The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities recently launched the Alaska Trails and Local Access System or ATLAS program; a new initiative that will unify the department’s efforts to improve trail access, connectivity, and outdoor recreation opportunities across Alaska.
[Above photo by the Alaska DOT&PF]
The agency said that, as part of the governor’s Administrative Order 361, responsibility for administering the federal Recreational Trails Program transferred from the Alaska Department of Natural Resources to the Alaska DOT&PF in October 2025. Under the ATLAS initiative, that program will now be administered as the Multi-Use Trails Program.
Following that transition last year, the agency continued holding the ongoing “open funding application” cycle already underway and worked with the newly formed Alaska Recreational Trails Advisory Committee or ARTAC to evaluate project proposals from communities and organizations across the state.
Based on ARTAC’s recommendations, Alaska DOT&PF awarded more than $2.2 million in federal funding to 15 projects across Alaska, with 14 of those projects receiving full funding, and one project – the Petersville Trails and Rescue Center (Groundbreaking Phase III) – obtaining partial funding. Those projects include motorized, non-motorized, diversified, and safety, and education trail projects that will improve recreational access, enhance public safety, support local economies, and maintain critical trail infrastructure.
“ATLAS represents a new chapter in how Alaska supports trails, outdoor recreation, and community connectivity,” noted Ryan Anderson, Alaska DOT&PF’s commissioner, in a statement. “These investments will help improve and maintain trail systems across the state while creating opportunities for Alaskans and visitors to safely access and enjoy Alaska’s outdoors.”
Other state departments of transportation are engaged in similar trail-supportive efforts.
For example, in early May, the Utah Department of Transportation kicked off construction on the first project within the Utah Trail Network; a plan to build 2,600 miles of new paved trails and 500 miles of existing trails connecting communities statewide similar to how highways connect cities.
Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation held a celebration for the completion of a 0.9-mile extension of the Neponset River Greenway trail; part of a statewide effort to provide more access to “greenspace” to state residents.
And, also in May, the Virginia Department of Transportation released a revised Statewide Multiuse Trails Plan, providing a foundation for the development of a connected trail network for the Commonwealth.
That plan – a culmination of over two years of research – combined public engagement and technical analyses, including a data inventory of over 1,500 current and 2,900 planned miles of trails across Virginia, plus spatial analyses and practical insights for local jurisdictions.
