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PREVIOUSLY: The Final Master Plan for the Great Redwood Trail is Out. What Does it Mean for Humboldt?

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Press release from the Great Redwood Trail Authority:

Ukiah, California (23 June 2026) – 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,” affirmed Great Redwood Trail Agency Executive Director, Elaine Hogan.

Climate Bond funds for The Great Redwood Trail. 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.” (Source: LegInfo) 

“The momentum is real and the Great Redwood Trail is on the move! 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,” said Senator McGuire. “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.” 

Prop 4 resources dedicated to The Great Redwood Trail will fund (1) Trail Design & Construction ($42 million), (2) Tribal Cultural Resource Preservation ($5 million), through recommendations from the GRTA Tribal Advisory Committee launching later this year,
and (3) 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.”

The coming year on The Great Redwood Trail. On May 21, 2026, the board authorized fiscal year 2026-27 uses of $12.4 million in Prop 4 funding:

• $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 SR 36-to-Fernbridge trail segment, for 30% design of approximately 6.2 miles; and
• $10,000,000 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 another 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, the Great Redwood Trail Agency will have rail-to-trail projects in active planning across 50 (out of 231) more miles of trail by the end of this 2026-27 fiscal year. (Another 18.5 miles are open for use, and 4.9 miles are under construction right now.) GRTA will also continue to raise and leverage additional planning, design, and construction funds, complementing Prop 4 dollars and bringing more work to completion in the years to come.

These tier one Great Redwood Trail segments fall across a range of readiness-states, from “in early scoping and planning” to “in advanced planning and getting ready for permitting, final design, and construction”:

Trails ready for design, with potential construction (north to south):

• Loleta (segment 32 – 7.7 miles in Humboldt)
• Fortuna to Fernbridge (segment 31 – 4.2 miles in Humboldt) 
• McCann to Founders Grove (segment 24 – 5.2 miles in Humboldt)
• Willits to Longvale (segments 10 & 11: 3.7 & 9.0 miles in Mendocino)

Trails going into planning and design (north to south):

• Eureka to College of the Redwoods (segment 33 – 3.2 miles in Humboldt)
• Emerald Waters to Alderpoint Depot (segment 19 - 2.5 miles in Humboldt)
• Eel River Canyon Preserve (segment 18 - 12.1 miles in Humboldt & Trinity)

The Tier system uses a points system to evaluate the current conditions and possibilities for trail segment development, based on (1) benefits (e.g. demand, opportunities for ecological restoration); (2) feasibility (e.g. structural, planning, natural features); and (3) project readiness (e.g. level of community support, interest from trail partners.)

Return on investment. Studies show that for every dollar invested in trail construction, three dollars comes back to the community. Part of this economic impact is created through GRTA’s recruitment of contracted or employed civil engineers, project managers, environmental permitting & compliance specialists, local landscapers, waste hauling and vegetation removal firms, fence-builders, heavy equipment operators, grant writers, HR administrators, IT & cybersecurity services, accountants, 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, and a 2026 State Senate candidate for California’s District Two.). He added, “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.”