greenway to Spring Creek Greenway.
37 Bay Colony West Municipal Utility District Bay Colony West's Nature Loop Dickinson Galveston County $300,000 $0 Construction of .75-mile multi-use concrete trail including site furnishings, signage, native landscaping, and irrigation.
37 Port Lavaca Clement Cove Shared Use Path Port Lavaca Calhoun County $300,000 $0 Construction of .35-mile multiuse concrete trail, solar lights, signage, bike rack, bench, trash receptacles, and crosswalks.
35 The Trail Conservancy The Trail Conservancy Butler Trail Wayfinding Austin Travis County $148,208 $0 Comprehensive signage system and installation for 10 mile urban loop.
34 Scurry County Scurry County Recreational Trails Part Deux Snyder Scurry County $235,300 $0 Construction of 10 miles and renovation of 5 miles of bike trails with technical features, children's area, bridge, restroom improvements, water well, trail markers, and benches.
32 Alto Walking Garden and Park Alto Cherokee County $214,804 $0 Construction of .19-mile raised wooden platform, .33-mile gravel path, and gravel parking area.
32 Frontera Land Alliance Knapp Land Revitalization Project El Paso El Paso County $128,138 $0 Renovation of 2.5 miles trail, signage, trail counter, trail cameras, computer, and drone.
31 Alvarado Pecan Orchard Recreational Trails Alvarado Johnson County $243,209 $0 Construction of .32-mile decomposed granite trail, 50-linear feet of concrete trail, and 40-linear foot pedestrian bridge.
29 Bishop Park Enhancements Bishop Nueces County $145,697 $0 Renovation of .65-mile existing trail with lighting and repair of existing sidewalk with new concrete.
29 Upper Trinity Regional Water District Lake Ralph Hall Natural Surface Trails Ladonia Fannin County $300,000 $0 Construction of .83-mile natural surface hiking trail, 150-linear foot pedestrian bridge, distance markers, interpretive signs, and trail map.
28 Denison Katy Trail Head Denison Grayson County $238,120 $0 Construction of 6,000 square foot parking lot, 120-linear foot boardwalk, lighting, pergola, kiosks, stairs, and handrails.
27 Mount Houston Road MUD Westview Landing Pond Trail Improvements Houston Harris County $300,000 $0 Construction of 1.33 miles of concrete surface trail with benches, trash receptacles, pet waste stations, and interpretive signage.
26 Katy West Municipal Utility District Katy Court Detention Park Katy Harris County $240,000 $0 Construction of .57-mile decomposed granite trail with trailhead, interpretive signage, benches, and picnic tables.
25 Great Springs Project Mayfair — West Development Trail Phase I New Braunfels Comal County $300,000 $0 Construction of .8-mile improved surface trail.
25 Harris County MUD 460 T2 SEC. D & E SALINSKY DITCH SUP Houston Harris County $300,000 $0 Construction of .6-mile concrete trail with wildflower seeding, lighting, benches, trash receptacles, pet waste stations, and signage.
24 Post Post City Park Post Garza County $215,880 $0 Construction of .58-miles of concrete trail with landscaping.
23 Bridgeport Harwood Park Trail Expansion and Lighting Project Bridgeport Wise County $157,544 $0 Construction of .13-mile concrete trail and renovation of .45-mile existing trail with security lighting.
23 Denton Hickory Creek Regional Trail - Bonnie Brae Segment Denton Denton County $300,000 $0 Renovation of .56-mile trail to 10-foot wide concrete, construction of .27-mile concrete trail.
22 Laredo Deer Creek Park Hike & Bike Trails Phase 1 Laredo Webb County $213,154 $0 Construction of .33-mile 10-foot multiuse concrete trail with lighting, signage, trash receptacles, and benches.
22 Midland Recreational Trail Improvements in Midland Midland Midland County $240,000 $0 Renovation of .63-mile trail to 6-foot wide concrete path and the addition of shaded benches and solar lights on trails throughout 5 park sites.
20 Fulshear The Churchill Trail Fulshear Fort Bend County $126,396 $0 Design and construction of .31-mile concrete trail including lighting, benches, and trash receptacles.
19 Pecos 4B Economic Development Corporation Tolivar Recreational Trail Project Pecos Reeves County $300,000 $0 Construction of 4.3 mile multi-use concrete trail with benches, shade shelters, signage, trash cans, emergency call stations, ADA-compliant ramps, and a trailhead.
16 San Sebastian HOA San Sebastian Subdivision San Benito Cameron County $297,702 $0 Construction of .82-mile concrete trail with sports fields, dog park, playground, picnic areas, and bike racks.
13 Fort Bend County MUD 162 Fort Bend MUD 162 Phase 2 Trailheads Richmond Fort Bend County $300,000 $0 Construction of seven new trailheads at entrances to existing and in-development trails.

* Projects in bold indicate motorized request *

Total Requests = $13,624,903
Total Recommended = $6,804,642

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Texas Statewide Recreational Trail Grants Funding – Recommended Approval of Trail Construction, Renovation, and Acquisition Projects

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