Towns to Trails - West

Project Description: The Eastern Sierra Regional Trail System and Jobs Creation project - the official name of this Sierra Jobs First funded project - will explore opportunities to complete an Eastern Sierra Regional Trail System through a Westside Towns to Trails Plan which will connect with an Eastside Towns to Trails Plan finalized by the Eastern Sierra Council of Governments in the spring of 2025. The Westside Trails Plan will identify opportunities to connect four westside counties in the Sierra Jobs First Region to each other, their communities, and their public lands, and then to three eastside counties via the completed Eastside Towns to Trails Plan. Opportunities exist to extend the Westside Trails Plan into the Central San Joaquin Valley Jobs First Region and to Yosemite National Park. Employing the same methodology as the Eastside Towns to Trails Plan, the Westside Trails Plan will focus on existing infrastructure to provide connectivity by collecting data on the current trail and system road infrastructure, developing potential routes, and identifying environmental planning needs. An Eastern Sierra Regional Trail System will support recreation, tourism, and economic development throughout the seven county Eastern Sierra Region by creating connections between gateway communities and their public land recreation opportunities.

Explore Act Passes And Will Become Law!

After nearly a decade of work from the outdoor community, the EXPLORE Act, a bipartisan recreation policy package, passed through Congress in December 2024. The passage of EXPLORE sent a clear message that outdoor recreation and our public lands are bipartisan priorities.

What The EXPLORE Act Has In Store For Adventure Cyclists

The BOLT Act directs the Department of Interior to establish at least 10 long-distance bike routes that will enjoy federal funding. The BOLT Act defines a long-distance trail as being at least 80 miles long, and predominately dirt or, at least, unpaved.

In Support of Long-Distance Trails

IMBA has been working with its IMBA local partners, corporate partners and other like-minded organizations to get the BOLT Act passed since it's ideation in 2018 and original introduction in 2021.

Biking on Long Distance Trails Act

Click to read the full text of the original BOLT Act.

Towns to Trails - East

Conducted from December 2022 - April 2025, the Eastside Towns to Trails Plan is a feasibility study that analyzed approximately 350 miles of existing infrastructure connecting commmunities from Lone Pine to South Lake Tahoe, and linking front county towns in Alpine, Mono, and Inyo Counties.

Last updated August 14, 2025

This project is funded by Sierra Jobs First and created to support the initiative’s mission of creating a community-led, climate-neutral, inclusive future for our industry in the Sierra region. Through our partnership with Sierra Business Council, regional conveners and fiscal administrators for California Jobs First in the Sierra region, we provide industry-specific assistance that supports job growth, inclusive workforce development, and economic resilience, while protecting our region’s natural lands and vibrant communities.