Off-Highway Vehicle Grants

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Program provides annual grant funding aimed at enhancing and improving motorized recreation opportunities across Colorado. Funded primarily through off-highway vehicle registrations and supplemented with Recreational Trails Program (RTP) funds, the program seeks to promote safe, sustainable, and responsible OHV use on public lands. Since its inception in 1991, the program has awarded approximately $99 million in funding, supporting a wide array of OHV trail projects and facilitating thousands of trail crew hours across the state. The OHV Program offers two categories of grants: Competitive and Good Management. Competitive grants address broader needs in OHV recreation such as safety education, land acquisition or easement, trail construction, restoration, and development of facilities like parking areas and restrooms related to OHV and multi-use trails. In 2026, the program encourages applicants to place emphasis on education. The Good Management track, on the other hand, supports operational maintenance and on-the-ground efforts to maintain existing OHV infrastructure. Only current trail crews listed in the Good Management roster are eligible for this stream. Eligibility is open to local, county, state, federal, and tribal agencies, special recreation districts, and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. For Good Management grants, eligibility is limited strictly to designated trail crews such as those operated by various BLM districts and state forest crews. Applications must align with CRS 33-14.5-106, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements related to safety, access, and facility improvement for OHV use. The application cycle opens annually in October and closes in early December. For the 2026–2027 grant cycle, the final application deadline is December 5, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time. Public comment on submitted projects opens December 30, 2025, and closes February 6, 2026. Review meetings occur through February and March, with final award announcements expected mid-June 2026. Funds will begin disbursement in Fall 2026 through Spring 2027. Applicants are required to submit full documentation via email by the listed deadline. Application components are defined in two sets of guidelines depending on whether the applicant is applying for a Competitive or Good Management grant. Evaluation will be conducted by the OHV Subcommittee and State Trails Committee, with review meetings open to the public for transparency. Questions on eligibility or required materials should be directed to the State Trails Program at [email protected] or 303-791-1957. The OHV program is part of CPW’s broader mission to provide sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities in Colorado while educating and inspiring future generations to act as stewards of the state's natural resources. With consistent annual cycles and structured evaluation processes, the OHV grants serve as a critical tool in maintaining and expanding access to motorized trails statewide.

Emphasis on educational components this cycle; applicants should align projects accordingly to improve competitiveness.