BISMARCK, N.D. — The North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department announces that the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians Department of Natural Resources’ Sky Chief Park Trail bridge linkage project has received the 2026 Tom Petri Recreational Trails Program Annual Achievement Award for Accessibility Enhancement from the Coalition for Recreational Trails.
The project was completed with support from an NDPRD Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant and was nominated for the award in recognition of its exceptional design, construction and years of thoughtful planning. View the story of this project on NDPRD’s Miles & Moments: Partnering with Communities through Grants YouTube series, entitled, Breathing new life into Sky Chief Park’s trail system.
Selected from trail projects across the country, Sky Chief Park’s trail project earned the national achievement award for Accessibility Enhancement, one of only 10 projects honored nationwide.
“The project demonstrates how thoughtful infrastructure can strengthen community well-being, support cultural preservation, and promote sustainable tourism,” said Char Langehaug, NDPRD grant coordinator. “These enhancements have improved safety, maintenance, and connectivity throughout the park with expanded opportunities for walking, hiking, wildlife viewing, and cultural education.”
The awards - honoring former U.S. Representative Tom Petri (WI) - recognize outstanding use of RTP funds. 2026 marks the 35th anniversary of RTP, which has enabled nearly 35,000 successes across the nation serving all types of trail activities. Administered by the Federal Highway Administration, RTP demonstrates the power of partnerships linking federal agencies, state trail programs, local governments and trail enthusiasts.
“This is an amazing honor, and we’re truly thankful for the partnership with North Dakota Parks and Recreation,” said Natural Resource Director of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, Jeff Desjarlais Jr. “We’re very fortunate to have an impressive team of people who came together to complete this project, resulting in year-round access to this trail throughout all four North Dakota seasons.”
The ten projects will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on June 25 with participation by award recipients and key trails champions including members of Congress.
Sky Chief Park, located in Rolette County, is a 1,313-acre natural landscape that encompasses diverse prairie and forested habitat in the Turtle Mountains. It is a place where visitors and the surrounding community enjoy various opportunities for outdoor recreation.
The Trail Linkage Project was developed to improve accessibility and expand recreational opportunities throughout Sky Chief Park. To achieve this, the Department of Natural Resources transformed a series of narrow wildlife trails into a connected recreational trail system, constructing five steel bridges and a floating walkway to link previously separated sections and create 4.5 miles of continuous trail across varied terrain and wetland areas. The agency used the local procurement of CTI Metal Works to ensure the durability and accessibility of the steel framed bridges. From there, the Department of Natural Resources milled their own aspen wood planks by sourcing the trees from Sky Chief Park and using their on-site wood mill facilities, allowing the team to utilize local materials and in-house craftsmanship.
The mission of the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department is to enrich generations through experiences that connect people and places.
About CRT:
The Coalition for Recreational Trails (CRT) is an alliance of more than 30 national and regional trail-related organizations across a broad spectrum of interests representing motorized and non-motorized communities. Its members work together to build awareness and understanding of the Recreational Trails Program, which returns federal gasoline taxes paid by off-highway recreationists to the states for trail development and maintenance. More information here: https://www.americantrails.org/crt
About RTP:
The Recreational Trails Program provides funds to states to develop and maintain recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both non-motorized and motorized recreational trail uses. RTP is an assistance program of the Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration Federal transportation funds which benefit outdoor recreation.
The RTP is based on the "user-pay, user-benefit" philosophy as a portion of gas taxes collected at the pump when motorized recreationists fill up their vehicles for off-highway use is utilized to build, maintain and improve trails for all trail activities, motorized as well as for hikers, bicyclists, equestrians, skiers and more. States must create and operate broadly-representative state trail advisory committees to qualify for federal matching funds, which are typically leveraged with volunteered labor and supplies and state trail funding. Further information on the RTP is at: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/recreational_trails/