Great Redwood Trail Launches First $12.Great Redwood Trail Launches First $12.4 Million Round of Climate Bond Spending Across Three North Coast Counties

Press release from the Great Redwood Trail Agency:

Following the approval of its Master Plan in March, the Great Redwood Trail Agency board of directors has announced the first round of $12.4 million in Climate Bond funding for priority trail segments in Humboldt, Mendocino, and Trinity counties.

“Proposition 4, the Climate Bond passed by California voters in 2024, represents a $10 billion investment in climate resilience, outdoor access, and equity. All three are reflected in The Great Redwood Trail priorities of rail-trail development, Tribal cultural resource preservation, and environmental restoration; cleaning up what the railroad left behind. We are deeply grateful to California voters for this investment and look forward to working with Tribes and environmental partners to direct these taxpayer dollars where they’re most needed,” said Great Redwood Trail Agency Executive Director Elaine Hogan.

The Great Redwood Trail Agency’s $50 million award falls within the Climate Bond’s $695 million allocated to parks and outdoor spaces. Senate Bill 105, Section 94030 specifies uses “for the protection, restoration, and enhancement of the natural resource values of the state park system and for projects to expand recreational opportunities and public access to state and public park nonmotorized trails.”

“The momentum is real and the Great Redwood Trail is on the move,” said Senator McGuire. “Over 40% of the Trail is under construction or fully built and is now being loved by over 1 million walkers, hikers and cyclists every year. These bond funds will help turn years of vision and hard work into real progress, advancing trail construction, environmental rehabilitation, wildfire mitigation and expanding access to the great outdoors. This is a major win for the North Coast and another milestone toward getting the Great Redwood Trail across the finish line.”

Proposition 4 resources dedicated to the Great Redwood Trail will fund trail design and construction ($42 million), Tribal Cultural Resource Preservation ($5 million) through recommendations from the GRTA Tribal Advisory Committee launching later this year, and environmental restoration in the remote, ecologically and culturally sensitive Eel River Canyon ($3 million).

“The Great Redwood Trail Agency maximizes every investment,” said GRTA Board Chair Mary Sackett. “The Proposition 4 allocation will advance the construction of priority trail segments. The funds are crucial to showing progress, and continuing to build partnerships toward building out the entire trail.”

On May 21, 2026, the board authorized fiscal year 2026-27 uses of $12.4 million in Prop 4 funding, including $1,502,000 to the Mendocino Land Trust’s work on the Willits-to-Longvale trail segment for 65% design of 12.7 miles; $922,000 to the City of Fortuna for work on the SR 3-to-Fernbridge trail segment for 30% design of approximately 6.2 miles; and $10 million for trail planning, design, and construction directly administered by GRTA in Mendocino, Trinity, and Humboldt counties, guided by the Master Plan’s Tier 1 priorities.

The $10 million GRTA-administered portion will deploy through trail design and development across eight segments: five moving from design to potential construction, and three to become shovel-ready for future construction with additional funding sources. It will also fund strategic land acquisition and Tribal cultural resource preservation. Thanks to this allocation, GRTA will have rail-to-trail projects in active planning across 50 additional miles of trail by the end of fiscal year 2026-27, adding to the 18.5 miles already open for use and 4.9 miles currently under construction.

Tier 1 segments ready for design with potential construction, running north to south, include the Loleta segment (7.7 miles in Humboldt), Fortuna to Fernbridge (4.2 miles in Humboldt), McCann to Founders Grove (5.2 miles in Humboldt), and Willits to Longvale (12.7 miles across two segments in Mendocino). Segments moving into planning and design include Eureka to College of the Redwoods (3.2 miles in Humboldt), Emerald Waters to Alderpoint Depot (2.5 miles in Humboldt), and the Eel River Canyon Preserve (12.1 miles across Humboldt and Trinity counties).

Studies show that for every dollar invested in trail construction, three dollars returns to the community. GRTA’s work draws on contracted and employed civil engineers, project managers, environmental permitting and compliance specialists, local landscapers, waste hauling and vegetation removal firms, fence-builders, heavy equipment operators, grant writers, and more. The agency invites applicants to visit GRTA Bids and GRTA Careers for current openings and to sign up for its newsletter to be notified of upcoming opportunities.

“The North Coast’s Great Redwood Trail is an important example of what Proposition 4’s investments were intended to accomplish,” said Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael). “Through years of advocacy from the surrounding community and tribes, the Great Redwood Trail expands access to the outdoors and bolsters climate resiliency in a timely and transparent manner. As a co-author of Prop 4, it is wonderful to see the long-term ecological and economic benefits of this project, which would not have been possible without funding from the Climate Bond.”