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

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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 allows 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 recaudadas sobre artículos deportivos. Estos fondos proporcionan subvenciones equivalentes al 80% para proyectos de construcción, renovación y adquisición de senderos. La aprobación de la Comisión permite al personal solicitar obligaciones federales de fondos y obligar fondos estatales a proyectos de senderos elegibles basándose en las recomendaciones del Comité Asesor de Senderos Estatal de Texas.

Commission Agenda Item No. 1
Presenter: Matt Fougerat

Action
Texas Statewide Recreational Trails Grants Funding
Recommended Approval of Trail Construction, Renovation, and Acquisition Projects
May 28, 2026

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 allows 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: The NRTF is funded by a portion of the federal gas tax generated by gasoline purchases for off-highway recreational vehicles. The purpose of the NRTF is to provide funding for projects that create new and maintain existing motorized and non-motorized recreational trails, and the funds are administered to states by the Federal Highway Administration. For federal fiscal year 2026, $3,675,236 in NRTF funding is available to Texas. NRTF requires 30 percent of the funds to be awarded to motorized trail projects and 30 percent to be awarded to non-motorized trail projects, while the other 40 percent can be used for multi-purpose trails. Further, $900,000 in additional federal funds is available from previously awarded or approved projects that were completed under budget or cancelled. In addition to the federal funds, $1,595,219 of the state Sporting Goods Sales Tax funds is available for eligible trail projects, for a total of $6,170,455.

Because few public park entities in Texas provide opportunities for motorized trail riding, it has been historically more difficult to generate enough motorized trail proposals to meet the 30 percent motorized trail requirement. As such, the grant funding limit for motorized proposals is $500,000 per project versus a $300,000 limit for non-motorized proposals.

As of February 2, 2026, 48 projects were submitted for funding consideration, requesting $12,731,378 in funds. The nine-member Texas Statewide Trails Advisory Committee met in March 2026 to review the submitted trail project grant applications and to develop a list of recommended projects for funding. Each project was scored based on the quality of the project, its cost effectiveness, its impact on recreational trail opportunities, and the geographic distribution of funds. Exhibit A shows the trail projects in descending order as ranked by the advisory committee.

Staff recommends granting support for grant projects in the amount of $6,170,455, including 21 trail grant projects and a $900,000 allocation to support improvements to recreational trails in state parks. Staff also recommends granting additional support to the projects listed in Exhibit A from any additional funds that are made available to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in the current fiscal year.

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

Motion 1: “The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approves funding for 21 trail projects listed in Exhibit A, and a $900,000 allocation for state park trail improvements, for a total amount of $6,170,455.”

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

Attachment — 1

Exhibit A – Ranking of 2026 Recreational Trails Grant Proposals

Commission Agenda Item No. 1
Exhibit A

Ranking of 2026 Recreational Trails Grant Proposals

Motorized Recreational Trails Projects Recommended for Funding
Score Grantee Name Project Name Project City Project County Grant Funds Requested Federal / State Funds Recommended Project Summary
52 Texas Motorized Trails Coalition TMTC Escondido Draw Recreation Area 2026 Project Ozona Crockett $499,999 $499,999 Renovation of 10 mile, 6-foot-wide motorized trail with parking improvements, toilets, plumbing, electrical system, and equipment purchases.
50 Waco Motorcycle Club Waco Motorcycle Club 2026 Reisel McLennan $390,400 $390,400 Renovation of 10-mile, 10-foot-wide trail with retaining walls, sheltered picnic areas, fencing, lighting, and trailhead kiosk.
41 City of Beaumont Lefler Motor Park Beaumont Jefferson $499,999 $215,000 Construction of 5-mile, 10-foot-wide motorized trail with signage, trailheads, restroom, lighting, and parking.
Non-Motorized Recreational Trails Projects Recommended For Funding
Score Grantee Name Project Name Project City Project County Grant Funds Requested Federal / State Funds Recommended Project Summary
54 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Palo Pinto Mountains State Park Phase II Trails Strawn Palo Pinto $300,000 $300,000 Construction of 6 additional miles of multi-use natural surface trail at State Park.
50 Galveston Bay Foundation The Gessner Center Trail & Resiliency Project Kemah Galveston $220,304 $220,304 Construction of a 1.50-mile, 7-foot-wide multi-surface trail to include bridges, picnic tables, benches and educational kiosk.
50 Scurry County Scurry County Recreational Trails Continuation Snyder Scurry $143,467 $143,467 Renovation of 1 mile of trail and construction of 10-15 miles of bike trails, children's pump track, bridges, restroom improvements, shade pavilion, and benches.
48 City of Austin - PARD John Treviño Jr. Metropolitan Park Trail Network Austin Travis $300,000 $300,000 Construction of 3.25-mile, 6-foot-wide decomposed granite trail, including signage and shaded rest areas.
48 City of Universal City Cibolo Creek Recreational Trail - Phase 3 Universal City Bexar $297,904 $297,904 Construction of a 0.85-mile, 12-foot-wide concrete surface trail.
48 Ecology Action of Texas Montopolis Nature Trail Network Renovations and Improvements Austin Travis $166,420 $166,420 Renovation of a 4-mile, 4-foot-wide natural surface trail, with equestrian infrastructure, bike racks, and gravel parking area.
48 McKinney Municipal Utility District No.1 McKinney Regional District McKinney Collin $21,865 $21,865 Installation of trailside amenities including waste receptacles, benches, and information kiosks.
48 Paso del Norte Community Foundation Risk Reduction and User Experience Improvement, Paso del Norte Trail El Paso El Paso $237,372 $237,372 Construction of 250-foot trail and renovation of 7.64-mile trail with concrete repair, street crossing, wayfinding and entrance signage, and trash receptacles.
46 Hill Country Conservancy Violet Crown Trail - Wildlands Segment II Manchaca Hays $300,000 $300,000 Construction of 2-mile natural surface trail extension of the Violet Crown Trail.
46 The Park of East Texas, Inc. The Park of East Texas Trails Tyler Smith $300,000 $300,000 Construction of 1-mile, 6-foot-wide looped decomposed granite trail with gravel parking lot, trailhead, signage, site furniture, and entry gate.
46 Val Verde County Val Verde County Non-Motorized Trails Del Rio Val Verde $300,000 $300,000 Construction of 6.60-mile, 10-foot-wide crushed limestone walking trail.
45 City of Boerne Old No.9 Trail Bridge Replacement Boerne Kendall $300,000 $300,000 Construction of 120-foot long, 12-foot-wide steel bridge to replace an aging timber structure on existing trail.
45 Yoakum County Stanford Park Recreational Trail Plains Yoakum $192,000 $192,000 Renovation of 0.52-mile, 10-foot-wide trail to construct concrete multi-use walking loop.
44 City of Beaumont Tyrrell Park Trail System Beaumont Jefferson $296,000 $296,000 Renovation of 2.50 miles of accessible trail with drainage improvements, benches, and signage.
43 City of Gun Barrel City Gun Barrel City Park Trails Refresh Gun Barrel City Henderson $54,700 $54,700 Renovation of 0.95-mile, 5-foot-wide recycled asphalt trail.
43 City of Perryton Murphy Park New Recreational Walking Paths Perryton Ochiltree $216,000 $216,000 Construction of 0.57-mile, 6-foot-wide ADA-accessible concrete trail, lighting, and shaded benches.
43 Texas A&M University-Central Texas Forge Trail System Killeen Bell $299,994 $299,994 Construction of 0.25-mile accessible trail segment and 1.25 miles of natural-surface trail including trailhead, interpretive kiosks, benches, and wayfinding signage.
43 Trust for Public Land-Texas Woody Branch Park Nature Trails Dallas Dallas $219,030 $219,030 Construction of 3-mile, 6-foot-wide improved surface trail with benches, signage, kiosks, erosion control, and habitat restoration.
Projects Recommended if Additional Funding Becomes Available
Score Grantee Name Project Name Project City Project County Grant Funds Requested Federal / State Funds Recommended Project Summary
42 City of Alto The King's Golden Garden Loop Alto Cherokee $158,924 $0 Construction of 0.52-mile, 6-foot-wide loop gravel-surfaced trail with boardwalk, benches, signage, and parking.
42 City of Three Rivers Kopplin Park Pedestrian and Nature Trails Improvements Three Rivers Live Oak $279,220 $0 Construction of a 0.14-mile, 8-foot-wide concrete surface trail and renovation of a 0.5-mile trail.
42 City of Tyler W.E. Winters Park Trail Tyler Smith $222,080 $0 Renovation of a 0.50-mile, 10-foot-wide multi-use trail.
39 City of Grand Saline Kleer Park Trail Grand Saline Van Zandt $292,000 $0 Construction of 0.50-mile, 6-foot-wide concrete trail, trailhead, picnic stations, waste receptacles, and signage.
39 Val Verde County Val Verde County Motorized Trails Del Rio Val Verde $499,999 $0 Construction of 3.82-mile motorized trail system with parking, lighting, signage, and restroom.
38 Northwest Harris County Municipal Utility District No. 24 NWHCMUD24 North Pond Trail Houston Harris $300,000 $0 Construction of 0.53-mile, 8-foot wide concrete loop trail.
37 Harris County Improvement District No 13 Wendy Way Park Trail Construction Cypress Harris $239,979 $0 Construction of 0.76-mile natural surface trail, 0.30-mile paved trail, accessible ramp, picnic pavilion, nature-viewing, bollards, signage, and erosion control.
35 City of Corpus Christi - Parks & Recreation Bill Witt Park Trail Connectivity Project Corpus Christi Nueces $300,000 $0 Construction of 0.44-mile, 8-foot-wide paved connecting trail with benches.
35 City of North Richland Hills John Barfield Trail Spring Oak Extension North Richland Hills Tarrant $257,248 $0 Construction of 0.17-mile, 10-foot-wide concrete multi-use trail, box culverts, street crossing, and signage.
34 Arboretum San Antonio El Paseo Recreational Trail Loop San Antonio Bexar $300,000 $0 Construction of 0.80-mile, 10-foot-wide concrete accessible trail.
34 City of Gholson City of Gholson - Recreation Trail Waco McLennan $137,995 $0 Construction of 0.23-mile, 5-foot-wide concrete trail with signage and shaded rest areas.
32 North Houston District North Houston District Eastside Trails Project Phase 1 Houston Harris $300,000 $0 Construction of 0.73-mile, 10-foot wide concrete shared-use trail.
29 County of La Salle La Salle County Walking Trail Cotulla La Salle $240,000 $0 Construction of a 0.64-mile, 8-foot wide, stabilized decomposed granite trail with geocell reinforcement, benches, bike racks, and interpretive signage.
28 City of Alamo La Laguna Hike and Bike Trail Alamo Hidalgo $240,000 $0 Construction of 0.42-mile, 10-foot-wide asphalt trail.
27 The Trail Conservancy Butler Trail Slope Stabilization and Retaining Wall Repairs Austin Travis $300,000 $0 Renovation and replacement of 225-linear foot retaining wall along existing trail with drainage improvements and slope stabilization.
26 City of Harlingen Meg Jorn Trail Renovation and Extension Harlingen Cameron $282,076 $0 Construction of 0.65-mile, 10-foot-wide asphalt trail, renovation of 2-mile asphalt trail, hydration stations, benches, trash cans, wayfinding, and shade structures.
25 County of Maverick Elm Creek Park Recreational Trail Eagle Pass Maverick $180,000 $0 Construction of a 0.70-mile, 10-foot-wide asphalt trail with erosion control, lighting, benches, dog waste stations, trash cans, and signage.
23 City of Edinburg Veterans Detention Pond Trail Edinburg Hidalgo $300,000 $0 Construction of 0.50-mile, 10-foot-wide asphalt trail with parking, lighting, benches, trash cans, fencing, bike racks, and signage.
23 City of Gregory Our Children's Park Trail Gregory San Patricio $300,000 $0 Renovation of 0.28-mile, 8-foot-wide walking trail with rubberized track surface, drainage, ADA signage, striping, and perimeter fencing.
23 Zapata County Precinct 1 Recreational Walking Trail Zapata Zapata $249,680 $0 Construction of 0.36-mile, 6-foot-wide concrete loop trail with parking area, lighting, signage, sheltered benches, and drinking fountains.
20 Lake Forest Utility District Lake Forest Trailhead Park Houston Harris $300,000 $0 Construction of trailhead park with entry path, bike repair station, signage, paved plaza with seating, shade structure, picnic tables, drinking fountains, bike rack, and pet station.
19 City of Kemah 57-Acre Nature Facility Recreational Trails Kemah Galveston $300,000 $0 Construction of 0.60-mile, 8-foot-wide ADA accessible stabilized aggregate trail.
19 City of Seguin Starcke Park Trail Extension Seguin Guadalupe $300,000 $0 Construction of a 0.28-mile, 12-foot-wide concrete multi-use trail and signage.
18 City of Selma Great Northern Trail - Selma Parkway Shared Use Path Selma Guadalupe $80,000 $0 Renovation and widening of 0.13-mile, 10-foot wide concrete shared-use path trail.
16 City of Weimar Hill Park Walking Trails Weimar Colorado $300,000 $0 Construction of a 0.50-mile, 6-foot-wide walking trail with lighting.
12 Grant Road PUD GRPUD Phase 1 Trail Cypress Harris $300,000 $0 Construction of a 0.85-mile, 5-foot-wide ADA concrete surface trail with benches and trash receptacles.
10 Victoria County Junior College District Paving the Way for Educational Fitness & Recreation on the Victoria College Campus Trail Victoria Victoria $197,042 $0 Renovation of 2.25-mile paved trail and construction of 0.25-mile paved trail with trailhead, signage, exercise stations, seating, lighting, trash receptacles, and bike racks.
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Texas Statewide Recreational Trails Grants Funding - Recommended Approval of Trail Construction, Renovation, and Acquisition Projects

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