Ever wonder how and where parks are spending their Federal Lands Recreation Fee Enhancement (FLREA) fee program project dollars? Well, look no further than the $1.5 million fee funded project to repair and rehabilitate the corridor trail system at Grand Canyon National Park.

In 2012, the park’s trail program crew rehabilitated various sections of the 33 miles of corridor trails (Bright Angel, South and North Kaibab) from two-and-a-half miles below the rim to the three mile mark on each trail as part of this project. Daily trail crew activities included replacement of structural components, such as retaining walls, water diversion checks, liner rock, and single-tier causeways.

Rehabilitated sections of trails will accommodate both human and livestock traffic (mules) to the bottom of the canyon. Overall, repairs and rehabilitation work will occur in the corridor each year until all miles of corridor trail are in good condition for park visitors and the managed use of these resources. Previous years have seen repair and rehabilitation efforts from the rim to this 2012 start point.

An additional $2.8 million in fee project funds were used to rehabilitate the Bright Angel trailhead area and to rehabilitate the Tusayan Museum and Desert View trails, which are used by thousands of visitors to the park each year. These projects repaired deteriorated stone walls, rehabilitated paved pedestrian walkways, revegetated the denuded landscape, improved site furnishings (rest benches, shed shelters, water stations, etc.) and defined parking and walkways in these heavily used areas. The projects also addressed and corrected accessibility and safety hazards associated with current site conditions.

Many thanks to the trail crew for posting the temporary fee project recognition signs at their various work locations during the year. These signs, distributed to all IMR parks, are used to help inform visitors of how and where their fee dollars are being spent in their parks.

For more information regarding these temporary signs, or permanent fee project recognition signs, please contact the IMR fee program at 303-969-2103.

Contact Information
Name: Matthew P. Wilson, IMR Fee Compliance Coordinator