CALIFORNIA — October 27, 2026. California State Parks has announced $28.1 million in awards for 136 off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation projects through its 2026 Grants and Cooperative Agreements program. The funding will go to 81 public agencies and nonprofit organizations for trail maintenance, restoration, education, law enforcement and improved recreation facilities.

For residents of rural California, this is more than a grant announcement: public-land access, erosion, environmental damage, visitor safety and local recreation economies often meet on the same roads and trails. Still, an award is not evidence that a project has been completed or that a closed route has reopened.

Where the 2026 money will go

The largest award categories are ground operations ($12.76 million, 31 projects), law enforcement ($6 million, 67 projects) and restoration ($5.60 million, 10 projects). The program also funds education and safety ($1.5 million, 19 projects), development ($1.5 million, six projects), and planning ($738,933, three projects). State Parks says it considered over $44 million in funding requests.

Southern California desert restoration

The Southern California Mountains Foundation received a $897,873 restoration award covering eight miles of routes and 40 acres in the Upper Mission Springs, Big Morongo Canyon and Willow Hole areas in the Coachella Valley/Desert Hot Springs region. The announcement describes the supported restoration work; it does not say that all that work is already finished.

Elsewhere, Butte County Search and Rescue received $31,605 for OHV-related patrols in portions of Lassen and Plumas national forests. The Stanislaus National Forest received $75,000 for an additional bathroom at Spicer SNO-Park, while the Bureau of Land Management’s Eagle Lake field office received $127,600 for ground operations in Fort Sage and Rice Canyon areas.

What visitors should know

Grant awards do not override posted fire restrictions, seasonal closures, designated-route rules or permits. State Parks says final 2026 awards are pending California Environmental Quality Act compliance. Before an OHV trip, confirm the current rules with the relevant public-land manager.

For related California58 reporting, see our guide to traveling between Ridgecrest, Randsburg and Red Mountain and our coverage of Rand Mountains off-road route restrictions and permits. Those earlier stories address different local access questions and are not repeated here.

Primary sources: California State Parks, October 27, 2026 announcement; OHMVR grant awards and CEQA status.

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  1. Pingback: California Trail Grants Deadline November 2: Cities and Nonprofits May Qualify, but a 12% Match Is Required – California58