The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) is a federal assistance program of the United States Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
[1] The RTP funds come from the Federal Highway Trust Fund, and represent a portion of the motor fuel excise tax collected from nonhighway recreational fuel use: fuel used for off-highway recreation by snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, off-highway motorcycles, and off-highway light trucks.
[2] On July 6, 2012 a two-year surface transportation agreement, called MAP-21, was signed into law.
Each State develops its own procedures to solicit and select projects for funding.
States are encouraged to consider projects that benefit both motorized and nonmotorized users, such as common trailhead facilities.