Next Level Trails program gets additional funding

The state is allocating an additional $30 million for the Next Level Trails program, designed to support new hiking, biking, and riding trails throughout the state. Gov. Eric Holcomb made the announcement Thursday during the opening of the River Greenway Trail in Elkhart.

The new funding brings the total investment in the NLT program to $180 million. Seventy-five projects around Indiana have received funding since the program’s inception in 2018.

The fourth round of the NLT program will award up to $22.5 million for regional projects and up to $7.5 million for local projects.

Applications for funding will be accepted July 1 through August 1. Units of government and 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations are eligible to apply.

“Through the largest infusion of trail funding in Hoosier history, Indiana’s Next Level Trails are connecting Hoosiers and our communities to each other and the great outdoors like never before,” Holcomb said in a news release. “With this next round of trails investments, we’ll continue Indiana’s momentum as a nationally recognized trail leader, building new connections across the state.” 

The River Greenway Trail in Elkhart is a 1.86-mile trail that received a $642,000 NLT grant in 2021. The paved trail follows the Elkhart River and links with the Mapleheart Greenway to create a contiguous link between Elkhart and Goshen.

The NLT program is administered by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. The governor’s office says 17 of the 75 projects that have received funding are complete, totaling 54.3 miles of new trails.

You can learn more about the fourth round of the NLT program by clicking here.