State Trails Projects to Receive Over $6.6 Million in Grants

The North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation announced that it has awarded $6.6 million in grants for 17 land acquisition projects on state trails in nine counties. The funding comes from the Complete the Trails Program and will leverage more than $42.9 million in matching funds provided by local nonprofit state trail partners.

Additionally, four projects were selected to receive a total of over $394,000 through the Connecting Communities to State Trails (CCST) grants, a subset of the Complete the Trails funding. These grants will leverage over $230,000 in matching funds and help communities with less than 25,000 residents develop trails and trail amenities that will connect to state trails.

"Trails bring incredible benefits to rural communities, boosting tourism and economic development," said N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary D. Reid Wilson. "This generous funding made possible by the General Assembly and Governor Roy Cooper will help transform the state trails system in the Great Trails State."

The Complete the Trails Program (CTP) was created through 2021 legislation that provided an unprecedented level of funding - $29.25 million - for official state trails in North Carolina. Additional funding of $5 million was added in 2023. CTP funds are being used for land acquisition, capacity building, trail development, and small community grants.

Recipients of the CTP land acquisition funding are the nonprofit partners identified for each state trail. In the case of the CCST grant, low-population municipalities within 6 miles of an existing or planned state trail segment were eligible to apply. A second round of funding for the CCST grant will be announced in the coming months at trails.nc.gov.

"State trails in North Carolina have grown tremendously over the last few years, and that growth would not be possible without generous funding from the state and the incredible work that our state trail partners have been doing on the ground," said State Parks Director Brian Strong.

There are 14 state trails authorized by state law, including seven land-based trails, four paddle trails, and three that are a combination of paddle and land-based trails. The planned mileage for the system is over 3,800 miles. Over 34 state parks, state natural areas, and state recreation areas host or are adjacent to state trail segments.

Complete the Trails Program Land Acquisition Grants

Recipient	State Trail	Acquisition Project	County	Grant Amount
Piedmont Land Conservancy	Deep River State Trail	Ellis	Chatham	$500,000
Blue Ridge Land Conservancy	Northern Peaks State Trail	Mitchell	Ashe	$136,300
MountainTrue	French Broad River State Trail	Everett Road River Access/Campsite	Transylvania	$189,376
Blue Ridge Land Conservancy	Northern Peaks State Trail	Crutcher	Ashe	$317,500
Alamance County	Haw River State Trail	Alston Quarter	Alamance	$500,000
East Coast Greenway Alliance	East Coast Greenway State Trail	Durham-to-Roxboro Rail Trail	Durham	$1,000,000
Friends of Mountains-to-Sea Trail	Mountains-to-Sea State Trail	Oak Ridge	Guilford	$290,000
Friends of Mountains-to-Sea Trail	Mountains-to-Sea State Trail	West Roseboro	Sampson	$64,000
Friends of Mountains-to-Sea Trail	Mountains-to-Sea State Trail	Pondberry Bay Preserve South #3	Sampson	$78,500
Friends of Mountains-to-Sea Trail	Mountains-to-Sea State Trail	Pondberry Bay Preserve South #2	Sampson	$53,500
Friends of Mountains-to-Sea Trail	Mountains-to-Sea State Trail	Pondberry Bay Preserve South #1	Sampson	$98,500
Friends of Mountains-to-Sea Trail	Mountains-to-Sea State Trail	Buffalo Shoals Road	Rutherford	$528,500
Friends of Mountains-to-Sea Trail	Mountains-to-Sea State Trail	Neuse River Rose Dairy	Johnston	$900,000
Friends of Mountains-to-Sea Trail	Mountains-to-Sea State Trail	Neuse River Lowgrounds	Johnston	$500,000
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina	Wilderness Gateway State Trail	Hickorynut Mountain - Phase 1	McDowell	$1,000,000
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina	Wilderness Gateway State Trail	Micol Creek	Burke	$55,908
Friends of Mountains-to-Sea Trail	Mountains-to-Sea State Trail	Holly Shelter	Pender	$115,000
			TOTAL	$6,327,084

Connecting Communities to State Trails Grants

Recipient	State Trail	Project	County	Grant Amount
Town of Fletcher	French Broad River State Trail	Connecting the Heart of Fletcher to the French Broad River State Trail	Henderson	$100,000
Town of Mayodan	Dan River State Trail	Washington Mill Trail and River Access	Rockingham	$94,920
Town of Ossipee	Haw River State Trail	Reedy Fork Park and Trails	Alamance	$100,000
Town of Spencer	Yadkin River State Trail	Grants Creek Blueway Trailhead	Rowan	$100,000
			TOTAL	$394,920

About North Carolina State Parks
North Carolina State Parks manages more than 262,000 acres of iconic landscape within North Carolina's state parks, state recreation areas and state natural areas. It administers the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund, including its local grants program, as well as a state trails program, North Carolina Natural and Scenic Rivers and more, all with a mission dedicated to conservation, recreation and education. The state parks system welcomes more than 19 million visitors annually.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina - its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.