The Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau announced the inaugural recipients of grants from the Huntingdon County Trails Maintenance Fund.

Established in the fall of 2024, the Trails Maintenance Fund is designed to assist organizations and local governments in their efforts to maintain and enhance existing trails within the county.

Trails for hiking, running, biking and paddle sports are a cornerstone of Huntingdon County’s natural beauty and outdoor recreation offerings. Recognizing the critical role these trails play in attracting visitors and supporting local communities, the Trails Maintenance Fund was established to provide financial assistance to nonprofit trail management organizations and municipal governments responsible for trails on public lands.

The funding is provided by a portion of the 5 percent Huntingdon County Hotel Tax, which is collected on all stays in hotels, bed & breakfasts and vacation rentals in the county. As the official Tourism Promotion Agency for Huntingdon County in accordance with state law, HCVB receives 96 percent of the tax revenue for use in marketing to attract tourists to the county and for tourism product development.

The inaugural grant awards are described below:

n The nonprofit Friends of Raystown Lake received a grant of $3,116 to purchase an e-bike and trailer to facilitate maintenance tasks on remote sections of the Allegrippis Trails at Raystown Lake, a 36-mile stacked loop multi-use trail designed for mountain biking

n The nonprofit Keystone Trails Association received a grant of $750 to facilitate a hands-on trail work clinic on the Old Loggers Trail at Raystown Lake’s Seven Points Recreation Area during its annual Spring Hiking Weekend on the last weekend of April 2025.

n Mount Union Lumber and Supply, Inc. received a grant on behalf of Mount Union Borough for $8,000 for the purchase of stone and other materials to resurface more than 4,000 feet of the Mount Union River Walk trail in the borough’s Riverside Park. MULS will be donating the labor and use of equipment needed to complete the project.

For more information on the fund, including eligibility criteria and application details, visit Raystown.org/trails-fund/.