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Saxapahaw Island Park | Alamance County
North Carolina General Assembly
Approves $15M for Trails in New Budget
July 2026
- $15 million approved for trails and greenways.
- The Great Trails State Program will offer statewide support and grants!
The North Carolina General Assembly has approved $15 million for trails! This historic investment will help expand trail access, strengthen communities, and continue building a healthier, more connected Great Trails State.
Funding strengthens state trails, local communities, and the Great Trails State vision
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Great Trails State Coalition applauds the North Carolina General Assembly and Governor for approving $15 million in trail funding in the state budget, continuing North Carolina’s nationally recognized commitment to investing in trails as essential community infrastructure.
The investment will support trail development, statewide partnerships, and local communities across North Carolina through four key initiatives:
- $13.7 million that will be split between the Great Trails State Program, providing grants to communities to develop, improve, and connect trails and greenways across North Carolina, and the Complete the Trails Program, for authorized State Trails.
- $60,000 capacity-building grants for State Trail partner organizations, strengthening the nonprofit organizations that help steward and develop the state’s signature trail corridors.
- $100,000 to support statewide education, outreach, and partnership efforts led by the Great Trails State Coalition.
“This investment demonstrates North Carolina’s continued leadership in recognizing that trails are more than recreation—they are critical infrastructure that improve quality of life, strengthen local economies, support tourism, enhance public health, connect communities, and protect our natural resources,” said Palmer McIntyre, Director of the Great Trails State Coalition.
Through strong bipartisan leadership and the coalition’s 150 members, collaboration among state agencies, legislators, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and outdoor industry partners, North Carolina has become a model for strategic trail investment.
The Great Trails State Program, established in 2023 with $25 million is funding more than 70 trail projects in communities across the state, creating safer places to walk, bike, paddle, and explore while supporting economic development in both rural and urban communities.
The Coalition’s education and outreach funding will expand efforts to connect communities with trail resources, provide technical assistance, convene statewide partners at places like the Great Trails State Conference, and build public aw