Valuable OHV Access Projects That You Need to Know

A trail grant only matters when riders can eventually point to something and say, “That is where the money went.”

In some locations, that may mean a repaired trail, improved drainage or a staging area that no longer feels neglected. In others, riders will see speed signs, fencing, navigation markers, patrol equipment or a restroom that finally works.

Two funding announcements made in June 2026 are putting roughly $900,000 in direct funding and matched project impact behind 14 recreation projects on National Forest and Bureau of Land Management property.

That headline number needs an important explanation.

The National Forest Foundation announced nearly $200,000 in direct funding for seven projects. A separate partnership involving Polaris and the Foundation for America’s Public Lands reported more than $700,000 in project impact, consisting of a $350,000 Polaris donation and a dollar-for-dollar Foundation match. Those are different accounting categories and should not be treated as two identical pots of grant money.

What matters to riders is where that support is going and what should physically change.

The National Forest Grants Cover More Than New Trail Construction

The 2026 Polaris Fund for Outdoor Recreation grants will support seven projects in National Forest areas. The program was established through a $5 million Polaris commitment announced in 2021, and the permanent endowment is now fully funded. The National Forest Foundation says nearly $200,000 will be distributed among the 2026 projects, although individual award amounts were not disclosed.

Here is what riders should expect at each location:

Sedona Forest Road Speed Pilot Project, Arizona: Speed-limit signs and radar-equipped signage will be installed along a heavily used OHV route in the Coconino National Forest. This is primarily a rider-behavior and enforcement project rather than a trail-expansion project.

Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area, Colorado: A snowmobile and supporting equipment will be provided for U.S. Forest Service patrols. The equipment is intended to assist with rider safety, designated-use enforcement, and protection of sensitive wildlife areas.

Tenderfoot Mountain, Colorado: Volunteer crews will repair trail tread and clear the riding corridor on a multi-use trail in the White River National Forest. Riders should look for a cleaner corridor, repaired trail surfaces, and fewer sections where vegetation or deteriorating tread pushes traffic off the intended route.

Cadillac ORV Scenic Ride, Michigan: The grant announcement identifies maintenance and trailhead improvements supporting a shared ORV and snowmobile experience in the Huron-Manistee National Forests. No detailed construction list or individual funding amount was published.

Corridor 19, New Hampshire: Approximately four miles of a White Mountain National Forest snowmobile corridor are scheduled for drainage and trail-surface improvements. Better drainage should reduce erosion, standing water and repeated surface damage while also helping early-season grooming.

Wayehutta OHV Trail System: The grant will support restoration, erosion control and drainage work connected to Hurricane Helene damage. The objective is to restore safe public access rather than add recreational mileage.

There is an important location discrepancy in the announcement. The National Forest Foundation and Polaris identify the project as being in the Nantahala National Forest in Tennessee. However, an official federal map identifies the Wayehutta Off-Highway Vehicle System as being in the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina. SXS Nation is treating North Carolina as the correct state unless the Foundation provides a clarification.

Sucker Pond Trail, Vermont: A portion of the trail will be relocated to protect wetlands and water resources while improving rider safety and trail connectivity. This is the type of project that can preserve motorized access by moving traffic away from a location that is difficult to maintain responsibly.

Trail recovery and first-aid kits

Michigan Riders Should Expect Preservation, Not a Brand-New Trail

The Cadillac project deserves a closer look because the Scenic Ride is not a newly designated trail system.

The Cadillac Area ORV Scenic Ride connects more than 100 miles of existing Wexford County roads and U.S. Forest Service roads into a recommended riding experience. It was created with maps, staging areas, kiosks, safety information, and points of interest. Still, it is not legally designated as a separate trail or route by the Forest Service or Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

That distinction matters.

The 2026 grant should not be described as creating new riding mileage unless a local partner later announces an expansion. Based on the information published so far, riders are more likely to see maintenance, refreshed infrastructure and improvements at existing trailheads.

For a riding area built around open roads and connected destinations, keeping signs readable, staging areas usable and navigation information current may be less dramatic than cutting a new trail. It can still make the difference between a route that welcomes visiting riders and one that becomes confusing, damaged or difficult to defend.

Riders traveling into Michigan, Utah, Arizona, Nevada or Montana should also confirm current permit and registration requirements before loading the trailer. SXS Nation’s non-resident OHV permit guide gives a state-by-state starting point, but individual land managers should still be checked for current local rules.

The BLM Partnership Has More Money—and More Visible Hardware

The Foundation for America’s Public Lands says its new partnership with Polaris will produce more than $700,000 in impact for seven BLM-area projects.

Polaris is providing $350,000, and the Foundation says it will supply a dollar-for-dollar match. Several Utah projects also involve state and BLM support, with the Foundation reporting more than $200,000 in cumulative impact for the Utah portion of the program.

Unlike broad advocacy spending, most of these projects have physical outputs riders should be able to count.

Moon Rocks, Nevada: New portal signs and barriers will help direct visitors toward the main trailhead at the roughly 19,000-acre North Reno Recreation Area. Riders should see a clearer entrance and more deliberate traffic control around the staging area.

Cricket Mountains, Utah: The trail system will receive a complete signage overhaul, including directional markers, trail maps and informational or wayfinding signs.

Greater Three Peaks, Utah: Approximately 4,800 feet of fencing will be installed around an area known as “the crater.” The purpose is to reduce hazards created by dense informal routes and irregular terrain.

Tusher Tunnel, Uranium Arch and Bartlett Alcove, Utah: Three heavily visited Moab-area locations will receive updated signage, parking improvements and general site maintenance.

Fivemile Pass, Utah: Restrooms will be repaired, and new kiosks are planned for seven staging areas. This may be one of the easiest projects for riders to evaluate because the promised work involves identifiable facilities at a stated number of locations.

Black Canyon Corridor, Arizona: The project calls for 1,400 waypoints and interpretive markers, with youth participants helping lead installation. The result should be easier route-finding and clearer information throughout the corridor.

Glendive Short Pines OHV Area, Montana: A shade structure and an accessible concrete trail will complete a long-planned facility project intended to serve visitors with a wider range of mobility and riding abilities.

Not Every Access Project Adds Riding Miles

Some riders will look at this list and question why OHV funding is being used for speed monitoring, enforcement equipment, fencing or environmental protection instead of opening more trail.

That is a fair question, but access is rarely protected by trail construction alone.

A trail system that develops severe erosion, unmanaged parking, confusing intersections, or expanding user-created routes can become more expensive to maintain and harder for land managers to defend. Projects that keep traffic on established routes, protect drainage, and demonstrate responsible use may affect whether motorized access continues politically and environmentally sustainably.

The strongest projects in these announcements address a specific, visible weakness:

• Wayehutta has storm and erosion damage.
• Corridor 19 needs drainage and surface repairs.
• Cricket Mountains needs system-wide navigation.
• Three Peaks has hazardous informal traffic patterns.
• Fivemile Pass has deteriorating visitor facilities.
• Cadillac needs continued maintenance of an existing riding experience.

That is more useful than a general promise to “support access.” It also gives riders, clubs and local media something measurable to revisit.

What Has Not Been Revealed

Neither announcement provides a project-by-project funding breakdown.

That means the public cannot yet determine whether one location is receiving $10,000 and another $80,000, or how much of each project’s total cost is being supplied by other partners.

The announcements also do not provide completion dates, construction schedules, or named local project managers for every site. Riders should not assume the work will be finished during the 2026 riding season simply because the awards were announced in June.

Meaningful accountability updates should eventually include:

• The amount allocated to each project.
• Expected construction or installation dates
• Before-and-after photographs
• Miles of trail repaired or relocated
• The number and location of signs or kiosks installed
• Whether damaged or closed sections reopened
• Any remaining funding or permitting gaps

Until those details are published, the projects are confirmed and moving toward implementation, but the timing of their completion is still unclear.

How Local Clubs Are Able to Develop a More Fundable Project

The projects selected in 2026 share a pattern. They describe a specific problem, identify a physical result, and involve an established land manager or community partner.

A club asking for “money to improve our trails” is difficult to evaluate. A proposal requesting funding to replace 40 damaged signs, repair two drainage crossings, and reopen three miles of storm-damaged trail provides a grant committee with measurable costs and outcomes.

Clubs should also document volunteer hours, matching contributions, landowner permission, before photographs, trail files and the public benefit of the work.

The separate Polaris TRAILS GRANTS program provides one direct route for eligible clubs. It accepts applications from qualifying nonprofit, government and grassroots organizations, offers monetary or product grants of up to $10,000 annually and uses March 1 and September 1 application deadlines. Applicants for trail development and maintenance must provide a GPX or shapefile, and completed projects require progress reports and photographs.

For projects benefiting National Forest System land, the National Forest Foundation also operates competitive programs. Its Matching Awards Program requires a one-to-one nonfederal cash or in-kind match. It is open to eligible nonprofits, Tribal organizations and universities working on National Forests, Grasslands or adjacent public land that benefits the National Forest System.

Those are different programs from the 14 awards covered here. Still, the lesson is consistent: bring a defined scope, credible partners, matching capacity and a result that can be photographed, mapped and reported.

Riders Should Judge These Projects by What Changes on the Ground

Roughly $900,000 sounds substantial until it is divided among 14 projects spread across National Forest and BLM-managed riding areas.

These grants will not solve every maintenance backlog or public-land access fight. They can repair vulnerable sections, improve navigation, make staging areas more functional and show that the motorized recreation community is willing to invest in the places it uses.

The next step is accountability.

By the end of each project, riders should be able to see the signs, repaired tread, functioning restrooms, erosion controls, trailhead work and access improvements described in the announcements. If those results are documented clearly, even relatively modest grants can help build the case for the next round of investment.

Sources

National Forest Foundation — “Polaris and the National Forest Foundation Announce Recipients of the 2026 Polaris Fund for Outdoor Recreation Grants” — June 24, 2026
https://www.nationalforests.org/news/polaris-and-the-national-forest-foundation-announce-recipients-of-the-2026-polaris-fund-for-outdoor-recreation-grants/
Confirmed the nearly $200,000 total, seven National Forest projects, $5 million endowment and stated project scopes.

Foundation for America’s Public Lands — “The Foundation for America’s Public Lands and Polaris Join Forces to Improve OHV Recreation Access and Safety on BLM Lands” — June 1, 2026
https://americaslands.org/the-foundation-for-americas-public-lands-and-polaris-join-forces-to-improve-ohv-recreation-access-and-safety-on-blm-lands/
Confirmed the $350,000 Polaris donation, dollar-for-dollar match, more than $700,000 in stated impact and seven BLM project descriptions.

Foundation for America’s Public Lands — “Coming Together to Improve OHV Recreation Access and Safety Across Utah’s Iconic BLM Lands” — June 24, 2026
https://americaslands.org/support-ohv-recreation-access-and-safety-across-utahs-iconic-blm-lands/
Confirmed more than $200,000 in cumulative Utah impact and additional Utah project details.

USGS Store — “Nantahala NF – Wayehutta Off-Hwy System” — Map version dated November 1, 2011
https://store.usgs.gov/product/313782
Confirmed that the Wayehutta Off-Highway Vehicle System is in North Carolina, identifying an apparent state error in the 2026 grant announcement.

Pure Michigan — “Pure Michigan Trails: Cadillac Area ORV Scenic Ride”
https://www.michigan.org/puremichigantrails
Confirmed that the Cadillac experience uses open Wexford County and U.S. Forest Service roads and is a recommended ride rather than a designated route or trail.

Rural Innovation Exchange — “New ‘Ride’ Showcases Cadillac as an ORV Destination” — May 9, 2024
https://ruralinnovationexchange.com/cadillacorv/
Confirmed the Scenic Ride’s 100-plus-mile structure, staging areas, kiosks, prior funding and existing infrastructure.

Polaris — “TRAILS Grant Program Application”
https://www.polaris.com/en-us/trails-application/
Confirmed eligibility, application deadlines, award limits, reporting requirements and GPX or shapefile requirements for the separate TRAILS GRANTS program.

National Forest Foundation — “Matching Awards Program Grants” — 2026 grant information
https://www.nationalforests.org/matching-awards-program-grants/
Confirmed eligible applicants, geographic requirements, performance period and one-to-one nonfederal matching requirement for the separate competitive NFF program.

SXS Nation — “Everything You Need to Know About Buying Non-Resident OHV Permits”
https://sxsnation.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-buying-non-resident-ohv-permits/
Confirmed the available internal-link opportunity for riders traveling to public-land OHV destinations.