Roads and Trails Program

The Roads and Trails Program provides education and technical assistance to trail and open space managers and advocates regarding non-motorized trail planning, design, construction, funding and management throughout California.

The Roads and Trails Program:

  • Oversees the California Recreational Trails Plan and reports on the progress in its implementation.

  • Organizes and hosts California Trails & Greenways.

  • Provides trail planning, funding and management tools, including the comprehensive Trails Handbook (2019), to trail managers and provides expert advice on trail management issues to agencies statewide.

  • Developed the Department’s Trail Change-in-Use Process and provides ongoing technical assistance and training for its implementation.

  • Assists in the development of Road and Trail Management Plans for individual park units.

Road and Trail Management Plans

The purpose of a Road and Trail Management Plan (RTMP) is to provide specific and detailed management direction for roads and trails within a park unit, guiding the operation, maintenance, and development of the road and trail system. Following the broad programmatic goals and guidelines outlined in the General Plan, it will:

  • identify new trail routes to be developed
  • make decisions regarding whether to keep, eliminate, or re-align non-system (user-created) trails
  • prioritize maintenance needs
  • make recommendations on changes-in-use designations for specific trails
  • identify trailhead needs and improvements
  • identify educational and interpretative needs of the road and trail system

In Process RTMPs

Completed RTMPs